Hi all;
look like I might have to replace a front wheel bearing. I see that the abs reads the bearing? magnetically. Also there are two different part#s before and after vin 031--. Do you have to get the oem bearing, and what's the diff between early and late?

 

The ABS doesn't read the bearing. The bearing is held with a large nut torqued to 250 foot pounds the nodules on the surface of the nut provide the signal to the ABS.

Follow the link below too get a little insight into the front wheel bearing. It is possible to do it yourself but there is some amount of difficulty and special tools required.

I found a local Indy to mine and got for less than $400.00


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...arings-174080/

 

You can get Timken bearings on ebay or from several aftermarket parts suppliers, so avoid the cheaper parts. The smaller bearings were used on early cars.

 

My XJR just got front wheel bearings last year and I crossed the part and bought a bearing from Motion Industries (they're in town for me). The design is the same on the XKs, the same ring and same method of removal.

I used the craftsman 3/4" drive socket which I ground down the end (the taper needs to go!). I used this with a massive Snap On 3/4" drive breaker bar, with a 6 foot pipe off an old swingset to torque on it. It worked. It's a decent amount of work though! I involved a second person too. I had $50 between the bearing and socket, BUT about 5 total hours from wheel on car, to wheel back on car and driving down the road. I had everything other than the socket and bearing. I also hate paying shops so while the $400 is what I'd consider EXTREMELY reasonable, I won a stupid moral victory lol. When I did the other side a few weeks later, it was maybe an hour less due to experience with the work, and only the price of the bearing.

 

The early bearings are a slightly smaller diameter than the later bearings, but the bearings are the same bearings in a lot of pretty pedestrian cars like 1990s Ford Thunderbirds.

It's probably worth paying $20 more per bearing for a Timken, but when you see someone selling compatible bearings for $12, it is pretty tempting.

This isn't a super easy Job. $500/side is probably too much, but if someone charges $200/side and they have never done a Jag before, they are likely going to never work on your car again.

The bearing itself appears to be designed to fail at regular intervals, to keep the local town's Jag mechanic employed. There is no real sealing or discourager path to keep water out of the bearing, so NEVER DRIVE AN X100 OR X308 THROUGH STANDING WATER. EVER.

If a GM car was designed like that, there would be a angry mob of people with torches and pitchforks at the corporate headquarters looking for a beancounter to sacrifice. With a Jag, only the town mechanic knows how much it sucks and he's happy that it sucks just enough that most people don't attempt it themselves. In the US, these type of jobs pay for the mechanic's bass boat.

 

There are 2 different size bearings.
76mm To VIN (031302)
80mm From VIN (031303)

bob

 

I've personally replaced at least 25 general motors W body (front wheel drive V6 stuff, Impalas, Monte Carlos, Grand Prixes, etc) wheel hub assemblies. Easy and full assembly is quite cheap; I'm actually fond of the $23 ebay specials as they have lasted as long as the GM and "higher qualtity" replacements. Just sold a 2003 Impala last year with 80k miles on a full suspension and steering rebuild on the front end with nothing but the absolute cheapest crap on ebay (search for part, sort by lowest plus shipping, lol). Still tight as it can be. I can do the sealed hubs on the GMs now in under 2 hours.

Given the difficulty of installation and longevity issues with the bearing in this application, for the Jags, spring the cash for a brand like ***/Timken/SKF. It's really not a big difference.