I just put 4 new wheel bearings in the front of my '88 2wd pickup. They are Koyo brand and I packed them with Mobil 1 synthetic wheel bearing grease. I drove the truck for about 20 minutes around 50 MPH. When I got back, I felt the hubs. They seemed hotter than they used to be. They were not too hot to touch, but still hot.

Do new wheel bearings heat up while they break in? I thought I remeber reading that somewhere, but could not find it using the search. How hot is too hot?

I believe they are adjusted correctly, or at least not too tight. I adjusted them by torquing to 25 ft-lbs, spinning the hub, loosening it, and tightening the nut to just over hand tight. That put the fish-scale preload adjustment to the lower end of the FSM spec. I figured this might be too loose, but the wheels feel tight and I am not hearing them clank when I hit bumps.

 

It's fine.

:wabbit2:

 

New bearings do get pretty warm until worn in. Check them after a couple hundred miles, you may find they have loosened up and need to be snugged up a bit. It seems you are careful not to over-tighten, which is a very good thing.

 

Thats what I was wanting to hear. I will definately check them after a while.