Thanks guys, I'll go ahead and drift them out and repack them.
As far as replacing them, I've always had this theory that bearings that had been broken in with their races should last forever if kept clean and lubed. I've also felt that if a wheel bearing is ever going to fail, it will do so within the first ten or twenty miles. IMO, during the break in period, the balls or rollers wear in with their races, leaving microscopic traces of metal in the grease, and once the original grease is removed and replaced with new (clean) grease, no more wear can occur, as long as they are kept clean and lubed.
I dunno, just a theory, but when I take my bearings out and clean them up and inspect them, and if I don't see any pitting or discoloration, I'll just repack them and stick 'em back in.
And OKCKent, you are correct about pounding out the outer race.
Corey, does that red synthetic grease have a strong odor? It looks just like the grease I used on aircraft when I was in the Air Force. Good stuff if it is. But I've been using waterproof marine grade wheel bearing grease. I don't remember what brand it is, but I've been using it for years on my boat trailer wheel bearings and every other vehicle I have. It's green in color. Also good stuff.
