Ace and Aceca outer rear wheel bearings

[59 Aceca]

I recently replaced the right rear inner and outer wheel bearings on my Aceca.  Within about a month after doing so, it appears the outer bearing has failed miserably as the wheel has a large amount of play in it.  So much so that the brake drum rubs on the backing plate unless the car is going perfectly straight.  Any small amount of lateral movement of that wheel makes a nasty scraping sound.  I suspect the bearing is defective but wanted to get some opinions on whether it was the correct bearing in the first place.  The bearing that was removed from the car was an R&M bearing that, I am told, is a "max" style bearing as it has a total of 30 balls.  The relatively high number of balls means the collars must be slotted to allow for assembly at time of manufacture.  Photo is below.
   
   
   
   The replacement bearing is manufactured by SKF and, I am told, it is a "Conrad" style bearing.  It has a total of 22 balls and because it has fewer, no loading slots are required.  I would also assume that with 8 fewer balls, it is not as robust as what was in there previously.  A photo is below.
   
   
   
   Can anyone tell me if the "Conrad" style, SKF bearing is what is being used these days?  I cannot find a "max" style bearing and am told it is likely no longer being manufactured.  If the SKF bearing is the current replacement for our cars then I will assume mine was defective.  If not, what is the best replacement?
   
   Thank you in advance for any advice.
   
   Greg

[Robin A Woolmer]

Greg
   The outer bearing is a double row ball race & the numbers appear to be correct on the top race as DLJ40 the current common part number is i believe 4208 as appears to be marked on the lower race.
   The bearing is held on the rear upright with a nut & tab washer with the hub fitted to the outer race & clamped in by the bearing housing which is bolted to the hub, so the only movement likely may be due to the bearing not fitting(being clamped)tightly by the housing, any axial movement if fitted correctly can only be within the actual bearing.
   If you have a car handbook it does show the assembly  i think page 33!
   
   Robin

[59 Aceca]

Thanks Robin.  I was there when the bearing was fitted and believe it was fitted correctly (had the handbook to refer to at the time as well).  Has anyone else had direct experience with the SKF 4208 bearing as a replacement?
   
   Thank you,
   
   Greg

[Robin A Woolmer]

Greg
   I purchased several of these for my Ace Replica  but have not looked at them yet, i will dig them out & see how they compare to yours, if you want a picture i will send one to you direcly as i have no idea how to put them on the forum web!
   
   Robin

[Robin A Woolmer]

Greg
   Have checked the new bearings i have & they have identical markings to your lower  bearing above, they should fit correctly in the housing.The question might that of wear in your housings.
   
   
   Robin

[59 Aceca]

Robin,
   
   Thank you very much for checking this out for me.
   
   Best regards,
   
   Greg

[3.8Jaguar]

Quality quality quality is the name of the game for bearings.
   It is now the case that there are so many manufacturers of bearings and quality of construction and materials are very changeable.
   SKF are still one of the best manufactures. When ordering your bearings be sure that the bearing you order is constructed to the right clearance as some bearing types and ranges are constructed with a choice of clearance for different applications and environments.
   In the case of SKF C1 to C3 clearances are required for your application.
   The bearing you show in the photo is a TN bearing this denotes a polymer cage, Brass or steel is preferable.
   
   We have moved away from using the standard deep groove bearings for our hub bearings as they are not really designed for the large lateral loads found in this application. we now use angular contact bearings of the correct designation for loads in both lateral directions, though this does require some modification to the housing and careful set up of pre load but we are very happy with the results.
   
   Never Never go with a budget bearing of a manufacture you have not heard of!
   
   I hope this is of help
   
   Regards
   
   James Harris
   
   www.bristolengineering.co.uk

[59 Aceca]

Hi James,
   
   Thanks for the great information.
   
   Greg

[aex659]

in my general instruction supplement book.  rear wheel outer bearing is listed the same as jag 2.4 and 3.4 overdrive (ldj40)  inner is mge rear hub bearing (130v3)  ken