Front wheel hubs

After having to get a new alternator and power steering pump it seems I now need 2 front wheel hubs. £200 or so each genuine LR. Simple question I have is, are Bearmach ones at £70 a pop 'good enough'? (my car doesn't venture off road much if that's relevant at all) Hope someone can advise as I'm like Daddy Duck at the mo and all I see is bills, bills, bills....(not just car ones either)

What year is your landy? What is the reason you need new hubs? Bearings that have a bit of play can be adjusted,new bearings can be fitted if needed.Hubs are rarely totaly shot.

Many thanks for reading the post. Its a T reg 300tdi. Haven't looked at it myself, as its down at the garage having the other things done. I've just been told by the mechanic (not a LR specialist...usually does vans and trucks) there is some play in the hubs and that a LR savvy friend of his had mentioned seals kits. I'm afraid that's all I know.

Hi,

It sounds like you need to get someone who knows what they are looking at, otherwise I think things could get expensive.

Maybe worth having a look around locally to see if there is someone who can give it a look over and advise you.

Could you get photos and a little more detailed info on the exact problem?

Cheers

Got to be honest, I've knocked 7 bells out of mine, both on and off road, and never managed to feck up a hub!
Get someone who knows about Landies and let them have a good look at it for you!
Remember that non-Landy people with toolboxes charge you for all breakages, repairs and replacements ... needed or not!!

I have never known a hub to be fecked either...bearings going, yes, swivel pins being worn, yes, but never a knacker hub!

Need photos!

Hello. Thanks for the replies. The mechanic is a family friend so I know he won't be silly about things. I need to go have a word!

Could it be drive flange/half shaft wear?

mercian said:

Hello. Thanks for the replies. The mechanic is a family friend so I know he won't be silly about things. I need to go have a word!

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That doesn't qualify him as a Landyman if he knows nowt about them!!
Get a front corner jacked up and if there is all round play, pop the cap off, remove the outer nut and tab washer, stick a socket on the inner nut and tighten it up until there is some resistance as you turn the wheel.
If the play stops, then back off the nut 1/4 turn and the wheel should spin freely.
Replace the tab washer and outer nut, the do the same on the other side.
Don't let him charge you for new bits if they are not needed!
... And remember there are no such things as 'friends' in business!!

Sound!. Thanks a lot! Won't have an opportunity to try that out till monday but will let you know how I get on

+1 on ALL the comments about hubs never being knackered. IME, your "average" mechanic will be a very expensive way of doing anything on a LR - friend or otherwise.

Last year I had a "disagreement" with an "MOT tester" about play in wheel bearings on my D1 ( same axle as your defender ) - the little sh*t was adamant that there MUST be NONE - and was for failing it. A word in the more experienced ( older ) testers ear, and the problem went away.....

Either DIY, or find a good recommended LR specialist. IME any other mechanic will be a waste of time...... and sadly, a waste of your money...

Edited to add:-

Get yourself a copy of the LR RAVE manual ( search on here for the download link ) - the proper procedure for adjusting wheel bearings, and swivel bearings is in there. be aware that the tab washers which lock the wheel bearing adjustment are officially single use, ( which I agree with) - they are only 15p each.

there's a mass of info on the web about how to do this work too; youtube is full of video tutorials.... for example:-

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=defender+front+hub+rebuild

I'd disagree about hubs not breaking .. I'm in the process of replacing two rear ones! (Disco rear axle on the Landy 90)

One a wheel bearing 'went' and welded itself to the stub shaft many years ago, and subsequent wheel bearings have all, eventually, rotated the inner bearing races enough so it now has a pronounced wear lip on it and it's just gone too far!

The second only has three half shaft stud bolts holding it in, and one of those is dicey. I could helicoil but figure for what it does and the cost to faffing ratio I'm better just replacing ..

I'm also replacing both rear calipers .. the offside rear is a regular (five years or so, rust up and replacement cylinder) thing, but while I'm doing it I'm gonna do both sides.

It could be said that this is a story of lack of maintenance, normal hubs won't 'break', as such, but when they're abused, and used for laning and off-roading and occasionally towing a caravan at motorway speed a few hundred miles, as mine are, then wear can occur.

The fronts, however, are fine!!

Many many thanks for the advice. I have spent a fair part of the afternoon looking at some of these vids. It looks DIY-able. Just a pity I don't have a garage (given time of year) and a decent set of tools (bar some spanners...)

mercian said:

Many many thanks for the advice. I have spent a fair part of the afternoon looking at some of these vids. It looks DIY-able. Just a pity I don't have a garage (given time of year) and a decent set of tools (bar some spanners...)

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Hi, don't know how long you've owned the Landy but, as I've said before to others, " Landy ownership (especially the older ones), is not for the faint-hearted, or non DIY folk", even though they are very basic and agricutural vehicles there is so much to know about all their foibles.
Your current problem, seems easily repairable and certainly within the realms of DIY, it would be unusual if the hubs are completely cactus.
Doing repairs and services using non-experienced Landy mechanics is a very quick way to dispose of your "hard earned" as @Oldseadog has already pointed out, I realise not everbody is mechanically gifted, but if you are close enough to some of the forum members who are, it will be wise to get an informed assessment of your vehicles mechanical problems before setting out on repairs.
Where I live, in a small remote community in "Toyota country", our local repair shops, (there are only two), will not even look at Landies, they put them on a "tilt tray truck" and send them South 300 klm to Landy shop where they can be repaired.
Local landy owners, (there are about 4 of us, should I say "diehards"), stick together and share, knowledge, special tools and labour to give each other support and a hand.

mercian said:

Many many thanks for the advice. I have spent a fair part of the afternoon looking at some of these vids. It looks DIY-able. Just a pity I don't have a garage (given time of year) and a decent set of tools (bar some spanners...)

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IME, there is virtually nothing on a deafner which is not DIYable .... time consuming, annoying and a PITA quite probably, but they are almost the definition of DIYable.

Plenty of advice on here regarding which tools to buy, and some great work rounds for some of the special tools - never forget the LR number one special tool though.....

A bl**dy big 'ammer

Good luck

mercian said:

Many many thanks for the advice. I have spent a fair part of the afternoon looking at some of these vids. It looks DIY-able. Just a pity I don't have a garage (given time of year) and a decent set of tools (bar some spanners...)

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I agree most things on a Defender are DIY friendly, money spent on tools will repay itself many times.

Just think of your Fender as a big Meccano set

Ive had a hub go I could not get rid of the wheel bearing play and traced it to the track spinning in the hub, cheapo britpart one for me, still on there.
The cheap bearings arent much cop at a tenner per corner, the Timken ones at 30 quid per corner are well worth the money.

The whole 90/110/defender wheel bearing set up is a faff and poor quality and if you off road the things they need constant tlc, on the other hand the ones on my series which have diff oil in with the grease have never given any issues and may well be original

Been down to mechanic's garage today as he wanted to show me the play in the wheels. Seems the person who does LR work for him and has hubs to sell says its the 'worst he'd seen', and 'shouldn't be driven'. I can appreciate there should be no play but I'm not sure what is bad and what is tolerable...I thought there was 2 or 3 mm of play off the ball. I think the problem goes further than I anticipated.