bearing

Hello i have a 97 chevy venture took it to get inspected and it failed due to the bearing on front pass side. my question is do i replace the whole hub ar just the bearing? and which would be easier.

Unless you have a hydraulic press if you just buy a bearing go to a parts store with a hydraulic press. Price both ways new hub with bearing or a bearing pressed into your hub.

Get a hub from Napa. Do not buy this part online--about one in 10 will not match up with your ABS system and you will need to pull it out and exchange for another.

The cost is about $120 give or take. No such thing as a press replacement for the hub.
They don't even take 'em as core exchanges.

autozone has them for $89 or so. done a few vehicles with autozone ones, no problem.

i saw the ones from autozone, but the brands got my a little doubtful.. they are valucraft, and dynapack both for 89.00.. they also have timken for 140.00, wich one should i go with?

i use the valuecraft. it is in our work van, it has about 60000 miles on the bearings so far no problem.

I was at Pep Boys and a loaner tool they have will allow you to pull the CV joint and change the bearing on the vehicle. They used to sell CR bearings and seals.
http://www.ntxtools.com/ OTC-6537 is what they had for a loaner tool.
I was impressed with their loaner tools.
I press my out my own bearings with a 20 ton hydraulic press. Remember you need a good snap ring tool. These have a heavy snap ring you need to remove then pull out the bearing. Install the new bearing you will feel it bottom. Then install the snap ring and your ready to go.
The price of a wheel alignment after your done will pay for a bearing.

I have a couple of the old hubs I've changed out and after your first post on this I looked at one again. I can't see how you would be able to change the bearing. The hub contains the wheel sensor as well as the bearing and there are 'splines' or teeth that the sensor counts as they rotate. This is part of the bearing and isn't anything I've ever seen offered by timken or others.

The standard repair for this van is to change out the hub, sensor and all at a cost of 80 to 150 for the new one. They won't even accept the old hub as a core so if the bearing is replaceable, even the remans don't do it!

I'd welcome details of a bearing replacement, especially if you could post a photo or two showing one of those bearings popped out from the hub? In the meantime,
I'd advise the home mechanic to just shop for the hub and replace that.

http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/CheapTricks/FrontWheelBearing.shtml
I use a bearing splitter OTC-1127 http://www.ntxtools.com/
I use some 1/2 inch flat bars on each side for support.
Look at the internal snap ring very critical.

I don't know what bearing you are thinking of rhandwor, but the photo you mention isn't anything from this van.
Here is a pix of the van spindle with the bearing removed:
http://cemrweb.cemr.wvu.edu/~mathews/venture/Lspindle.JPG
Sorry, I can't seem to find a photo of the bearing it self, but here is a catalog view:
http://cemrweb.cemr.wvu.edu/~mathews/venture/bearing.jpg

This bearing is NOT replaceable! In fact, many of them will break in two parts when driven out of the spindle. I'm not sure what car you are thinking of, but it can't be a venture.
To fix a bad bearing, you go to the parts store and buy a new one.

confirmed w/ merc...

http://econtent.autozone.com:24991/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images//0900c152/80/1d/bd/51//medium/0900c152801dbd51.gif

http://econtent.autozone.com:24991/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images//0900c152/80/1d/bd/52//medium/0900c152801dbd52.gif

That part you are showing comes in three parts. Inner hub outer hub outer hub and bearing. Since it came apart on you indicates this. Look at an old one you have one end appears to have a seal in it,and the parts diagram shows this. The bearing is sealed it looks like a piece of thick wall plastic pipe. Approximately 5/16 inches thick. Look at one that came apart for a snap ring holding the bearing in place. The spindle nut holds the other part.
As everything is machined a bearing is installed after this machine work.
Its completely sealed. I use a big bearing splitter to hold it as I press it apart.
This is a picture of one.
http://www.autopart.com/tools/toolsmain/tool/T_8065.htm
I use a bigger OTC bearing splitter. I support it on steel bar stock cut to the proper length.
If you want to buy new go ahead. Just finding a machine shop to press it for you may be hard.
Most people don't have a press and bearing splitter. I use mine more for mower bearings than auto work.