I wouldn't take a chance, contact RockAuto and see what they say. They should both feel smooth.

Kevin

 

Agree with Kevin, you were right to suspect that it's a bad bearing out of the box. It should be smooth like the other one.

Karl

 

I think they should have Timken stamped or etched on them.

 

Luckily Rockauto is pretty good about returns, especially when it comes to defective parts. I agree with the above, return that one.

 

Another voice in the choir; return it.

 

Update: This is the response I received from RockAuto

---​

"Thank you for contacting us. The rough feel when the hub is rotated by hand is not due to damage to the hub itself, but is a common characteristic with modern hubs. In recent years there have been concerns about new hub bearings being rough or difficult to rotate. Many technicians inspect a new replacement hub bearing visually and by rotating the assembly once or twice by hand.

During the inspection process, it is not abnormal to feel a rough, coarse sensation as the two halves of the hub are rotated. This condition is not an indication of a defective bearing; these hub units should not be returned as suspected defective parts.

This condition is caused by the premium grease the manufacturer uses in many of its bearings, especially in hub bearings. The manufacturer uses GHG grease that provides a significant advantage over other standard greases

These crystalline structures can create a rough, coarse feeling when the hub bearing is first turned by hand, before the bearing has experienced significant rotation.

These additives are important to optimum wheel bearing performance and include anti-brinelling and extreme pressure performance enhancers and solid lubricant components. This advanced technology grease chemistry improves bearing performance from many aspects, ranging from protecting against bearing damage during vehicle transport to maintaining proper lubrication conditions during high load/low speed operation to lubricant stability at elevated operating temperatures.

Even though the bearing may feel rough when it is initially rotated by hand, after rotating on the vehicle for a few minutes, the soft crystalline structures in the grease will break down into finer structures, and the bearing will rotate smoothly. There is no detrimental effect of the grease run-in. This is the normal and desired behavior of this type of grease.

Another item that may contribute to a hard turning hub bearing is the seal. In some hub bearings, the seals also have more interference with the bearing. Once the bearing is rotated for a few minutes, the bearing will gradually turn freely. This is a normal situation.


Thank you,

[Name Removed to Protect Employee]
RockAuto Customer Service"

---​

Sounds legit, but still has me spooked. I guess if I install it and it fails prematurely, I'll take them to small claims court and have them cover the labor for installation, reinstallation, the part itself, time off of work, and legal fees. I hate to be litigious, but consumers deserve protection, especially when manufacturers/retailers continually increase prices while reducing product quality.

Nick

 

Dang.... Didn't see that coming from them! I wonder what they'd say about the other one rolling smooth?

 

I asked and haven't received a reply yet.

 

Unfortunately these days a "trusted brand" like Timken has often resorted to using made in china stuff. My guess is that your Timkens are made in China.

 

I went through this with Jeep bearings.

Problem is Timken hasn't made a bearing in the US since around 2007.
They only thing Timken makes in Canton Ohio anymore is steel.

 

I was trying to find other resources talking about rough bearings and grease and found this, which echos what Rockauto is saying - still sounds strange to me. It's a bulletin from SKF.

Tech Tip: New Hub Units May Exhibit Rough Feel When Rotated by Hand – UnderhoodService

In a recent technical bulletin, SKF addresses the rough or coarse feel of some new hub units if they are rotated by hand before installation and explains why these conditions are normal for technicians to experience.

www.underhoodservice.com

 

Thanks for checking into it and I agree about them being made in China.

I was trying to find something as well and didn't come up with anything. Looks like the RockAuto tech copy and pasted it from the Underhood Service site, or from SKF and tried to generalize it to include all hub units.

I'm going to give Timken a call in the morning and see what they say. Their techs were super nice last time I called, and even provided me the torque specs when I replaced the rear wheel bearing units.

I swear, I can't do anything without a hassle. I got a set of NGK OEM replacement plugs from them and while I verified they weren't knockoffs, the car developed a slight miss during the first minute or two of idle. You could smell it in the exhaust. Normally I'd think bad gas, but it started right after I replaced them. It never threw a code though and became intermittent. Unfortunately, I had purchased the plugs three months before and kept having stuff come up. When I contacted RockAuto, they said I was past the return period and the warranty on the plugs. They didn't offer any help whatsoever and stuck to the purchase date rather than the installation date. After about 4k, I took them back out, looked them over, didn't see anything, checked all the connections, and put them back in. It seems to have gotten better, but it still happens every now and then. RockAuto is usually pretty awesome. I wonder if they hired a new customer service VP or something, because they sure don't look out for working people like they did.

 

Rig up your drill or similar to run it at moderate speed for a couple of minutes and see if that changes anything.

 

Now I'm trying to remember if my Timken bearings (front and rear) felt coarse when spinning them. I don't think they did, but I really don't remember..... 🤷‍♂️

 

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for your help. I heard back from Timken:

First things first. According to the phone rep I spoke with, RockAuto is NOT an authorized distributor for Timken. He said that RockAuto may source from an authorized distributor, but their acquisition system is weird.

As far as the roughness, this is what they had to say

"It is possible that the rough rotation is due to cone separation from shipping and handling. In the case of these particular hub assemblies the CV shaft also provides the bearing clamp force needed to retain the bearings to the hub. Occasionally during shipping and handling the inboard cone can move on the hub and cause the internal geometry to be misaligned. This can translate to a rough rotation prior to hub installation and correct CV shaft torque sequences which can reposition the cone and allow the rolling elements to be seated correctly for a smooth rotation. If not convinced, I recommend exchanging for another hub prior to install."

RockAuto hasn't replied to my e-mails and will likely make me pay return shipping if I decided to do a swap. I'm not sure if I got on their bad side or what, but they aren't helping me at all. I dont' think I'll order from them again unless I just can't find a part anywhere else.

So, at this point, I'm going to tempt fate and install them hoping that the Timken is right. The one that feels rough did look like it got jostled the most.

 

I'm thinking you'll be solid. Even so, got my fingers crossed for you!