Front Bearing Replacement Brand for STS

[Ohio Jim]

Good evening once again to all,

I am making my Rock Auto order and I am looking for feedback on Front Wheel Bearing experiences by brand. The OEM Delco cost $189 each for my '99 STS. I can go with Moog for $89 or SKF for $105. Car has 140,k on the clock, but I only want to do this once. I was given some advice not to go with the Timken, as the man was on his third bearing, under warrently, in nine months. I do not have the time to do this again. Please advise any Brand experiences you may wish to share. I am not apposed to saving $160, but not at the risk of the bearing failing in less than 100,k miles.

Thanks in advance,

Ohio Jim

[Texas Jim]

I have used Timken bearings for the last 50 years...

I replaced both front hubs on my car about 50,000 miles ago with Timken...(about two and a half years ago)

I haven't had a minutes trouble out of them... at least not so far...

[Cadillac Jim]

Timken hubs are OEM quality. The OEM may well *be* timken.

[rockfangd]

I typically use Timken or SKF but prefer Timken. Sometimes SKF is a little cheaper but both are good. I wouldnt waste money on anything else

[Ohio Jim]

Thanks Rockfangd!

I bought the SKF at $111 instead of the Moog at $89. Funny thing,when I opened the box from Rock Auto, the bearings actually had surface rust on them! Weird, No?

I will be installing them on Sunday, as I await the axles, which are on a slow truck from California... Fed X shows they haven't moved since a week ago... Weird No? LOL

Ohio Jim

[KHE]

What's wrong with the axles? Torn boot?

I bought two Timken bearings for my STS. The originals had 187,173 miles on them. One side got ruined in an attempt to separate the siezed axle. I checked the other side and th seal was popped out and it was beginning to make noise. I figured since everything was apart, I might as well replace both bearings and be done with it instead of waiting for the remaining original bearing to go bad.

I wouldn't worry about surface rust on the hub. Even if it didn't have rust on it it definitely would after a few weeks on the car.

[Cadillac Jim]

The Christmas season is weird for shipping. I had a part come in, be tendered to the local Post Office, then be scanned 200 miles away the next day. It was delivered another day later, and the tracking information was redacted to eliminate the excursion.

[Ohio Jim]

KHE,

Nothing wrong with the axles, but... 138,000miles on the originals... for ~$45 a side, and all that goes with removing rotors and such to get to the bearings... I thought why not the axles for $100 bill...The axles are the next thing to come out after the bearings. I catch a lot of rubber with those 1st to 2nd gear shifts you guys taught me to do! LOL As you may read in an adjacent post, we got hung up on getting the axles out of the bearings, so I have to start over maybe this Sunday!!

Ohio Jim

[KHE]

As long as the boots are not torn on the original axles, they should be fine. I have over 187,000 on my STS with the original axles. During the process of replacing my transmission, I had one that was siezed into one of the hubs. It took a 20 ton press to separate the axle from the hub.

[SevilleDorado]

KHE,

Nothing wrong with the axles, but... 138,000miles on the originals... for ~$45 a side, and all that goes with removing rotors and such to get to the bearings... I thought why not the axles for $100 bill...The axles are the next thing to come out after the bearings. I catch a lot of rubber with those 1st to 2nd gear shifts you guys taught me to do! LOL As you may read in an adjacent post, we got hung up on getting the axles out of the bearings, so I have to start over maybe this Sunday!!

Ohio Jim

Oh I want to learn about those 1st to 2nd gear shifts : ) tell me please.

[Cadillac Jim]

If you put the shifter in the "2" position at start, the 1-2 shift will be a whole lot firmer than in "3" or "D" and will often chirp the tires. No one has ever posted data showing better times but I think it makes the car a fraction faster to speeds over the 1-2 shift point.

This does NOT disable the torque management built into the PCM that protects the torque converter and clutches. It won't hurt the transmission. Bruce posted this trick about his 1996 STS on Caddyinfo long before there was a forum.

[Ohio Jim]

Okay! Cadillac Jim,

You posted the same time I did, so my idea of holding it in first gear has been edited out as it may be incorrect! BRUCE is the man!

SevilleDorado,

Nice Name! How is it derived? Okay you should be able to search this as I am no expert, however, I have a blast doing it, for and old man! Pull the car into 2nd gear when you are starting off, or anytime you floor it in first gear. Hold it to the floor... very important... When it hits second gear you, and everyone on the street, should hear the loud chirp. The noises are loud and amazing. For a Seville, the heads will turn! Ask around or search it. I am pretty sure you can hold it in first and force high hydraulic pressure to slam it into second. I have done it a hundred times, so I don't worry too much about component failure. That is why I replaced the old axles so I could keep doing it! Enjoy!

In a related story, I pass a car shop who's front door is about 30 feet from the street, which is a 55 zone. I routinely come around the corner and pull this trick because when I go home at 3 or 4am, these guys are always working on cars half out of the shop! I laugh like heck! I hope they enjoy it!

Ohio Jim

[rockfangd]

Wow. Never tried this with any of mine. I more like leaving everyone in the dust. I would be worried about damaging something with my luck.

Keeps your tires even though lol.

I do know they are more than capable of spinning the tires, and I have but usually accidental on the rare occasion

[Ohio Jim]

Rockfangd,

You know in the old days the guru convinced me, and I suspect a few others, these cars are invincible! I still drive by that notion... as the car owes me nothing at this point. $9,200 eight years ago with 37,000 miles. Man what a Steal! Sure it gives me fits, but mostly because I have limited time to keep it up. I would by three more if I could find them with low miles! that way I would drive 'til I die!

Ohio Jim

[Texas Jim]

Rockfangd,

You know in the old days the guru convinced me, and I suspect a few others, these cars are invincible! I still drive by that notion... as the car owes me nothing at this point. $9,200 eight years ago with 37,000 miles. Man what a Steal! Sure it gives me fits, but mostly because I have limited time to keep it up. I would by three more if I could find them with low miles! that way I would drive 'til I die!

Ohio Jim

I don't abuse mine, but I do "DRIVE" it... LOL

Mine too will chirp the tires on the 1st to 2nd shift and if it is on older asphalt, it will actually spin them a good bit when it hits 2nd and kinda pull / jerk the front of the car to the right...

You better be ready for that... it happens QUICK... LOL

If I'm on asphalt, it will be partially spinning the tires thru the last half of first gear before shifting to 2nd.

I am glad the speed limits are 75 to 85 here, because mine changes from 2nd to 3rd at 88... then I can let up...LOL

[SevilleDorado]

Thanks : ) - lol , When I am driving mine I allways want to have a bumper sticker that says "Not your Granpa's Caddy". At one ppoint the muffler went on my 95 Seville , they wanted $500 for a new set. I went and got 2- 20" glass packs and some elbows and had a wicked exhaust for $100 !! OMG - heads would turn then - it sounded like a fire breathing dragon.

Luckily when they went on my ElDorado last summer - I got them from Rock Auto for I think around $250 for the set and they fit perfectly.

I once had the anit-lock sensor ? unclipped from the bearing. I think it dsables traction control ? felt like you could do a never ending spin. My Seville shut down at 110mph. , must have some limiter on it....not sure on the Eldo, they are both 95's.

[Texas Jim]

Thanks : ) - lol , When I am driving mine I allways want to have a bumper sticker that says "Not your Granpa's Caddy". At one ppoint the muffler went on my 95 Seville , they wanted $500 for a new set. I went and got 2- 20" glass packs and some elbows and had a wicked exhaust for $100 !! OMG - heads would turn then - it sounded like a fire breathing dragon.

Luckily when they went on my ElDorado last summer - I got them from Rock Auto for I think around $250 for the set and they fit perfectly.

I once had the anit-lock sensor ? unclipped from the bearing. I think it dsables traction control ? felt like you could do a never ending spin. My Seville shut down at 110mph. , must have some limiter on it....not sure on the Eldo, they are both 95's.

Most limiters are set to 110-112 unless it is an STS.

Same on the El Dorado unless it is an ETC.

Mine does not really have a limiter on it... well, actually it does, but I set it at 180 and the car won't go that fast, so it might as well not have one...LOL

[Cadillac Jim]

The 1997 ETC has a speed limiter at 125 mph unless you buy it with Z rated tires. The owner's manual says that you can have the governor taken off if you take the car to the dealer with Z rated tires on it but reports on people doing that are a little weird, like programming another VIN into the PCM. For an out-of-warranty car I would prefer a tuner like Texas Jim used.

[KHE]

The 1997 ETC has a speed limiter at 125 mph unless you buy it with Z rated tires. The owner's manual says that you can have the governor taken off if you take the car to the dealer with Z rated tires on it but reports on people doing that are a little weird, like programming another VIN into the PCM. For an out-of-warranty car I would prefer a tuner like Texas Jim used.

The speed limiter depends on the tires that are installed from the factory. If the tires wer S-rated, the speed would be limited to 110-112 MPH. If it had H-rated tires, the speed would be limited to 130 MPH. If there were Z-rated tires from the factory, there would not be a speed limiter but the car would run out of breath at 150 MPH or thereabouts.

[Cadillac Jim]

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

[Texas Jim]

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

I seriously doubt that any dealer would change it to a faster speed.

It would open them up to way too much liability if someone had an accident at high speed.

[Cadillac Jim]

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

I seriously doubt that any dealer would change it to a faster speed.

It would open them up to way too much liability if someone had an accident at high speed.

Yeah, that's my thinking too. The owner's manual said that you could put Z-rated tires on your car and get the governor removed, and that the car was guaranteed to go 150 mph. Car & Driver clocked one at 145 mph.

[Texas Jim]

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

I seriously doubt that any dealer would change it to a faster speed.

It would open them up to way too much liability if someone had an accident at high speed.

Yeah, that's my thinking too. The owner's manual said that you could put Z-rated tires on your car and get the governor removed, and that the car was guaranteed to go 150 mph. Car & Driver clocked one at 145 mph.

Mine has been to 144... it was still pulling pretty good, but I was catching up to some other cars... LOL

Figured it was time to slow down... LOL

[KHE]

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

Yeah - the base Eldorado and Seville SLS only had S rated tired. My STS had S rated tires when I bought it and I had S rated tires installed on it the last time I bought tires for it as I did not like the stiff ride. I don't drive fast enough to warrant the expense of the H-rated tires (or the stiff ride).

The ETC offered only H rated and Z rated tires in 1997. So, I didn't know about S-rated tires and the 110 mph speed governor.

Do you have any information on dealer changes in the speed limiter?

I seriously doubt that any dealer would change it to a faster speed.

It would open them up to way too much liability if someone had an accident at high speed.

Yeah, that's my thinking too. The owner's manual said that you could put Z-rated tires on your car and get the governor removed, and that the car was guaranteed to go 150 mph. Car & Driver clocked one at 145 mph.

Mine has been to 144... it was still pulling pretty good, but I was catching up to some other cars... LOL

Figured it was time to slow down... LOL

The first Northstar Cadillac I ever drove was a 1998 Seville STS in 1997. The company I worked for produced the console shift assemblies for most of the GM cars. We had a 1998 STS on loan from Cadillac for development of the new shift assembly. I drove it to our injection molding facility which was 45 minutes North. On a rural strtech of interstate, I dropped the hammer and had it to 143 MPH before I backed off. It would have made 150 if I kept on it. I decided then that I would have to buy a Northstar powered Cadillac one day.

[Cadillac Jim]

The Northstar got my attention by teasers in the car mags. I had lusted after the 1991 32-valve Corvette LT5, but soured on it when it became known that fundamentals of its design were political, in particular the same 4.4 inch bore spacing of the SBC, which led Lotus to announce right in the same meeting when this was disclosed that "we can't guarantee 400 hp anymore." Innovations in cooling soon followed but too late for the LT5, which *did* slightly exceed 400 hp in the later versions before 2005, its last year.

The STS was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1992, with the 4.9 already. I was already driving a Quad 4 HO and felt that four valves per cylinder was the wave of the future. After seven years with that car, I was ready to move on, and with financing ready I went to a Chevrolet-Cadillac dealer to buy a 1998 Corvette. But the Chevrolet people had this thing going where two favored young salesmen drove two "demo" Corvettes that they sold at under 1800 miles so that they could be titled as new cars, and they refused to sit down and fill out an option sheet and order the car. Wandering over to the Cadillac side, I noted that the ETC differed from the STS in being 250 lbs lighter, six inches shorter wheelbase, and Car & Driver 0-60 best time of 6.3 seconds compared to their STS best time of 6.5 seconds. They kept shoving money across the table to sell me a 1997 model until they found my threshold.