Front hub bearing race loose (video)
 

The outside bearing outer race is loose on the hub, but I see no evidence of it having spun relative to the hub.

Got this hub as part of a 5-bolt swap years ago. The donor car may have had a fender bender or had a balljoint go on it, not sure if relevant.
Last year noticed there seemed to be some play when I shook the tire/ wheel assy with the car on ground. Everything was tight, nothing was worn (tie rods, balljoint, etc.) and bearing was preloaded, but the play was always there. I was stumped, until now.

Have any seen a hub go bad in this manner?

I had a front outer race that was loose after replacing it. Swapped it with another race and it was fine.

If you can get a new race to press in, then your good, if the new race is still loose, then the hub is trash. I would wipe off the old grease on the spindle to get a better look.

Thanks for the input, guys.

Forgot to take the light grease film off before filming. Was there to prevent rusting while it waits for a solution.

This is still bothering me, lol! (other than having to find a good front hub).

What in the world could have caused this, and also, all the marks on the rear face of the hub? Anyone know?

BTW, there are aftermarket hubs I found for 3rd gens., but nothing for 2nd gens that I can find. And yes, they're different (2nd vs. 3rd gens).

Here's my opinion. The hub you have is a replacement and the person who sourced it was too rough in beating it out of the disc. Sometimes they can be a real bitch to get out. I smashed the front on the first S5 hub I had that I tried to get out of the disc. I smashed it enough to ruin the front race seat. Why the back is beat up, I don't know.

since the front bearing was loose it would chatter the hub against the spindle.
I'm surprised the shaft wasn't scored up.

Can you get a new bearing race to test fit it against the hub?
The new ones are usually a beotch to get in so maybe you can luck out and get it to fit nicely.

If the spindle nut was tight, the bearing race would beat up the hub. The spindle would be fine.

It's starting to make a lot of sense. If someone beats on a rotor from the back, the force may act as a moment force with the fulcrum/pivot being near the rear bearing, and acting on the front bearing.
And when trying to hammer off a rotor (which should be avoided), you keep turning it and hitting it, so the wear ended up all around. And with our cars having aluminum hubs, this is much easier to do.

Still surprised by the chipping on the rear flange, but maybe that was due to someone prying on the wrong area.

BTW, the rear seal was off the hub and on the spindle, but seemed ok, so don't think the chipping is due to the seal. Also, it seems to weak to have done it.

Oh, and I did try a new race and it was still loose.

I have new bearings and a new seal. Was in the process of replacing these before this 'speed bump'.

..installation involves tossing a part in the freezer...seriously..has something to do with hot and cold..
Part slips in and then Bam..done.(rather than hammerin on it).
Sorry it's in a thread,somewhere, but I'm bushed..too much "drama" today with a shipper..
But the Bearing thing?..I know it's true..I read it on the Rx7Club..chuckle!

I was talking about the common (but bad) habit of hammering on the old rotor to get it unstuck.

Anyway, a good reminder that this is not only bad for the rotor (if re-using) and bearings, but also bad for the hub (especially if aluminum), and possibly other parts. Better to use a puller, if possible, as well as penetrants (pb blaster is one of my faves).

I always apply anti-seize on any mating surfaces between hub and rotor, but you can't control that in cars that you haven't touched before.

One of my front hubs also had a loose outer race. I was able to spin the race using my finger, but it wasn't loose to the point where I was able to pull it out using my finger. Problem with the loose race was that there was always slight play in that particular wheel. I bought a used hub to replace the defective one.

Exactly my problem. Took me a while to find the exact cause. Like I said, all bolts tight, balljoint and tie rods have no play, and bearing preload was correct. Never considered to check for play between the races and hub although I did check between the races and spindle.

Or they pull the hub and disc (because the disc wouldn't move when hammering on it on the car) and try to bet the hub out of the disc. I don't know what the hell the deal was with mine. If I didn't know better, I'd a thought someone glued the hub into the disc.

Yes, aluminum hubs. Now I know better. :blush:

Yeah, they weld themselves to each other due to galvanic corrosion and the elements (moisture).

Some may enjoy an update.
Got a couple hubs from a used parts place (read salvage / junkyard) 45 mins. away. (Resource: car-part.com) My buddies' 4 ton press wasn't enough to separate the rotor from the hub. Same friends' cousin has a 30 ton press. Took 15 tons on one, maybe 5-8 on the other to break free. Releasall/PBblaster/Liquid wrench-type lube used on the easier one - not sure if that was the difference.
Moral of the story: These hubs/rotors wouldn't have separated without damage any other way. Use a press, that's my recommendation.
BTW, we used safety gear and a metal shelf as a blast shield.

I call it "conflicting metals syndrome"...unlike the fights between my brother and sister..thats's "conflicting MENTAL Syndrome"..(haha!)

The way you did it was similar to what I did.

I cut the rotor all the way around closest to the hub on the Outside face of the rotor.
That leaves you a chunk of rotor still attached to the hub.Round chunky piece with the 5 studs still in it,.
Now the fun part is to turn it on it's side,like you are going to roll it..
Beat the sides near the Cut edge..WHY? the rotor is Cast metal and breaks.
2 pound sledge recommended .. a pic of Donald Trump attached to the piece is optional.
It will start breaking off in little chunks and then you can Spray the living daylights out of it with a good lubricant.I use DEEP CREEP by LLOYDS.YOu will see the aluminum hub start to show up as the chunks break away.
Put some old wheel nuts on to protect the studs,put the hub face down(studs down) on a good wooden surface(like a 6 inch wide plank.)Make sure you have enough room between the nuts and the hub and then Start with a FLAT CHISEL on the outside,where the hub and old chipped/broken rotor is.
Work your way around the hub hitting it on the cast metal to force the Rotor piece away from the hub..Remember lots of lubricant is key...think Kardashian..
Eventually things will start to loosen up.......EWWW..and fall off!

I would also consist using heat

Believe me, heat was used along with the 4 Ton press! No dice.

Styx, I didn't cut the rotor - it broke under the stress from the press, lol. First, the rotor lost half of the disk, then we incorporated the blast shield (a thick metal shelf) and it lost the other half. The hub only came off after the rotor was down to just its hat. :D

I used a press on mine, yours looks like it was beat on. My problem was overestimating the hub strength and underestimating the force needed. I have a medium mechanical horse head press. It has a three foot arm, I slipped a three foot piece of thick walled tubing over that, and had the almost stepdaughter hang on it while I beat on the top of the ram with a sledge hammer. I got it out but the bridge I used over the front race didn't cover the whole circle and it was too late before I noticed the damage.

If I do it again, I'm putting the lug nuts on and using a plate that goes across the studs. I might end up pushing the studs out but I'm giving it a try. Oh yeah, and heating the hell out of it.

managed to separate rear hub bearings on a jerry rigged press contraption using only a crappy small 3 ton separate bottle jack ....worked great with careful/conservative use of heat on the aluminum...heat was definitely the key.