If you can easily wiggle the tire back and forth by grabbing the top and bottom but the tie rods and ball joints are tight, is it probably the wheel bearings? I had this problem with my TII and tightening them didn't help, and now Kelly is having the same problem with her sport.

yep its the bearings, mine do that too, i think they are just shot after 170+k miles

My car has over that and Kelly's has around 135. I think I'll try the Mazdatrix method of changing the bearings rather than dropping $800 on hubs.

I've done that on a couple hubs that I use on my ITS car. First time I did it I was afraid that cutting into the hub would lower the strength and I'd be looking at a broken hub when I least expected it. Early on I kept a careful eye out for cracks that never appeared. Now cutting the hub to replace the races is a matter of course.



FWIW, I've always had a hard time keeping bearings tight on my ITS car. I'll tighten them, run one session, and they'll be loose when we come off the track. Never fails. So when you do the bearing job keep an eye on them after you've re-assembled everything.

[quote name='C. Ludwig' date='Apr 4 2005, 11:02 PM']I've done that on a couple hubs that I use on my ITS car. First time I did it I was afraid that cutting into the hub would lower the strength and I'd be looking at a broken hub when I least expected it. Early on I kept a careful eye out for cracks that never appeared. Now cutting the hub to replace the races is a matter of course.



FWIW, I've always had a hard time keeping bearings tight on my ITS car. I'll tighten them, run one session, and they'll be loose when we come off the track. Never fails. So when you do the bearing job keep an eye on them after you've re-assembled everything.


[/quote]



yeah mines loosens like that too

I tightened mine a while back and it didn't help, but I'm going to try and tighten/repack hers before we change anything.

If I had the money to replace the bearings in my car I suppose we could have a bearing changing weekend. Whoo hoo we know how to party.

Want wheel bearing comedy?



I went through the suspension on my ITS car this offseason. I had a pair of new outer wheel bearings left over so I only needed inners. I got to Autozone and ask for inners. They go in the back and come out with a bearing that's way too small to be an inner. I tell them it's wrong. "No, the computer says this is what you need." Ask them to go get what the computer tells them is an outer. They bring back what is actually the inner I am looking for. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683664.gif



The next week I am also rebuilding my spare set of hubs. Local Autozone is sold out of the bearings and wants to charge me to have them shipped in! Whatever. I go to Advance and they have the outers in stock but they are also listed as inners on the computer. Christ! So I call around to find the last pair of inners that I need. But now I'm asking for both sides since you never know what they're actually going to have. Another Autozone up the road says they have "outers" in stock. I drive up there and ask the old fella behind the counter if they have a pair of outer wheel bearings for an 86 RX-7. He goes back and gets them and brings them out. I pop the box open to make sure they are in fact inners. They are. He says, "Sure that's what ya need. They look awful big for outer wheel bearings." https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif

[quote name='C. Ludwig' date='Apr 6 2005, 06:14 AM']Want wheel bearing comedy?



I went through the suspension on my ITS car this offseason. I had a pair of new outer wheel bearings left over so I only needed inners. I got to Autozone and ask for inners. They go in the back and come out with a bearing that's way too small to be an inner. I tell them it's wrong. "No, the computer says this is what you need." Ask them to go get what the computer tells them is an outer. They bring back what is actually the inner I am looking for. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683664.gif



The next week I am also rebuilding my spare set of hubs. Local Autozone is sold out of the bearings and wants to charge me to have them shipped in! Whatever. I go to Advance and they have the outers in stock but they are also listed as inners on the computer. Christ! So I call around to find the last pair of inners that I need. But now I'm asking for both sides since you never know what they're actually going to have. Another Autozone up the road says they have "outers" in stock. I drive up there and ask the old fella behind the counter if they have a pair of outer wheel bearings for an 86 RX-7. He goes back and gets them and brings them out. I pop the box open to make sure they are in fact inners. They are. He says, "Sure that's what ya need. They look awful big for outer wheel bearings." https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683785.gif


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lol, thats funny. mazda is sometimes tricky about that too, in fact you can walk thru the parts dept and tell how experienced people are by whats sitting on the shelf

[quote name='Rotarydragon' date='Apr 6 2005, 05:03 AM']If I had the money to replace the bearings in my car I suppose we could have a bearing changing weekend. Whoo hoo we know how to party.


[/quote]



add me to that weekend event.



at least C.Ludwig answered the concern I had about the MazdaTrix method.

I may have a spare set of TII hubs soon, so maybe we can try it on them first.

I hope you got high quality bearings. A lot of those autozone BS pep boys canadian tire stuff is made in mexico bearings.

ive ordered the good bearings before, i just dont have the part numbers.



b001-33-047? and ?

[quote name='j9fd3s' date='Apr 7 2005, 08:36 AM']ive ordered the good bearings before, i just dont have the part numbers.



b001-33-047? and ?


[/quote]



The bearings are nothing special. Just goto a bearing supply house for industry and bring your old ones with you. If it was the mazda one then it most likely was made by NTN with a laser engravaed part number and they can re-order them for you or cross reference it to different manufactuers.



I got timken this time, it was in stock and timken invented the taper bearing, so they should know what they are doing.



Get either: NTN, SKF, FAG, timken

We use Timken bearings on our hydraulic pumps that put out 10,000 psi, so I'd trust them. I'll probably order the bearings from Mazdatrix.

[quote name='Cheers!' date='Apr 7 2005, 04:51 AM']I hope you got high quality bearings. A lot of those autozone BS pep boys canadian tire stuff is made in mexico bearings.


[/quote]





Autozone carries Timken. That's why I end up thrying to get them there. Funny thing is last time I got a pair of bearings one was made in the US and another in Europe somewhere...forget. The one made here in the states looked to be of an inferior quality. The metal was more porous and the cage that holds the bearing was sloppy and bent. It went back.

[quote name='Cheers!' date='Apr 7 2005, 06:49 AM']The bearings are nothing special. Just goto a bearing supply house for industry and bring your old ones with you. If it was the mazda one then it most likely was made by NTN with a laser engravaed part number and they can re-order them for you or cross reference it to different manufactuers.



I got timken this time, it was in stock and timken invented the taper bearing, so they should know what they are doing.



Get either: NTN, SKF, FAG, timken


[/quote]



yeah, we can get those bearings from worldpac, but need the factory #'s

i have no clue why mazda made it easier to change the engine than the wheel bearings in FC's......

[quote name='vosko' date='Apr 7 2005, 05:50 PM']i have no clue why mazda made it easier to change the engine than the wheel bearings in FC's......


[/quote]





The bearings last longer? https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683664.gif