AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Excellent from my experience. Used them many times when I can find them to fit a car I’m working on.
2009 Mazda 5 - front wheel bearing - fearing splined drive axle was will be seized into hub
- Thread starter Number_35
- Start date
Time for an update -
Got the new parts (FEBEST) and the clamping tool (Lisle 30800) yesterday.
I was pestering @Trav much of the day with questions. Got it all ready to band, and then decided the FEBEST-provided boot clamps were just too flimsy (and wouldn't work with the Lisle tool). Fortunately I was able to get better boot clamps from PartSource - $6 well-spent.
So here are some photos:
The old tripod is stuck in the old housing. Don't know for sure, but suspect that when one of the three needle-bearing assemblies started to fail, the housing may have gotten deformed.
Here's a supplied band clamp (top), and the superior replacement (bottom):
Here's the drive axle assembly, ready to be installed tomorrow. The boot clamps went on great with the Lisle tool
I owe much thanks to Trav, who has advised me on this right through.
Got the new parts (FEBEST) and the clamping tool (Lisle 30800) yesterday.
I was pestering @Trav much of the day with questions. Got it all ready to band, and then decided the FEBEST-provided boot clamps were just too flimsy (and wouldn't work with the Lisle tool). Fortunately I was able to get better boot clamps from PartSource - $6 well-spent.
So here are some photos:
The old tripod is stuck in the old housing. Don't know for sure, but suspect that when one of the three needle-bearing assemblies started to fail, the housing may have gotten deformed.
Here's a supplied band clamp (top), and the superior replacement (bottom):
Here's the drive axle assembly, ready to be installed tomorrow. The boot clamps went on great with the Lisle tool
I owe much thanks to Trav, who has advised me on this right through.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
So did you just reboot and rebuild the axle? Usually I don’t have issues with those clamps.
Looks like its good to go. 
Update: Went to install the rebuilt drive axle Friday. The splined transmission end popped in fine, but when I continued on with putting things together, I found that the boot on the ball joint was torn. GRRR! I don't think I tore it during removal; I used a press rather than a pickle fork, and it came apart fine. I think it was torn previously, and I hadn't noticed it.
Bought a new LCA, and continued the work on Saturday.
Got everything back together, including topping up the tranny with Pennzoil Platinum 75W-90 GL-4-rated manual transmission fluid, and then went for a test drive. The "airplane noise" is still there. Still sounds like a lot like a wheel bearing to me. There's no apparent play in either front wheel bearing. Neither bearing makes any noise when rotated manually with the wheel off the ground. This is with the brake calipers removed, so any bearing noise would not have been masked by brake noise.
I'm pretty sure the noise is coming from the front, not the back.
Thought I'd eliminate one possible source of noise, and removed the winter tires and installed the all-seasons this afternoon. No change.
Tomorrow I plan to go for a drive, and right afterwards shoot both hubs with a temperature gun. I presume that the noise means friction somewhere, and that the friction means additional heat.
If that doesn't work, I plan to put the front end up on jack stands, idle the car in gear with the front wheels off the ground, and go underneath with my mechanic's stethoscope and the temperature gun, to see if I can find anything underneath. Not looking forward to this part of it! Will have many safeguards in place.
I'm still assuming that I installed the new parts for the bad drive axle correctly, and that the new parts were good.
Anyone else got any ideas? Thanks in advance!
Bought a new LCA, and continued the work on Saturday.
Got everything back together, including topping up the tranny with Pennzoil Platinum 75W-90 GL-4-rated manual transmission fluid, and then went for a test drive. The "airplane noise" is still there. Still sounds like a lot like a wheel bearing to me. There's no apparent play in either front wheel bearing. Neither bearing makes any noise when rotated manually with the wheel off the ground. This is with the brake calipers removed, so any bearing noise would not have been masked by brake noise.
I'm pretty sure the noise is coming from the front, not the back.
Thought I'd eliminate one possible source of noise, and removed the winter tires and installed the all-seasons this afternoon. No change.
Tomorrow I plan to go for a drive, and right afterwards shoot both hubs with a temperature gun. I presume that the noise means friction somewhere, and that the friction means additional heat.
If that doesn't work, I plan to put the front end up on jack stands, idle the car in gear with the front wheels off the ground, and go underneath with my mechanic's stethoscope and the temperature gun, to see if I can find anything underneath. Not looking forward to this part of it! Will have many safeguards in place.
I'm still assuming that I installed the new parts for the bad drive axle correctly, and that the new parts were good.
Anyone else got any ideas? Thanks in advance!
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Are you sure it’s in the front? Did you check the back bearings? I’d definitely replace the other ball joint too.
Hi had best luck with jacking up one front wheel, chucking the rear wheels, ebrake and then start the car and put it in gear at idle. A bad bearing will definitely make noise then.
Of course do it at your own risk.
Of course do it at your own risk.
Sometimes sealed wheel bearings and hub type bearing are hard to catch because there is more than one row of bearings.
One row could be worn/damaged and the other not which will cause it to make noise but feel pretty much okay. when you had the cv axle out did that hub turn free smooth and quiet? If so I would say move on to the other side or the rear.
Sound can transmit making it sound like it is coming from somewhere else in the car. I would check the rears also with no pad contact and see if they rotate smoothly and quietly.
One row could be worn/damaged and the other not which will cause it to make noise but feel pretty much okay. when you had the cv axle out did that hub turn free smooth and quiet? If so I would say move on to the other side or the rear.
Sound can transmit making it sound like it is coming from somewhere else in the car. I would check the rears also with no pad contact and see if they rotate smoothly and quietly.
Pretty sure ... not positive, but it sure sounds like it's coming from the front.
I replaced both LCAs in 2017. No slop in the ball joint on the one I just replaced, but with the torn boot it wouldn't have lasted long.
This wouldn't work with a manual transmission, though, would it? I think I'd need both front wheels off the ground.
That's very possible, and I hope it's the case.
The hub turned fine on the L (driver's) side when I had the axle out. I also thought the noise was more from the right, but I know it can travel through the different parts and be deceptive as to location.
At this point I'm suspecting the front R (passenger) side hanger bearing, the interface between the joint shaft (a.k.a. jack shaft) and the outer drive axle. There are a few posts on Mazdas247 about this going bad and making "wheel bearing noise". Having said that, it seems that the failure of this bearing is rare - wheel bearing failures are way more common.
But when I was underneath a couple of days ago, it did look like there was some grease on the joint shaft near the hanger.
As well, the noise does not vary with turns as one would expect with a wheel bearing.
But the wheel bearing is original, and after 191K km (c. 119,000 miles) and 12 years on our atrocious roads, it could well be on the way out.
I think I'll pull the hub - as I dig in, it should be easier to diagnose things. Will keep you all posted.
Thanks for all the feedback to this point! I appreciate it a lot.
The jack shaft bearing should be easy enough to check, any movement in the shaft near the bearing would indicate a shot bearing. The price for OE may not be very expensive for this part.
Too busy to do any more work on the car today, and the weather has turned cold again anyway. But I did go out for another drive this evening, specifically to see if I was correct that the noise did not vary in turns. Was I ever wrong! The noise diminishes and pretty much goes away once I turn to the R more than a few degrees, comes back as soon as I straighten out, and increases (to worse than the normal noise) as I turn to the L.
Aha! It's interesting, because I was fixated on the carrier bearing being the source of the noise, I wasn't actually hearing the change in intensity with turns. I reread a bunch of posts on Mazdas247 regarding roaring from the front, and although there is an occasional carrier bearing failure, people are adamant that the wheel bearing fails way more often, some say at a 50:1 ratio.
Also, folks were saying that, unlike my noise, the carrier bearing takes a few minutes to start growling.
I'm now pretty sure it's the RF wheel bearing. It's funny, that was my first suspicion. I'm glad I investigated, though, because that led me to find the blown tripod joint on the L drive axle, which likely would have failed before the wheel bearing. I'm sure the tripod joint had to be making some noise, but it was masked by the wheel bearing. (Or not ... I still think that overall it's quieter now.)
Anyway, I hope to be able to start on this tomorrow afternoon. If the axle spline comes out of the knuckle OK, the rest is not too bad.
I hope I haven't left it too long - some of the M247 posters are saying their knuckles died after the bad wheel bearing had been in for awhile. I guess I'll find out!
To be continued ...
Aha! It's interesting, because I was fixated on the carrier bearing being the source of the noise, I wasn't actually hearing the change in intensity with turns. I reread a bunch of posts on Mazdas247 regarding roaring from the front, and although there is an occasional carrier bearing failure, people are adamant that the wheel bearing fails way more often, some say at a 50:1 ratio.
Also, folks were saying that, unlike my noise, the carrier bearing takes a few minutes to start growling.
I'm now pretty sure it's the RF wheel bearing. It's funny, that was my first suspicion. I'm glad I investigated, though, because that led me to find the blown tripod joint on the L drive axle, which likely would have failed before the wheel bearing. I'm sure the tripod joint had to be making some noise, but it was masked by the wheel bearing. (Or not ... I still think that overall it's quieter now.)
Anyway, I hope to be able to start on this tomorrow afternoon. If the axle spline comes out of the knuckle OK, the rest is not too bad.
I hope I haven't left it too long - some of the M247 posters are saying their knuckles died after the bad wheel bearing had been in for awhile. I guess I'll find out!
To be continued ...
Back to it this evening ... surprisingly, the splined drive axle popped out of the knuckle just fine. Even though the other side put up a terrific fight four years ago, this one came out fine.
Once the knuckle was out, it was obvious the bearing was bad - it's quite noisy when the hub is spun by hand.
Next up is to press out the old bearing, and install the new one.
Once the knuckle was out, it was obvious the bearing was bad - it's quite noisy when the hub is spun by hand.
Next up is to press out the old bearing, and install the new one.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Are you taking it somewhere to get it pressed out or going to use the socket or two hammer trick?
This is my go to as well. You can jack up both drive wheels if you want -- you'll still be able to tell which is making the racket.
I've got a press. It's just Princess Auto, but it did the other side fine four years ago.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
That’s cool. Yeah I use a Harbor Freight press which is the equivalent of Princess Auto from my understanding and it does just fine for me.
Glad to have gotten the knuckle out yesterday - here's what it's like out this morning:
Looks like that joint has several punch marks to deform the metal around the opening to prevent the tripod joint from coming back out after assembly. Not very helpful in situations like this where you want to service the axle like you have.
Agreed, had the tripod joint stayed intact, I wouldn't have been able to remove it, short of cutting the housing open. Per the FSM, it's supposed to come apart easily.
Because the ring had come off one of the three legs, I was able to rotate the tripod joint enough to allow me to remove the snap ring. From there it was easy enough to tap the joint off the splined shaft.
I wish I'd done that earlier - but all's well that ends well!
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