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engine/transmission mounts effect on wheel bearings

ajones1987

New CEG'er
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
9
Hey guys/gals,

First and foremost I'd like to say my CSVT has 150,000 miles on it and the previous owner didn't take good care of the car, it was driven on dirt roads with large pot holes daily, and i spent the first two weeks i had it trying to "de-dust" the interior. The rear suspension is shot, which I realize throws off the geometry of the whole car, but I highly doubt it could contribute to the following:

I'm dealing with repeated wheel bearing failure on the drivers front wheel. I replaced it about five weeks ago (i'm a certified technician) and last week when the temperature shot up to 80'F (SE Michigan) it started the notorious 'low howl'. I double checked the hub retaining nut torque and it was spot on to Ford's specs. I did the shake test and there's a very decent amount of play, so i'm positive it's the bearing. My CV joints are good, and the hub in which the bearing is housed was replaced with the bearing five weeks ago.
After some research online I found an article about a guy having a shop replace the same wheel bearing upwards of seven times (as well as the CV shaft, knuckle, tie rod, ball joint, strut/coil, AND had it re-aligned) before they took it to someone who properly diagnosed it as the engine and transmission mounts. The theory behind it makes sense to me, seeing as if your mounts are bad, all the vibration is going to travel to the front wheels through the bearing's roller elements and the extra 170lbs of myself is a constant load on the drivers side bearing.
I lifted her thismorning and discovered that both my front and rear roll restrictors are bad, and i can get nearly 3/4" of vertical play on the top "transaxle/engine support insulators". I'm sure the roll restrictors need R&R but not so sure on the insulators(possible because they are so expensive lol).

My post is two-fold, first to ask if the above theory is sound, and also to request some help identifying which bushings to replace them with. The roll restrictors are obvious, the front is somewhat of a symmetrical cross, and the rear is a cylinder with a bunch of holes through it, but as for the topside bushings, I found the complete assemblies but they total almost $300, so i'd like to replace the bushings if possible, and I keep running into this guy, which I can't identify when I look at the mounts on the vehicle.



I would like to avoid paying $300+ JUST for the mounts, but it's an SVT so i suppose it's worth it to have a proper car again. Also, if anyone knows of anywhere to get these bushings at a lower price, please help me out, I'd really, really appreciate it..thanks in advance.
-Austin
 
I wouldn't guess that the mounts would be causing a wheel bearing issue.

I would try replacing the knuckle. but if you want to try the mounts first then by all means.

I don't think it is the mounts as my 95 had the original mounts at 228k, and I only had to replace the wheel bearings three times, once on the drivers side and twice on the passanger side.
 
Thanks for the quick response, could you tell me whether or not we share the same knuckle as the earlier contours? If so i'll just grab one from the junk yard.

Nevermind the above question, I've answered my own question. Appreciate the help.
-Austin
 
Agree 100% on the knuckle. An enlarged knuckle bore will prevent the proper press fit of the bearing, causing premature wear due to movement.
 
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