Is it on your front wheel hubs or the back or do you have none at all?
Here's a pic of what I'm talking about...

I need to know if I remove these things if I'll be screwing something up. I figure if a bunch of you guys don't have the caps anyways, I might as well take it off to make my rims fit.

 

97 max; don't have them on my car.

 

the are only on the rear, and i think you need them

 

i dont have them on my car. you dont really need them. when you pul them off you will see why. all i did was pack a little silicone in there and put my wheel on.

 

Thats a good idea!! Did you use silicone glue or what else do you mean?

 

anything that will pick the loose dust that may get behind you wheel

 

The caps are there to prevent dirt and water from getting into the hub bearings. If you take them off, you are running the risk of shortened bearing life from contamination.

 

YOU NEED DUST CAPS ON YOUR REAR HUBS!!!!!

they do NOT use a sealed bearing on the back. Don't believe me? pull the cap off and spin the hub. see the grease and those shiny little metal things rolling around in there? those are bearings. they MUST stay clean. get dirt in them and you can kiss your rear wheel hubs goodbye. they're about $100 each, btw.. not something you want to trash.

 

Couldn't I seal the rear dust caps with some aquarium silicone glue instead of using those caps?

 

If you want to invent your own specs you can. It's at your own risk.

 

i havn't had rear caps for over four years with no problems. i know what it sounds like when the wheel bearings go out, and i have nothing like that.


off with the caps!

 

those are caps to keep grease sealed in the bearing pack. Ususally FWD cars are found on the rear since the wheels are not propelled driven. RWD cars are found on the front.

 

So what does it sound or feel like when you have a wheel bearing going out? I do have some slight grinding noises coming from my car prior to taking the caps off. I'm afraid that I might have got some water into there when I was washing the car and I don't have center caps for the rims... I feel like I need to shape the caps a bit and put them back on... Thanks for sharing, guys.

 

This cracks me up, take off the dust caps and use silicone? Dust caps, dust...they're on there for a reason to prevent debris from eating away at the bearings. Silicone will not hold up over time. What is the reason behind the need to take them off? If its a matter of wheel fitment, get some spacers, don't remove the dust caps. Your car might look nice with the new wheels, but it won't be driving very nicely in a few months or even weeks if you get crap in there.

 

they are built as a removable way to pack in the grease. rebuild and matinence on those bearings is needed...and those caps have a purpose. silicon seems like it would be back for the bearing, not saying it wouldnt keep stuff out, but think how hot breaks get. you know silicon dries out, cracks, wears out. what is keeping it in there with all the heat, water, wear and stress? its a good question bob, but you arent getting good advice....do it RIGHT

 

okay, I'll be re-fabricating the dust caps this weekend to put back on. I don't think spacers would work b/c the wheels are already at the edge of the wheel well. Thanks again.

 

I've seen on many 4th and 5th gens that you can just tkae a ball peen hammer and tap the ridge off the dust cap and the wheels will fit.

If not, try buying some dustcaps at autozone or whatever parts store. they often fit differently. I I had to remove the dust caps on my car once when I tried to install some MHT wheels... I pulled them off long enough to drive the car home, then I bought some other caps from the parts store that fit under the wheel. total cost.. about $5 and an hour of time.

 

I'll try that today! Thanks, Matt.

 

Mine stick to my rear wheels when I take them off. I just use a rubber mallet and gentle knock em out and put them back on the hubs.

 

EDIT: Oops, didn't read Matt's post first, so I basically repeated everything he said...


Ok...

There is some terrible advice and logic being thrown about in this thread. This question does not need a poll....it is not a popularity contest. There is one right answer and one wrong answer. Period.

Wrong answer: "you don't need the dustcaps"

Right answer:

The front wheels do not have dust caps on the maxima - the fronts are a SEALED bearing which will not allow any debris to get in. That's why it takes a 3-ton press to get them out.

The rear wheels DO have dust caps, and need to have them because they are not sealed bearings. With no dust cap, the ball-bearings are open to the elements, and all it takes is one little grain of sand getting in there to ruin your bearing. A new hub costs about $100 with bearing. Is it worth $100 to you to take the dust cap off?

Since most people here only believe something if they see a picture of it, here you go:

Here is the rear hub/bearing assembly with dust cap removed. See the shiny silver things? Those are the ball bearings. See how they are open to the elements if there is no dust cap? Yeah....



So, to all of you who know what you're talking about, right on. To the rest of you, stop giving out terrible advice unless you have more to go on than "I took mine off and my bearing is fine."

 

also...

That's two bad ideas in one post....wheel bearings get very warm and silicone is not appropriate for several reasons:
1. it is not made to handle heat
2. it does not stick to grease. And there should be grease on the bearing facing.
3. it will not stop debris from getting into the bearing. In fact, depending ont he chemical properties of the silicone you used, it could actually foul the bearing ITSELF!

If silicone was an effective sealant in this application, Nissan surely would have used it in the first place - since a bit of silicone is alot cheaper than a shaped metal dust cap. And we all know Nissan is cheap.

 

Quick question in regards to dust caps:

My new wheels don't have center caps, so my front wheels have an ugly rusted part with a cotter pin sticking out. Would a dust cap serve as a makeshift center cap for the front wheels?

 

A little rattle can action would work...