Rear wheel bearings

"Tegger" > wrote in message
...
> "Wayne L" > wrote in news:af84c$46ba7006$d1cc7c5a$19925
> @snip.allthenewsgroups.com:
>
>> Should the rear wheel bearings on a 2003 Accord be cleaned and re-greased
>> every so often?
>>
>
>
> No. Sealed for life. These are not like the old tapered roller bearings
> you
> may be used to.
>
> The rear bearings tend to have far longer lives than the front ones. This
> is because they are largely shielded from road splash.
>
>
> --
> Tegger
>
> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Hi Tegger. Thanks for getting back to me. You're the best!
Yeah, every other car I've owned, except my wife's 99 Grand Prix, has had
the tapered roller bearings with the keyed flat washer, all around, or just
the back, and the rule of thumb I used was "clean them out and re-grease
every 35K. When I took the dust cap off of the 2003 Accord, it looked
similar to the 87 Accord I had...same disposable "peened" nut (I have a half
a dozen used ones in the tool box...figured in a pinch they might be usable
on the opposite side) but when I saw that instead of a keyed flat washer it
had what looked like a sealing sheet metal disk.........I figured I'd better
get some info before starting the disassembly. A few weeks ago it popped
into my little brain that the Honda had about 61K on it and I had never
greased the rear axles. I've seen more than one car on the shoulder with a
broken rear axle, probably caused by a red hot bearing. My wife's 99 Grand
Prix has an obviously sealed rear axle unit. This is the first car I've
owned in a long while that I didn't spring for the whole shop manual set,
because I usually kept them until they were ready for the junk yard. I've
had dealers tell me they didn't want my trade in. Then I'd tell them "no
trade in, no sale", then they would offer $50 and I'd say thankyou, saved me
the trouble of getting rid of it :-) But after spending countless Sunday's
under the car fixing things, and with Honda's being the most reliable cars
I've ever owned, and with just about the lowest recall numbers in the
business, I hope to trade this one in and get another in a year or two.
BTW, the manuals are up to about $200 for the complete set.

Thanks again Tegger
Wayne

Wayne L wrote:
> "Tegger" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Wayne L" > wrote in news:af84c$46ba7006$d1cc7c5a$19925
>> @snip.allthenewsgroups.com:
>>
>>> Should the rear wheel bearings on a 2003 Accord be cleaned and re-greased
>>> every so often?
>>>
>>
>> No. Sealed for life. These are not like the old tapered roller bearings
>> you
>> may be used to.
>>
>> The rear bearings tend to have far longer lives than the front ones. This
>> is because they are largely shielded from road splash.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Tegger
>>
>> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
>> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/
>
> Hi Tegger. Thanks for getting back to me. You're the best!
> Yeah, every other car I've owned, except my wife's 99 Grand Prix, has had
> the tapered roller bearings with the keyed flat washer, all around, or just
> the back, and the rule of thumb I used was "clean them out and re-grease
> every 35K. When I took the dust cap off of the 2003 Accord, it looked
> similar to the 87 Accord I had...same disposable "peened" nut (I have a half
> a dozen used ones in the tool box...figured in a pinch they might be usable
> on the opposite side) but when I saw that instead of a keyed flat washer it
> had what looked like a sealing sheet metal disk.........I figured I'd better
> get some info before starting the disassembly. A few weeks ago it popped
> into my little brain that the Honda had about 61K on it and I had never
> greased the rear axles. I've seen more than one car on the shoulder with a
> broken rear axle, probably caused by a red hot bearing.

no dude, you've never seen a honda with a broken rear axle.

> My wife's 99 Grand
> Prix has an obviously sealed rear axle unit. This is the first car I've
> owned in a long while that I didn't spring for the whole shop manual set,
> because I usually kept them until they were ready for the junk yard. I've
> had dealers tell me they didn't want my trade in. Then I'd tell them "no
> trade in, no sale", then they would offer $50 and I'd say thankyou, saved me
> the trouble of getting rid of it :-) But after spending countless Sunday's
> under the car fixing things,

recreational car maintenance.

> and with Honda's being the most reliable cars
> I've ever owned, and with just about the lowest recall numbers in the
> business, I hope to trade this one in and get another in a year or two.
> BTW, the manuals are up to about $200 for the complete set.
>
> Thanks again Tegger
> Wayne
>
>

"jim beam" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne L wrote:
>> "Say What?" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Wayne L wrote:
>>>> Should the rear wheel bearings on a 2003 Accord be cleaned and
>>>> re-greased
>>>> every so often?
>>> That depends. How many kids does your mechanic have in college?
>>>
>>>
>> Hi Say What?
>>
>> Actually I've been doing all of the maintenance and almost all of the
>> repairs on my cars these last 2 score and 4. The sum total of my paid
>> repairs are two rebuilt automatic transmissions, a trip to the dealer for
>> an intermittent sensor problem, which they failed to fix, and the time in
>> 66 when I screwed up my first fuel pump replacement, resulting in a bent
>> push rod.
>
> you /still/ don't need to touch honda bearings. maintenance is not a
> recreational activity.

Got it. Thanks Jim.

Wayne

"jim beam" > wrote in message
t...
> Wayne L wrote:
>> "Tegger" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> "Wayne L" > wrote in
>>> news:af84c$46ba7006$d1cc7c5a$19925
>>> @snip.allthenewsgroups.com:
>>>
>>>> Should the rear wheel bearings on a 2003 Accord be cleaned and
>>>> re-greased
>>>> every so often?
>>>>
>>>
>>> No. Sealed for life. These are not like the old tapered roller bearings
>>> you
>>> may be used to.
>>>
>>> The rear bearings tend to have far longer lives than the front ones.
>>> This
>>> is because they are largely shielded from road splash.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Tegger
>>>
>>> The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
>>> www.tegger.com/hondafaq/
>>
>> Hi Tegger. Thanks for getting back to me. You're the best!
>> Yeah, every other car I've owned, except my wife's 99 Grand Prix, has had
>> the tapered roller bearings with the keyed flat washer, all around, or
>> just the back, and the rule of thumb I used was "clean them out and
>> re-grease every 35K. When I took the dust cap off of the 2003 Accord, it
>> looked similar to the 87 Accord I had...same disposable "peened" nut (I
>> have a half a dozen used ones in the tool box...figured in a pinch they
>> might be usable on the opposite side) but when I saw that instead of a
>> keyed flat washer it had what looked like a sealing sheet metal
>> disk.........I figured I'd better get some info before starting the
>> disassembly. A few weeks ago it popped into my little brain that the
>> Honda had about 61K on it and I had never greased the rear axles. I've
>> seen more than one car on the shoulder with a broken rear axle, probably
>> caused by a red hot bearing.
>
> no dude, you've never seen a honda with a broken rear axle.

I'm sure you're right. Probably GM and Ford products, which is why I'll
never buy another one of those, except my wife insisted on the Pontiac
because a lady she worked with loved hers.......probably the color :-).
Actually I've been happily surprised about the Grand Prix. 60K, 8 years
old, no problems, no rust holes, paint still OK. First GM product out of 6
that did that! Of course it still rides and rattles loose as a goose.

>
>> My wife's 99 Grand Prix has an obviously sealed rear axle unit. This is
>> the first car I've owned in a long while that I didn't spring for the
>> whole shop manual set, because I usually kept them until they were ready
>> for the junk yard. I've had dealers tell me they didn't want my trade
>> in. Then I'd tell them "no trade in, no sale", then they would offer $50
>> and I'd say thankyou, saved me the trouble of getting rid of it :-) But
>> after spending countless Sunday's under the car fixing things,
>
> recreational car maintenance.

I still do the oil changes, brakes, belts, etc., but I don't call pulling
heads, changing timing belts, changing computers, troubleshooing bad
sensors, replacing headliners, rebuilding jeep 5 speeds, replacing
distributors, replacing rear main seals, replacing marine outboard cranks
and driveshafts, replacing broken turn signal rings, replacing ignition
locks, doing valve adjustments, rebuilding carburators, rebuilding brake
calibers, replacing front wheel drive axles and bearings, replacing struts,
replacing clutches and throwout bearings, adjusting clutches, replacing
pilot bearings, dropping gas tanks, repairing car audio systems etc., etc.,
recreational, unless you define recreational as all work done by unpaid
non-professional mechanics. I assume you are an automotive technician?

>
>> and with Honda's being the most reliable cars I've ever owned, and with
>> just about the lowest recall numbers in the business, I hope to trade
>> this one in and get another in a year or two. BTW, the manuals are up to
>> about $200 for the complete set.
>>
>> Thanks again Tegger
>> Wayne

"Say What?" > wrote in message
news
> Wayne L wrote:
>> "jim beam" > wrote in message
>> t...
>>> Wayne L wrote:
>>>> Should the rear wheel bearings on a 2003 Accord be cleaned and
>>>> re-greased
>>>> every so often?
> m Beam! I love your bourbon. It has a mellowing effect on most
>> people.
>>
>> As you know, this is my 2nd post. My 30 Jul 07 post elicited no
>> responses.
>
> The THIRD but who's counting? 30 Jul, 7 Aug, 8 Aug
>
You know what Mr. What (can I call you Say?) you're right! I forgot. My
newsreader locked up again. On the 7th or 8th I noticed that none of them
had posts newer than August 5th, and I emailed my ISP again complaing about
it. They made it all better, but everything for the 6th and 7th never
showed up. This seems to happen 2-3 times a year and the problem's on their
end. Below is a copy as my proof, or, I can do a screen shot for you if I
can attach jpegs on the group.

Wayne
--------------------------------------------------------

Wayne,

Thanks for your email. We tested out the groups you listed, and we received
posts from the 5th up to today. If you are still having this problem, try
unsubscribing and resubscribing to the groups.

Hope this helps!

Laura
SNiP Telecommunications

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne L ]
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 3:36 AM
To:
Subject: Fw: Newgroups dead again

Hi again:

None of the 11 newsgroups I'm currently subscribed to has a post newer
than 5 Aug 07. While most of these 11 are low traffic, historically they
all seem have have had 1 or more posts a day; one in the 100 a day range.
One is rec.models.railroad. The higher traffic one is
alt.binaries.pictures.rail. This same problem seems to come up 2-3 times a
year. You people always get it fixed :-)

Thanks in advance!
Wayne

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wayne L" >
To: >
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 6:08 AM
Subject: Fw: Newgroups dead again


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wayne L" >
> To: >
> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 5:15 AM
> Subject: Newgroups dead again
>
>
>> Hi:
>>
>> I have not been able to download a newsgroup post newer than 8 Apr 07,

>> yet your status boards says Normal. This is a recurring problem that I
>> have experience several times over the last couple of years.
>>
>> Wayne

"Say What?" > wrote in message
...
> jim beam wrote:
>
>>>> As you know, this is my 2nd post. My 30 Jul 07 post elicited no
>>>> responses.
>>>
>>> The THIRD but who's counting? 30 Jul, 7 Aug, 8 Aug
>>
>>
>> he just wants someone to tell him to go ahead and do it. we /could/ tell
>> him they're sealed units and can't be disassembled, but that'll take the
>> fun out.
>
> That would be nasty... and mean.
>
> It's bad enough that you didn't tell him the short cut method. You know,
> where you heat the bearing units up with either a MAPP gas torch or gentle
> application of an oxy-acetylene torch to redistribute the grease and get
> it back down around the bearings and shaft..

My regular propane torch won't get hot enough? I have a little Propane /
MAPP & Oxygen torch too, but the MAPP bottles are expensive, and the oxygen
bottle are even more expensive and last less than 10 minutes.

How come you guys don't like me? Tegger was very polite and helpful,
thankfully.
I read some other posts and you weren't breaking their balls. It's going to
take some time for me to get over this. Maybe the whole weekend, when I'll
have time to try the torch method. Will the grease flow properly with the
car level, or do I have to jack up the other side? Thanks for the tip Jim
and Say!

Wayne
>
>
>
>

Wayne L wrote:
>
> My regular propane torch won't get hot enough? I have a little Propane /
> MAPP & Oxygen torch too, but the MAPP bottles are expensive, and the
> oxygen bottle are even more expensive and last less than 10 minutes.
>
> How come you guys don't like me? Tegger was very polite and helpful,
> thankfully. I read some other posts and you weren't breaking their
> balls. It's going to take some time for me to get over this. Maybe the
> whole weekend, when I'll have time to try the torch method. Will the
> grease flow properly with the car level, or do I have to jack up the
> other side? Thanks for the tip Jim and Say!
>

The post about the torch was a joke. Don't do this. The "sealed" bearings
get warm during normal operation and that will allow the grease to spread
throughout the bearing. Torching the bearings will only kill them.

Eric

"Wayne L" > wrote in
roups.com:

> When I took the dust cap off of the 2003
> Accord, it looked similar to the 87 Accord I had...same disposable
> "peened" nut (I have a half a dozen used ones in the tool
> box...figured in a pinch they might be usable on the opposite side)



You may find you cannot turn them 180 degrees to get them started on the
threads. There is only one entry for the nut on the driveshaft threads,
so it will go on exactly the same way every time.



> but when I saw that instead of a keyed flat washer it had what looked
> like a sealing sheet metal disk.........I figured I'd better get some
> info before starting the disassembly. A few weeks ago it popped into
> my little brain that the Honda had about 61K on it and I had never
> greased the rear axles. I've seen more than one car on the shoulder
> with a broken rear axle, probably caused by a red hot bearing.



I'll bet none of those was a Honda. Honda's suspension bugaboos are
seized front lower balljoints and broken front springs on pre-Macpherson
strut cars.


> My
> wife's 99 Grand Prix has an obviously sealed rear axle unit. This is
> the first car I've owned in a long while that I didn't spring for the
> whole shop manual set, because I usually kept them until they were
> ready for the junk yard. I've had dealers tell me they didn't want my
> trade in. Then I'd tell them "no trade in, no sale", then they would
> offer $50 and I'd say thankyou, saved me the trouble of getting rid of
> it :-) But after spending countless Sunday's under the car fixing
> things, and with Honda's being the most reliable cars I've ever owned,
> and with just about the lowest recall numbers in the business, I hope
> to trade this one in and get another in a year or two. BTW, the
> manuals are up to about $200 for the complete set.
>


They are expensive, but worth every penny. If I were you, and intended
to keep the car for a long time, I'd bite the bullet and get the
manuals. You may eventually be able to find them on eBay.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"Wayne L" > wrote in
roups.com:

>
> "Say What?" > wrote in message
> ...
>> jim beam wrote:
>>
>>>>> As you know, this is my 2nd post. My 30 Jul 07 post elicited no
>>>>> responses.
>>>>
>>>> The THIRD but who's counting? 30 Jul, 7 Aug, 8 Aug
>>>
>>>
>>> he just wants someone to tell him to go ahead and do it. we /could/
>>> tell him they're sealed units and can't be disassembled, but that'll
>>> take the fun out.
>>
>> That would be nasty... and mean.
>>
>> It's bad enough that you didn't tell him the short cut method. You
>> know, where you heat the bearing units up with either a MAPP gas
>> torch or gentle application of an oxy-acetylene torch to redistribute
>> the grease and get it back down around the bearings and shaft..
>
> My regular propane torch won't get hot enough? I have a little
> Propane / MAPP & Oxygen torch too, but the MAPP bottles are expensive,
> and the oxygen bottle are even more expensive and last less than 10
> minutes.
>
> How come you guys don't like me? Tegger was very polite and helpful,
> thankfully.
> I read some other posts and you weren't breaking their balls. It's
> going to take some time for me to get over this. Maybe the whole
> weekend, when I'll have time to try the torch method. Will the grease
> flow properly with the car level, or do I have to jack up the other
> side? Thanks for the tip Jim and Say!
>



Do not monkey around with heating the bearings. That is a bad idea and
is unnecessary. You risk damage to the rubber sealing lip on the back of
the bearing.

Honda bearings go bad for two reasons: 1) impact damage, and 2) water
ingress. They do not go bad because the grease has dried up.

Just leave the bearings alone.

If, like me, you just like doing "recreational maintenance", find
something else to keep yourself occupied, like painting out stone chips
before they rust.


--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

Wayne L wrote:
>
> BTW, the manuals are up to about $200 for the complete set.
>

A more likely price is $70 http://tinyurl.com/29qqy6

Add $35 if you want the supplement manual for the navigation system. Add
$40 if you want the supplement manual for the V6. There are others as
well. However, most of the information you'll likely wind up needing will
be in the general manual (by the way, I don't recall you mentioning which
engine your car had).

Note that you can access manuals for older cars with sealed rear wheel
bearings from http://www.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html

Eric