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Why Bearings Fail Fresno CA

Bearings are precision products that require complex manufacturing processes. Inferior bearings that use low-quality steel and have poor heat-treating can wear and spall prematurely. Also, the poor quality steel may have inclusions of hard or soft metal that can cause a premature failure
Triple A Automotive
(559) 321-7103
906 Barstow
Clovis, CA
Autozone
(559) 456-2248
4266 E Clinton Avenue
Fresno, CA
Autozone
(559) 264-2893
820 E California Avenue
Fresno, CA
Autozone
(559) 243-9192
2612 N Blackstone Ave
Fresno, CA
AutoZone
(559) 243-9192
2612 N Blackstone Ave
Fresno, CA
Bruce's Auto Supply
(559) 485-1353
1737 W Olive Avenue
Fresno, CA
Electric Laboratory Auto Service Center
(559) 448-8300
133 E Sierra Avenue
Fresno, CA
Extreme Off Road & Repair
(559) 323-8222
1320 Brookhaven Drive
Clovis, CA
Sebring West Automotive
(559) 237-2244
1744 N Blackstone Ave
Fresno, CA
Lamona Service Center
(559) 237-9150
1316 N 1st St
Fresno, CA
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Why Bearings Fail

When a bearing wears out, it is usually a case of inadequate lubrication, faulty installation or improper adjustment. For the repair to be successful, you must first determine why the previous bearing failed. For sealed hub units, examining the internal bearings and races is impossible.

The most common failure pattern for bearings is for those on the passenger side of the vehicle to fail first. The passenger side bearings are exposed to the most standing water in the gutter.



Metallurgy
Most bearing components are heat-treated to harden the metal. But, the heat-treating can only penetrate so far into the metal. Once the bearing has worn through this layer, rapid and catastrophic wear occurs to the softer metal below. This type of fatigue failure is called "spalling." This kind of damage causes the metal to come off in flakes (Figures 1, 2 and 3).



If a bearing overheats, the hot lubricant breaks down and can cause scoring and even etching of the bearing surfaces. Also, water and other corrosive elements can create this condition, which lead to spalling down the road (see Figure 4). Burned or oxidized lubricant may leave a dark coating on bearing surfaces (Figure 5). Remember that with tapered roller bearings, excessive pre-load can mimic this same damage. If a bearing gets really hot, cages and seals could be deformed and lead to bearing lock-up (Figures 6 and 7).



Seals are critical components for the longevity of a bearing. If contaminants fro...

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