Duralast front rotors

[wrcsixeight]

I suspected my relatively new ball joints were junk, and today put a jack under my lower control arm to check, but the ball joints are free of any slop.

However the wheel bearings, replaced ~8 months ago, had some play. I pop off the dust cap, cotter pin and castle nut and main nut and washer, remove the outer bearing, and the thing is pristine.

I clean it, repack it with grease, re install it and finger tighten the nut, and the nut runs out of threads on the spindle. I try a wrench, but no more threads. The washer is bottoming out on the spindle, the nut cannot push it any deeper

There is about 1/16 slop when pulling and pushing on the top of the tire, and that tire was showing uneven wear.

Now I can understand if this happened when I first installed these bearings, or if the bearings were chewed up, but it seems to me as if the recesses in the rotors for the races were just machined too deeply, or there is something I am missing.

Anybody run into this?

3/4 ton dodge Van of legal drinking age

 

[Silverado12]

Try another washer?

 

[hounddog]

I agree about rotor or race issue.

 

[HerrStig]

Were they the "Duralast neverwears". What isn't in a name.

 

[wrcsixeight]

I checked some photos I took when i replaced these bearings and races, and it appears another washer could take up the slack.

I was worried the little anti spin nub would also bottom out.

The cotter pin barely catches the castle nut.

This has got to increase the load in the bearings, with them closer together in the rotor.

Might have to just get 2 new rotors.
Wonder if I can reuse the races I installed in these current rotors.

 

[stroked93]

take the rotors back something is wrong, you could kill somebody or be injured if that comes off at speed.

 

[demarpaint]

Did you properly seat the wheel bearings, and torque the nut properly when you installed the rotors? There is a procedure for doing it to be certain the bearings are seated properly.

 

[Trav]

Is the bearing flush with the bearing race? In other words is it going into the race too far, maybe the wrong bearing or race if the races came pre installed in the rotor.
You should not have to use thicker washers, that's really Mickey Mouse, there is something really wrong.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Trav
Is the bearing flush with the bearing race? In other words is it going into the race too far, maybe the wrong bearing or race if the races came pre installed in the rotor.
You should not have to use thicker washers, that's really Mickey Mouse, there is something really wrong.


Good point, I always treated bearings and races as a matched set. In other words if I install a new rotor I make sure the bearings and races are a matching set. The race that came with the new rotors is not a good mate for an old bearing. At least that's how I was taught. I have no problem installing new bearings and races if I swap rotors. I make that call when doing the job. But I'll never use an old race with a new bearing.

 

[wrcsixeight]

These rotors have been on for 5 years, but under 20k miles.

Last summer I noticed the bearings were loose. I had used the preinstalled races in the new duralast rotors on initial installation, and it was obvious upon removal they were not matching nicely.

I replaced the bearings and races within these Duralast rotors with SKF last summer. I seated them according to my factory service manual.

I made sure the correct races were matched with the correct bearings, as they were all screwed up and mismatched initially from Napa.

These SKF bearings are riding in the center of the race.


One of the Duralast races (the outer) I removed from the rotor was spinning freely in the bore. This is now the wobbly rotor, though the other is not perfect either, just a little better. The new SKF race I installed was not spinning in the bore.

I agree something is not right, and another washer is mickey mousing it.

I've been exploring my rotor options. Bendix, Centric, Bosch, Acdelco, Wagner, ATE are my NON slotted/drilled online options with free shipping in the 55 to 75$ each range. I'd enjoy some opinions on what is available.

Napa sells one rotor at 65$ and several others for 160+$. I am not paying 160+ each for a rotor. Oreilly's brake best, and AZ's duralast are not in the equation.

I only checked the one recently installed bearing on the wobbly rotor, and it was pristine.

When the new rotors arrive, and if upon close inspection, all bearings and races are as pristine as the one I removed and inspected, is it possible to carefully remove the SKF races from these duralast rotors and re use them in the new rotors, or should I just order new SKF races as well?

 

[zzyzzx]

I won't put any Duralast branded products in any of my cars, even my beater.

 

[Trav]

I would go with Bendix or ATE rotors and new SKF or Timken bearings. Don't forget the inner seals.

Personally i like Mobil 1 red synthetic grease for wheel bearings with no moly.
Moly i have read in a few service manuals over the years can cause roller skidding and subsequent flat spots in wheel and other high speed bearing applications.
The Mobil 1 last a good long time in these applications.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Thanks.

I've sourced some Brembo rotors locally and will pick them up later today for 130 a pair with tax. I Hope to reuse the SKF races and bearings with ~1100 miles on them, but will replace if they show abuse or I can't get the races out without damage.

I've already got new spindle nut, washer and castle nuts to install

 

[Trav]

You can reuse them as long as they are perfect and you can remove the races without damage. They must fit tight in the new rotors.
Are you 100% sure they are the correct bearing?

 

[wrcsixeight]

The Napa counterperson had the book out and we matched the numbers of both races and bearing. The races were mismatched in the boxes as br12 and br16 are similar.

 

[wrcsixeight]

I tapped out an outer race on the new brembo rotors, and it was an SKF. Same part number as the race tapped out of the duralast that I installed last summer.

The SKF bearings and races I put in the duralast rotors last summer were still pristine, so I repacked the bearings with valvoline synpower grease, and reinstalled them on the brembo's SKF's, according to my Factory service manual. Tighten to 240 to 300 inch pounds while spinning the rotor, back off a quarter turn, then finger tight. 280 inch pounds felt like slightly more torque than I had applied previously to set the bearings.

But regardless, the duralast rotors were machined wrong, and the SKF wheel seals fell out of one of them on removal


The outer race on the on the wobblier duralast was set 1.5mm deeper than the brembo, and 1mm deeper on the less wobbly duralast. It too was spinning in the rotor bore, just like Chinese race that came installed in the duralast rotor which I had installed new Timken bearings on, and the taper was obviously different upon removal last summer.

The castle nut lined up perfectly with the cotter pin hole, where before it was just grabbing the edges of the ramparts.

I used new spindle nut washer and castle nuts as well as new caliper hardware and torqued all lugs to 95 ft/lb in stages

I did not measure/ compare the inner race depth duralast/brembo.

Either way, I shot my self in the foot purchasing the Chinese duralast rotors in '08 as well as by installing new timken bearings on the duralast races.

The friction surfaces were still fine, but they stops for the races were machined too deep, and on one of them, too wide.

Lesson learned.

 

[mechanicx]

The quality control or lack of on most of the china parts is ridiculous. They end up costing you more time and money than a quality product, almost like it is intentional. You should try to demand some kind of refund for the Duralast rotors. Maybe that'll teach them.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Here is a pic of the driver's side outer race seat in the duralast rotor.

The piece of grit in the middle was intentional to get the camera to focus in this area which was the worst easily noticed.

Van Drives so much tighter right now. NO clunks on bumps. Brakes don't have the same bite yet.

 

[HM12460]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I won't put any Duralast branded products in any of my cars, even my beater.






Amen to that brother!

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
I tapped out an outer race on the new brembo rotors


What was the COO of the new Brembo rotors? I believe at least some Brembo rotors are now Chinese, too.