Hi Folks,

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed a hundred times previously, but I did a couple searches and couldn't find anything. My 1994 F150 (2wd) is making what I assumed was a wheel bearing noise on the highway. Not serious, but I didn't know what else to attribute it to.
So I checked the front end, and wheel bearings are loose on both left and right. I figured OK, I'll tighten them up a bit for now and order in a new set of bearings. I tried to tighten the bearing nuts, and they're already bottomed out. I removed the outer bearing, and it has a flimsy plastic cage...I've never seen such a thing in my life. So I guess they're either the wrong bearings, or the right bearings and just extremely worn out to the point they cannot be snugged up.

Has anybody seen these plastic bearings before? They're stamped Timken, but I found them on RockAuto under the brand name BCA.

The Timken ad I found says O.E. Polymer Cage. Did these trucks come with these bearings originally? I think I'd prefer a regular set of all steel Timkens in there regardless.

 

I found a set in a well abused 200K, 94 2wd reg cab/5.0-150 I bought.

Labeled timken with plastic cages & I was appalled as well.

Can't remember what I rep'd them with. Were metal, though.

 

A friend of mine said he found them as the original bearing in some of the 90's 2wd F150's. It just seems so weird with the plastic being so flimsy I guess, that and the fact that I can't tighten them up. In any case, they're getting replaced. Thanks for the reply.

 

Don't be scared of the plastic cage
Ford has used them for quite a few years now
The plastic cage just holds the rollers in place and serves no other function
If you drop one and it explodes, you can just put the rollers back in the cage

 

Plastic cages are fine. The cage never really sees any force as long as the elements are rolling and not skidding.

 

To be sure, I do understand the premise.

Just don't care for things that melt in rotational apps.

 

If the plastic cage melts you have worse problems than the fact that they're plastic.

 

Ummmm...... yeah.

 

I've seen them with plastic cages and won't use them.