Thread: KABOOM! Bearing blew to bits

Hey all - was going to replace the bearing on the nx yesterday for safety inspection - scary stuff when you take off the castle nut and the hub just comes off with it, the bearing blew apart.

My question is this, because it's not in the FSM:

Does anyone know what the wear signs on a front hub/spindle look like? I dont want to put a new bearing in only to find the hub or spindle is out of spec and wobbely because of wear, but then again Nissan wants $150 for the hub alone, and no one else carries them.

Sadly, the fsm has no caliper limits on the inner hub or the spindle for me to verify.

Look at the inner and outer race of the bearing. If you didn't wear through them then no damage from wear. Just look for discoloration on the hub and replace that if its not shiny. If it's brown/dark it saw a bit of heat and is no good anymore. The knuckle is cast iron and pretty resistant to deformation from heat... You would have to get it beyond red hot and by then your car would have caught fire somewhere. Outer race of bad bearing isn't chewed through, no damage.

My rule of thumb is if the hub is loose then you need a new hub and bearing. If you're doing it as a maintenance thing and the hub isn't loose, then just replace the bearing. My hubs have always come out looking galled and worn on the inner end so I've always replaced them along with the bearing.

if it just fell out yeah your shit is screwed replace everything

I looked at it with the new information y'all presented me with - the spindle was in good shape, the inner and outer races were in good shape (just seperated) - and the car wasn't driven much at all since it was saftied 5 years ago thanks for the help guys - I don't see any gouges or wear marks, so I'll try to get it pressed in and see how it goes. Worst case scenario the safety guy says 'bearings out' and then I'll just buy a new spindle and get that pressed in.

Is anyone else really suprised that there aren't any front spindles available other than from Nissan? That strikes me as a common wear part, no?

Plenty of hubs for a 1992 B13 SE-R. i just inquired recently. No idea about the NX.

But from someplace other than nissan? Rockauto doesn't, autopartsway doesn't, local shops here don't...

Do you have a part number of someone who makes it that isn't nissan @Kyle ?

Sorry, but I would not install an aftermarket hub onto my B13. NO idea what the part number may be in any other brand.

pretty sure ga16 models and b14's also work