Whitaker717 Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 Hi guys, this Spring I am going to be doing new wheel hubs and new axle joints since I will have it apart. Any recommendations? I have a credit at Rock Auto so that’s where I will get them. I have a stock 87 4.0 4x4. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_SX4 Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 About 6 months ago I got the Timken hubs from Rock Auto and have not had any problems with them. Just stick with the non greasable Dana joints. Best quality and longest lasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 I always have good luck with Timken hubs and Dana/Spicer joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coheed Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 On occasion I've bought SKF and got a Timken bearing and the other way around. I replaced the ones on my truck with the Mevotech ones on Rockauto last year and have had no issues after 5000ish miles. The only reason I didn't go with Timken or SKF is the Mevotechs had double the length of warranty at the time. For joints I'd stick with Dana as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIKE Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 You have to be careful with counterfeit bearings out there. I know SKF has a problem with that. I ordered my SKF front hub bearings directly from SKF to avoid any possibility. X2 on the Dana non greaseable joints, I like those too. They have better seals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 The last SKF I bought about 2 years ago were USA made. The Timkens I had bought were not. I tend to get either US or Japan made bearings for their fit and quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitaker717 Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 Thanks for the info guys. Does anyone have a part number for those Spicer axle u joints for my 87 4.0 4x4. Stock. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIKE Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Check out dennysdriveshaft.com they will take good care of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitaker717 Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 49 minutes ago, PIKE said: Check out dennysdriveshaft.com they will take good care of you. I have a Rock Auto credit, I will get them on there. Thanks though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 706944X is what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitaker717 Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 9 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: 706944X is what you need. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitaker717 Posted March 17 Author Share Posted March 17 9 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: 706944X is what you need. That number is coming up as a ball joint kit. I need the u joints. I’m guessing either the 15260x or 5260X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 2 minutes ago, Whitaker717 said: That number is coming up as a ball joint kit. I need the u joints. I’m guessing either the 15260x or 5260X My bad, I thought you were looking for ball joints. For u joints, one of those parts should be the grease-able and the other is not. Non greaseable should be a touch stronger. I normally opt for Moog on u joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZJeff Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 13 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: My bad, I thought you were looking for ball joints. For u joints, one of those parts should be the grease-able and the other is not. Non greaseable should be a touch stronger. I normally opt for Moog on u joints. Timken manufactures bearings in literally dozens of places around the world, and uses the same quality control systems in all of those locations. Thinking that ones made in the USA are automatically of some better level of manufacture is unfounded. The last time I put Timkens in my XJ (15 years ago), the ones I got were made in the Czech Republic. The Czechs are known for precision machining, so I suspect there were as good as any other Timken product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75sv1 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I think both SKF and Timken are having the hub bearing units made in China. I had a SKF unit cause issues with the tire puckering. I thought it would have been the Scholdinger unit. I bought both from NAPA a few years back. I had one of the cheap made in China hub bearing units, also bought at NAPA, around 2010, that did good. I remember it cost $35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 8 hours ago, AZJeff said: Timken manufactures bearings in literally dozens of places around the world, and uses the same quality control systems in all of those locations. Thinking that ones made in the USA are automatically of some better level of manufacture is unfounded. The last time I put Timkens in my XJ (15 years ago), the ones I got were made in the Czech Republic. The Czechs are known for precision machining, so I suspect there were as good as any other Timken product. I don’t really subscribe to the one manufacturer is better than the rest idea. I’ll examine each item and decide which I want to run. If I find a part that is slightly out of spec or has manufacturing defects, I won’t run it. It has been my experience that Japan and US made bearings and seals tend to have tighter tolerances than others regardless of the brand on the box, but this is not a universal truth, just a passing observation. I’ve used great quality products from other manufacturing countries as well. But when I’m going to install a bearing or seal in some inaccessible location, I’m going to carefully inspect it for fit and finish before installing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I’m also not really on the made-in-X-countries-only band wagon. I put parts on from all over the place at work and would agree it generally has no bearing on what lasts and what doesn’t. I wouldn’t even always put one brand of part over another. I’ve even seen OEM parts last no longer than cheap aftermarket. Usually we just end up with whatever will be there first and we rarely have problems. But I will say I do have a preference for Dana u-joints. They are noticeably beefier than almost everything else, the seals look better, etc. But I also can’t say I’ve had issues with any other brand of u-joint unless it comes out of the box with a weedy looking cross. I would prefer greasable joints but the axle shaft u-joints are barely accessible for a cross-mounted nipple if they’re even big enough to put one in there, and the grease nipples on the caps rarely have clearance and just either get damaged or else they’re some weird low-clearance design that you won’t have the correct adapter to get grease into. So not really much point in getting greasable u-joints for the axle shafts. But I would absolutely pop the caps off and add some extra grease before installing. The number one cause of a bearing failing is contamination getting in, and the more grease there is the less room there is for contaminants. I also usually will go with Timken bearings because I have had good experience with them, but I can’t really say I’ve had problems with any other brand of wheel bearing either. Usually if I see a bearing failed there’s clear signs either the grease escaped or there was some contaminant inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75sv1 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I use the low profile Zerks fittings : 10-32 UNF Flush Stright Slotted Grease Zerk Nipple Fitting 5 pcs | eBay Those are not the right size, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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