42 replies to this topic

[AlasdairM]

@

Midas Mk1

it isn't just the bearings at fault. 

 

As I explained, I had fitted the cheaper minispares wheel bearings a few months prior to this, to the original hub- and all was well. 

 

The problem now is that even with a new bearing, the hub will not accept them, as they do not fit correctly. 

 

we all know timken bearings are better than the cheaper ones- but this isn't the present issue.

[PaulF]

Your opinion on spacers doesn't have anything to do with wheel bearings. They sell the bearings as well tried and tested so they must be fit for purpose or they wouldn't sell them simple as

[Spider]

Maybe do some checks here to work out what's at fault, it could end up otherwise being a long and expensive process of elimination.

 

This maybe helpful here;-

 

https://www.theminif...wheel-bearings/

 

For what ever it's with, I've used both Mini Spares and Heritage Hubs, generally found both good and of the 10's I've fitted over the past 15 or so years, I did have 1 dud that gave excessive clearance, I think that was a Heritage item.

 

[JXC Mini GT]

Ben at Mill Road had a similar experience with a mini spares hub, I will be going back to Mill Road on ce he has the replacement, Thanks Ben and Minispares

[Midas Mk1]

Your opinion on spacers doesn't have anything to do with wheel bearings. They sell the bearings as well tried and tested so they must be fit for purpose or they wouldn't sell them simple as

 

Have you even used google? or tmf? or facebook? there are threads and threads on cheap wheel bearings, they don’t work. Simple.

My posts are to inform others, not you, of wrong information you’ve said.

Dailyed Minis for 11 years, minis in the family for 50 years, you?

Edited by Spider, 06 August 2021 - 12:44 AM.
:)

[Miki Leyland]

 

 

ONLY use TIMKEN wheel bearings, all the others lock up when you tighten the hub nut.

Nonsense. Why would minispares sell the cheaper ones if they were not fit for purpose. The problem here is the hubs being wrong not the bearing

You clearly haven’t driven a mini more than 1000 miles with these fitted.
Simples.

 

Couldn't agree more... 1000 miles you said? last (third) kit I had fitted lasted for no more than 80 Km and my mechanic said he never saw anything like that as mine is a Mini 1000 with quite normal city ride. Thrird kit in about 11 months. Bought a pair of SKF and not a problem since.

Edited by Miki Leyland, 05 August 2021 - 09:07 PM.

[Midas Mk1]

It’s clear here that the mini quoted simply isn’t driven, I even fitted non genuine bearings last year to a friends despite my warnings and objections , 300 miles later, guess what? fitted the correct way, the correct wash method, correct torque.

Just can’t stand bull…. on a public forum, wrong information can do damage to the uninformed. I work on cars with 1000nm of torque so a Mini is simple in comparison.

 

Edited by Spider, 06 August 2021 - 12:34 AM.
Hey guys, don't bate, play nice :)

[Spider]

I haven't tried the after market bearings that Mini Spares offer, I don't know if they are the same as the other after market stuff, for that matter, I don't even know what brand they are.

 

Like many others here, I have tried a few of the after market wheel bearings out there and had very disappointing experience with them, I think the best set went for about 2000 km, but the others, fronts and rears, usually have let go at less than 500 km.

 

If others are happy to fit the after market bearings, sure, knock your socks off. If anyone has had success with them over 10 000 km, sincerely, please let us know the brand and how you fitted them up. We may yet stand to learn something.

 

 

On another note, I've read a few disturbing posts in this thread, come on guys, it's only car parts, it's really not worth squabbling over. If some like Black Bearings and other like White, that's ace, fit what ever rings your bell. Timken are the only ones that have rung mine over the past 40 years, but, that's just my experience, not that I know much.

[Tommyboy12]

Did anyone have any luck contacting suppliers of these parts? I have been given radio silence by retrospares...

[PaulF]

So far I haven't heard from them either. Im going to measure the new hub against the old and see what's different and go from there

[sonscar]

As a non engineer surely it is possible to measure the thickness of the hub and the width of the bearing inners and work out if they are too large/small?I fitted minispares own bearings in my sons car 10 or more years ago and they are still ok,admittedly one failed after a few dozen miles so I looked harder.A combination of worn CV worn Hub and worn conical washer caused the failure and it has been ok since.

What is the mechanism of failure?Too few rollers?cage breaking up?mad of cheese?Enjoy ,Steve..

[PaulF]

Failure I think was from something being wrong size wise and when torqued it has crushed the bearing. Both sides were changed and I'm only having noise from the new hub which was only replaced as the old one was worn and no longer held the races in place. There must be a reason minispares wouldn't sell me a hub as there could have been a manufacturing issue

[AlasdairM]

Hi all

 

Yes I agree with Moke about the bickering. 

 

This thread was hijacked by people talking about bearings though, whereas the problem I am wanting to highlight is with the hubs, not the bearings. 

 

To finish off the story- which emphasises the hub problem- minispares sent me another new off-the-shelf hub. The garage fitted their good quality bearings to the hub (not timken- not sure which brand), and the assembly still seized up on torquing the hub nut up. 

 

The solution was that the garage happened to have an original mini hub in stock, which they fitted, with the same bearings they had tried to the new hubs, and all is fine. I have sent back both new hubs to minispares. 

 

Sadly, although I am an engineer with a micrometer/vernier, I didn't get an opportunity to measure the inner shoulder of the hubs (or the distance from the shoulder to the outer faces), to compare new vs old. I think this would be fairly easy for someone to do, if they had both hubs sitting in front of them though. 

 

I hope this helps. Minispares are going to look into it themselves. 

 

Please no more suggestions that the bearings could be at fault ;)

[Rorf]

Maybe do some checks here to work out what's at fault, it could end up otherwise being a long and expensive process of elimination.

 

This maybe helpful here;-

 

https://www.theminif...wheel-bearings/

 

For what ever it's with, I've used both Mini Spares and Heritage Hubs, generally found both good and of the 10's I've fitted over the past 15 or so years, I did have 1 dud that gave excessive clearance, I think that was a Heritage item.

 

 

Not sure why this has never been Pinned up front or made as a Sticky as it is a brilliant discussion on how mini front wheel bearings work - these cars bearings operate totally different to most run of the mill car bearings. This thread certainly taught me a lot on the idiosyncrasies of mini wheel bearings - front and back  

[Tommyboy12]

Well I stripped mine today and the hub has been completely destroyed by the bearing failure. Plus I had to cut the CV off so I'm out quite a few quid...