Discolored Bearings

[Lineguy]

I noticed when I replaced my wheel hub seals that the cone of the outer bearings were discolored. Has anyone else seen this when working on their hubs? It appears they got hot so I'm not sure if they spun on the spindle or if it is something else. They had plenty of grease so I don't think lack of grease was the problem. The trailer had less then 2000 miles. I ended up replacing all bearings, seals, and brakes due to the leaking seals.

2016 reflection 313

[Cate&Rob]

Lineguy,

I think your analysis and corrective action are absolutely right. Discoloring is a sign of over heating. Even with lots of grease, you may have had a bad bearing causing the inner race to spin on the spindle. Thanks for posting this.

Rob

[steve gravelle]

I thought the inner races are supposed to creep around the spindle.

[Char&Matt]

I agree, the fact is that you already had them apart, if any concerns, why not replace and be sure. Considering some of the pictures of the aftermath of a failed bearing that has been shown here.
my only thought is - what grease did you use to repack the bearings. I would suggest a high temp synthetic grease.

and yes the bearing is not a press fit to the spindle.

[WhittleBurner]

The races should always be replaced when the bearings are replaced. When purchasing new bearings they always come with new races.