Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

So i bought two rear hubs/bearing assemblys off of rockauto (beck/arnley) and they arrived today. However im not quite sure what i received are fit to be installed on my car.

First thing i noticed is that despite ordering two of the same part, i ended up with two different hubs. Obviously both fit but they certainly arnt from the same source/brand, even though the boxes have the same barcode numbers.



-



I also noticed that one was missing the ring that covers the grease/ball bearings on the outside, although the wheelwell-side ring was there. The other hub (which also had studs) has rings on both sides, as i assume is how its supposed to be, otherwise the grease would probably just ooze out as the bearing gets hot.

The hub with the studs also has play in the bearing halfs (i believe they are called hub races?); using my finger im able to wiggle them so they become lopsided and i can even pull them so that they extend out by a couple of mm from being flush with the outside of the hub. On the other hub (with the missing ring) there is some play but not nearly as exaggerated. Note both sides/halves have this play.



All together, considering i got two different brand hubs, one with a missing grease seal ring, and the other with a significant amount of play in the bearing halfs (again i dont know the terminology):

Did i get ripped off? I never had problems with rockauto before, but none of this seems right to me. Part of me thinks the looseness of the bearing halfs is normal, but since they are pressed in shouldnt they be snug?

Im ready to ship these back and source hubs from somewhere else - just wanted to get some input first and know what im dealing with before i jump the gun. Thanks all!

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The bearings will be loose until they are torqued down. You could reuse your studs. The missing seal is real sketchy, I wouldn't run it. Email rockauto and they'll make good.

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

Good stuff, thanks for the advice. I figured with the 130+ footpounds or whatever it is thats cranked onto these things by the axle nut, any play would be eliminated, but i wanted to make sure.

Curious enough, i went back on rockauto's website, and noticed that the stock picture for the hubs i bought shows a hub with a missing grease seal. Which makes no sense as the hub is listed as a complete unit/assembly. Also the fine print states that studs arnt included, yet one hub came with them - i knew this when i bought them and already had new studs ready to go but hey not going to complain about getting free stuff lol.

Regardless im going to return the incomplete hub for a replacement, Ive ordered plenty from rockauto and this was the first time ever having a problem so ill write it off as a fluke. Again, thanks for the help!

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

Just an update on this situation.

I returned the rear hub with the missing seal to rockauto, and today got my replacement. Guess what? Still missing the god damn seal. So here i am weeks later, still at square one with a defective part. The person i just spoke to from rockauto has told me they will see if they can have the seal sent to me seperately free of charge, or if the entire part needs to be sent back... Again... With shipment costs being paid from MY pocket. Im postive thats the hub is defective/incomplete because i originally ordered two, one of which was in the proper, as advertised condition. Its as if they took the part i sent back and simply repackaged it and sent it over to me again..

Im pretty pissed to say the least. Ive had to pay shipping for this same exact defective part twice, not to mention the return shipping cost they deducted from my refund. Unrelated, but another package ive ordered from rockauto was missing a part; they are sending me it for free but it appears that there is minimal or perhaps zero quality control at their warehouses. I dont understand how they can justify sending me an incomplete hub unit directly after i just returned one for the same exact defect.

All said and done,id suggest everyone try to find other sources for parts before you use rockauto. I can no longer say i would recomend them, as have practically no accountability for their slip ups

Quickywd01

iTrader: (16)

Whooever you talked to should be fired as they're ruining rockauto's reputation.

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

The thing is, they just pass the blame on to the manufacturer. Should my part have been 100% ready to install to begin with? Absolutely. But the people who are supposed to be inspecting each shipment to ensure that nothing is defective (let alone present, as i said a different shipment from this week was missing a part) are simply not doing their job. Of course the person ive talked to immedietly points the finger at the part manufacturer.

At the bottom of each packing list, there is a spot for the worker to sign, stating that they inspected it and gave it the ok. Ive seen this area checked off and signed before. Its worth noting that the three shipments ive receieved from them that had defective items or items missing entirely did not have this area touched - meaning either nobody is inspecting the packages or they simply are not doing their job to begin with.

I dont even know where to go with this. If they end up making me pay to ship the hub back for a refund (for a second time!), then what do i do? I complain to who? They have made it obvious they dont care by the fact they replaced my defective part with another defective part.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Even the one with the "seal" looks more like a shield. I wonder if they are supposed to rely on the dust cap for a seal, like a rwd car?
I've never had the hub off the back of a max, but many fwd cars have unsealed tapered bearings, and rely on a press in seal and dust cap.

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

You know, that is a possibility, in which case ill feel like a total dck lol.

I suppose ill just do the one side and inspect the old bearing to compare them, ill check back after.

Edit: i came across this thread:
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...abs-rotor.html

Which has some nice frontal pics of an OEM rear hub assembly. There is a ring seal/shield present that is not on the questionable hub i have received from rockauto (twice). Based on everything already stated, im going to continue to assume that i was again sent an incomplete unit.

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

Rockauto called today. Apparently the complete hub assembly unit i have purchased doesnt come with a grease seal - so much for being a complete unit. This makes absolutely no sense considering one of the units i ordered originally did come with the seal in question.

Does anyone know where one could buy a grease seal for the rear hub, other than rockauto? Is this a universal part or something nissan specific? Can one simply extract the seal from an old hub somehow and reuse it? Anyone shed some light on this subject?

Any help here would be much appreciated, i just want this simple job over and done with already.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

Interesting thread you found.
That grease seal is not removable by hand. I'm selling that hub assembly because it came with the rear torsion beam I got at the JY. My heavily rusted OEM torsion beam had cracked trailing arm bushings and was cracking were the shocks mount. I don't have ABS on my 98 SE so I'm selling 1 of the 2 hub assemblies and the rear ABS sensors. My OEM hub assemblies are gliding smooth so I'm just keeping 1 of the hub assemblies with ABS rotors for future use. A hub assembly with an ABS rotor can fit on a MAX with or without ABS. Those assemblies need the seal for keeping the bearings from drying.

Slamrod

iTrader: (11)

Right now im trying to find just the seal since the *incomplete* assembly i have is new and unused. If it really comes down to it ill probably end up buying the one you have and returning this one lol. Im quite irritated that they advertise the hub as a "complete OE replacement" when it is not complete whatsoever; had they been truthful about their product i would have never wasted my time with it.

Anyone know where these seals can be found? Im finding absolutely nothing, except for the seals that go with the front hubs. Are these compatible? Surely someone out there must have dealt with this before. As always any info whatsoever is greatly appreciated.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

I reduced the price to $40 total. Along with the hub assembly and dust cap I'll also include a new cotter pin and some wheel bearing grease for slapping on the spindle.

If you haven't removed your OEM hub assemblies yet it's a fairly simple task. After sliding off the disc you just tap off the dust cap with a chisel. Remove the cotter pin with pliers. With a 30mm socket and a breaker or impact wrench loosen the nut. After removing the nut the hub assembly should slide off easily. If not then take your time to avoid damaging the spindle.

After cleaning the spindle throw on wheel bearing grease then slide on the hub assembly. Throw on the nut and tighten it with 225 lbs of torque. Install the cotter pin then bang on the dust cap with a rubber mallet. The new dust caps I installed required so much force they didn't look new when completed! The remaining steps is just reassembling your rear brakes.

EDIT: The FSM shows a washer behind that nut but none appeared on the hub assemblies I've removed and installed .

asand1

iTrader: (1)

You're not going to find a seal for that bearing. Bearings are sealed, shielded, or just open, but they come assembled that way. you're issue is not with the hub per se, but with the bearing itself. It is not a "maxima" part but a component of the bearing itself, from the bearing manufacturer. Just put it on already, or pay alot more for a better hub with sealed ball bearings. The dust cap will keep debris out, just as they have for 100+ years.

What your looking at is just a variation of this.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

If you install that hub assembly with no grease seal then the bearings will dry up much faster and require replacing. A grease seal purpose is to keep the bearings fully greased, not to keep debris out of the assembly. That's the dust cap's purpose. Wether we're talking aftermarket or used OEM a fully pressed hub assembly containing grease seals are not highly priced.