Are these things supposed to chew through wheel bearing? I bought the car 13 months ago, I've put ~30k miles on it and I'm getting ready to another front wheel bearing, two on the left on this is the first on the right. This isn't normal is it?

 

chknhwk, I would say no. I have put almost 40K on my car and the wheel bearings seem just fine. It is possible that if you are hitting pot holes a lot with one side of the car that it can hurt the wheel bearings or if you brush curbs a lot. But then, I would be anticipating you have a bigger issue with bent rims and whatnot.

 

I purchased the vehicle with four bent wheels and I work in Boston so you do the math.

 

Well, this might be one of those things that you will have to consider to be part of the ownership. I know I am in the 50-60K mile range with the bearings on my truck, but then, I am running some pretty big tires and am not afraid to hit a pothole or a curb. I chalk it up to how I drive and what I wanted my truck to look like.

 

Well I ordered a pair of wheel bearings (one for spare) so when they get in I'll replace the right front. My question #1 is there a special bearing grease recommended for these cars?
And #2 the plastic side faces the center of the car, correct? So the ABS sensor can pick up the roller bearings? One of the jag techs mentioned that in passing, not sure if he was blowing smoke up my *** or anything but I figured I should make sure anyway. Thanks!

 

These are sealed roller bearings and cannot be lubricated by hand. The excitor ring absolutely has to face the correct direction so the wheel sensor can pick it up. YES, you can install these backwards, and when you do, the ABS CEL will set and never correct until the bearing is replaced correctly. The factory bearings are marked so the correct side is identified. It becomes intuitive as to the correct direction once the old bearing is pressed out of the knuckle housing.

 

Thanks!

 

So let me get this straight, the wheel bearings are completely dry? I just wanna be prepared for when I pull this thing apart and take a look as I don't have a manual yet. You said the bearings are pressed on? Guess I need to find a bearing puller then...

 

Just to make sure, we're talking about an X-Type (2002-2008)? Not to be funny, but folks new to Jaguar sometimes mix models.

The X-Type uses a SEALED roller bearing for front wheels, not the old tapered type. These bearings are not dry, but greased/sealed at the factory during assembly and they are not field serviceable. To R/R the bearing in the knuckle you need some special fixtures and a press. The bearing is destroyed when removed. It has to be pressed in correctly, both in orientation and fixturing or the bearing can be damaged or render the ABS non-functional.

Most DIYers don't go the route of just replacing the bearings, but opt to buy the complete knuckle assembly instead.

 

Joy... Thanks!

 

Woohoo! Ordered a bearing for $30 and had a local mechanic change it out. Total cost: $158. Far cry from the $500+ that Woburn charged me...

 

Aaaaaand I think he put it in backwards. Yay. 300 miles and I still have a CEL and ABS warning light. Guess I need to stop by Monday or Tuesday and talk to him. :-/

 

Either backwards or an incorrect bearing. These bearings are standard roller bearing sizes and generic bearings w/o the excitor ring can be purchased and installed, but...the ABS light...

One other possibility, the sensor(s) or harness(s) could be damaged. This is pretty common. They were handled when the bearing was replaced.

 

The inside of the wheel is COATED in grease. It's starting to show up on the rear wheels, too after getting flung off the fronts. I'm stopping by his shop tomorrow to see what's up.

 

Mechanic might have used grease as a lubricant when pressing in the bearing. Sometimes this is "overdone". But, you definitely have something going on that the original installer has responsibility to sort out for you.

Best of luck,

 

Hey steve, is there a special tool i need to press the bearing in? If there is where will i b able to get it, also what is the right way or direction in which da bearing is placed n pressed in,,thanks for any help...

 

as some one that has replaced three bearings you are better going for a whole wheel hub, as it has to be pressed in, better a few bolts and a couple of hours than pulling your hair out after about 5 hrs and getting no where

 

There are mechanics and then there are wannabes. If a shop doesn't understand the difference between installing a sealed roller bearing and a sealed ball bearing, stay away. These are ball bearings, but can be successfully installed with a press and a selection of various sized sockets to use as backing. The problem comes from trying to press the hub into the bearing without properly supporting the inner race. This will royally screw-up a ball bearing.
The bearings have a magnetic ring on the inboard side for the ABS/speed sensor and are generally marked with a paint dot....if it doesn't have the dot just use a screwdriver to check which end is magnetic.
It's your choice as how to replace....$35 for the bearing or $300 for an assembled knuckle. Good luck.

 

Guys- great info here, thank you. one question: I was talking to the mechanic that is going to replace the front bearing and he thought I was going to need a retention ring along with the actual bearing and that it would need to come from Jaguar. Can anyone confirm? I bought the part at CarQuest and it only came with the bearing with the white dot.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Bill

 

When I had mine done, I ended up ordering the bearing from JPLV and having a shop put it in. They had first tried a generic bearing which doesn't have an "exciter ring" that is required for ABS to function properly. I would advise you to buy an official Jaguar part to save yourself the aggravation. The CarQuest part will almost certainly not work. Aside from a proper bearing, you won't need anything else