Stacy Waldrep
Member
I've got a 2004 Sport Trac 4x4 that started making a bad grinding noise at the driver side front wheel last night. I just jacked it up and the wheel has a ton of movement with very little pressure. It also is rough to spin by hand. I'm surprised the wheel didn't fall off while I was driving last night. Anyway, I need to replace the wheel bearing assembly but I also noticed on both sides a little bit of play in the upper ball joints. I have a few questions about both items before I order parts.
1. I see the the Timken wheel bearing assembly on Rock Auto only has a 1 year warranty whereas the same part number Timken assembly at Autozone has a 3 year warranty. Any thoughts on that? The Rock Auto is a little cheaper and the closest Autozone is an hour from me. Do you think the increased warranty is worth the distance and $10 more dollars?
2. My truck has 175,000 miles on it. Should I go ahead and replace the passenger side wheel bearing assembly too? It had no play in it and seemed to spin smoothly.
3. Concerning the upper ball joints, is it possible to replace just the ball joint in the stock upper arm or do most people buy the whole arm with the new ball joint already in it?
Thanks for the help,
Stacy
1. I see the the Timken wheel bearing assembly on Rock Auto only has a 1 year warranty whereas the same part number Timken assembly at Autozone has a 3 year warranty. Any thoughts on that? The Rock Auto is a little cheaper and the closest Autozone is an hour from me. Do you think the increased warranty is worth the distance and $10 more dollars?
2. My truck has 175,000 miles on it. Should I go ahead and replace the passenger side wheel bearing assembly too? It had no play in it and seemed to spin smoothly.
3. Concerning the upper ball joints, is it possible to replace just the ball joint in the stock upper arm or do most people buy the whole arm with the new ball joint already in it?
Thanks for the help,
Stacy