My Xfire was recently diagnosed with bad front wheel bearings after a failed alignment attempt. I read enough forum posts on the subject and after reading though the service manual decided I was going to do it my self.

A quick stop at NAPA and my first question came up. They list inside and outside bearings. After viewing the parts list and rereading the service manual I noticed that only outer were pictured or described. On the forum it seems that only outer are discussed.

I've only ever worked on pressed in bearings. So that I'm not surprised once I get my DD taken apart, Can anyone confirm that once the hub is removed I will find another bearing? Is the procedure any different than the outer (less the nut).

 

Although I have never actually had a front hub off my Crossfire, the service manual mentions an 'INNER" tapered bearing, so I must assume there is an inner and an outer on each side :

In my experience, where you find one tapered bearing, you will always find two .....

RockAuto list an inner and an outer :
POWER TRAIN COMPONENTS Part # PTA17
Front Inner Bearing [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty] (Only 1 Remaining)
$19.82
Add Part
POWER TRAIN COMPONENTS Part # PTA12
Front Outer Bearing [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty] (Only 2 Remaining)
$19.82
Add Part

 

I haven't had it apart either. I just hate surprises. None of the exploded views show that bearing. The parts documentation, section 2, page 14, part 2, shows a left and right bearing with different part numbers but doesn't show an asterisk for a "non illustrated part". I can only imagine that the terms left and right loosely translated are inner and outer. ** It also shows the seal, part 8

I changed a tapered bearing on a heavy duty trailer once. The bearing fit on a spindle which was also tapered on the inner end. The bearing was held in place with a nut and pin on the outside and a stop on the inner spindle. Trailer, Flat, Utility, US Army issue. This is what I though I might be getting into.

 

Before you go ahead and order all kinds of parts, check for noise by spinning the wheel while jacked. You may only have to adjust the bearing preload. Worst case scenario, you can get an affordable complete kit here:

FRONT WHEEL BEARING KIT FIT FOR CHRYSLER CROSSFIRE 3.2 2003- ABK571 | eBay

 

Hey Super Mario



Cheap way is to get the bearing numbers and go to your local bearing supply house.

 

Please step away from the new WII system.. LOL

 

I had mine replaced. The inner bearings exist! Believe it or not, they're interchangeable with Mustang II bearings. The inners should come with a grease seal and the cheapo ebay seals don't. Get quality seals. The outers are easy but for the inners you have to take it all apart and get the hub off. My inners looked fine, my outers were blued from heat. I can't imagine them going bad unless your racing causing 2000º heat so be sure you need them before you dig in.

Les

 

Hey Super Dave!

 

Touche......

 

Thanks all for the comments. I have no doubt that the outers are needed but figured if they're worn there would probably be wear to the inners. Anyhow, since I bought the bearings and seals as soon as I found they needed to be replace I might as well check them out. Hopefully it won't be too much of a PITA.