Front wheel hub bearing

Tags: #mazda-6-compat · #part-number · #front-axle · #caliper · #tpms · #wheel-hub · #bearing · #price

The X80 front wheel bearing is not a separate part: the bearing is pressed into the hub, and the hub is sold and replaced as one bolt-on hub assembly (ступица в сборе). This card covers the front axle and the facts common to both axles (bearing brands, price spread). The rear hub is a different design and has its own rear wheel hub bearing card.

Design and serviceability

Hub bearings on the X80 are non-serviceable, sealed integrated units — not individually greasable or adjustable. The hub uses a solid/cast bearing design (литой подшипник); its lubricant depletes over time with no way to top it up.^{123456789101112131415} Because the front bearing is pressed into the hub, the entire hub assembly is replaced as one unit when the bearing wears out.¹⁶ The assembly is bolt-on: a 28-spline shaft and 4 bolts to the steering knuckle, with hub and bearing sold together — unlike the Mazda 6 GG/GH, where the bearing is pressed into the knuckle.¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹

No separate bearing is supplied. Andrey Simonov confirmed via the FAW Excelant dealer that only the complete sealed assembly exists, from 6,000 RUB (RU market, May 2025). Professional press-fit replacement of a bare bearing needs an arc-welding torch, nitrogen gas and lathe work, so DIY bearing swapping is not considered practical for X80 owners.²⁰ An earlier (2024) report reached the same conclusion for hub 5CA033047B and described the job as difficult and multi-hour, requiring removal of the lower control arms, ball joints and brake hardware, with little room around the hub without proper equipment. The one reported shortcut — pressing the old bearing out of its housing and pressing in a generic bearing instead of buying the OEM assembly — failed within 1,000 km.^21222324

Left and right are identical. The assembly is symmetric (двусторонняя деталь, not a left- or right-specific part), so one part number covers both sides and a single spare can serve either side — handy when carrying a spare on a long trip.^{2526272829303132} The trailing letter of the part number varies by supplier batch and does not affect fitment (see below).

Replace both sides together. Bearings are a common wear item on this car. Community recommendation: when one side needs replacing, do both at the same time even if only one is noisy, to avoid a ride/noise imbalance between the sides.³³

Greasing a new unit. The assembly is often shipped dry and must be greased before installation: put the bearing on plastic film, apply grease generously and work it in by hand with a rotating/massaging motion until excess grease exits the opposite side. The unit is universal and fits either side.³⁴

Conflict — is it serviceable? One report says the front hub bearing may make noise after extended use, that some owners have successfully replaced a failed bearing with a Mazda-equivalent part, and that the bearing is "serviceable and re-greasable on some vehicles". This conflicts with everything above, which consistently describes the X80 front hub as a sealed assembly (5CA033047B) that cannot be re-greased or have its bearing swapped separately and needs arc-welding/lathe work to press-fit. No resolution was found in the source thread; the "serviceable" claim is recorded as unverified against the more detailed sealed-assembly reports.

Part numbers and fitment

OEM part: 5CA033047B, X80-specific.³⁵³⁶ ZZAP.ru (an aggregator with several sellers per part number, e.g. "ApalAvto"), KitZap, KitParts and Ozon all listed 5CA033047A/5CA033047B as the same hub; the letter suffix varies by supplier.^{37383940414243444546474849} The restyled hub is 5CA033047B with 28 internal splines on the outer CV joint (ШРУС); a 5CA033047A variant also exists. Verify the spline count before ordering — variants with 26 splines will not fit. Factory-equivalent parts are available from several sources, including the KitZap catalog.^{5051525354555657123456789101112131415} The complete pre-assembled hub with bearing 5CA033047B is confirmed to fit the restyled X80 (Feb 2026); before buying, check that the ABS sensor tab/bracket is present on the bearing housing, since some listed variants omit it.⁵⁸⁵⁹⁶⁰ Fitment was also confirmed on a 2019 model, and one owner bought 5CA033047B on Ozon and replaced the front-right hub with "everything fit".^61626364

Genuine-pattern part numbers typically end in 3304x. An owner-photographed reference part is 5GAO-3304X NTP: 28 splines, 4-bolt flange.¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹ Community preference is for units with green-painted splines/studs (зелёные шпильки), considered a marker of a preferred production batch; other versions are acceptable if the green-spline one is unavailable. One community supplier (Василий, contact 546273130) has stocked the green-spline version.^{656667686970717273}

Not interchangeable. The bearing does not fit the X40.⁷⁴ The Mazda 6 front wheel bearing/hub does not cross-fit the X80 either, unlike several other Mazda 6 suspension parts — do not attempt it.^75767778 Despite the superficial similarity, the spindle fitment and ABS integration differ.^{5051525354555657123456789101112131415} The root cause is the design: the X80 hub bolts onto the knuckle, whereas on the Mazda 6 GG/GH the bearing is pressed into the knuckle. The CX-3, CX-5 and possibly the Mazda 6 GJ use a similar bolt-on design — unconfirmed.¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹ (An early note mentioned a Mazda 6 cross-check, but it was never verified.⁷⁴) Rear hubs from the Mazda 6 are a different story — see the rear card.

Cross-brand analogs. The Zekkert RL2434 (also written RL-2434) is a budget aftermarket front hub assembly proposed as an analog, about 6,000–8,000₽ (RU market, July 2026); nobody had confirmed fitting it when reported.⁷⁹⁸⁰ In Sep 2026 Zekkert had also appeared as a non-original alternative whose quality nobody knew yet.⁸¹ The ILJIN IJ123172 was mentioned as a possible match but is unverified by the poster. Standing advice: always compare the new part physically with the removed original before installing.^{82838485868788} The front upper ball joint C23034250 (from FAW Vita/B50) is a separate part that fits the X80.⁸⁹

Symptoms and diagnosis

Typical mileage. Reports differ. Play and noise typically develop at 70,000–100,000 km,⁹⁰ and bearings commonly fail after 70,000–80,000 km of normal use.⁹¹ One owner's front bearing failed at 120,000 km (7 years of ownership) with a rattling/dribbling sound; KSN was recommended as a reliable replacement.⁹⁰ Replacement is generally needed around 100,000–127,000 km,^{123456789101112131415} and the first front hub bearing typically needs replacing by about 127,000 km — one owner did a second replacement at that mileage.⁹²⁹³ Another report puts life at 20,000–70,000 km depending on driving conditions and rim/rotor quality: one owner's bearing failed roughly every 30,000 km until uneven/bent wheel rims were identified as the real cause; after the rims were trued, life extended to 50,000–60,000 km. Replace on symptoms and condition rather than a fixed interval, and check rim straightness before blaming the bearing.⁹⁴⁹⁵⁹⁶

What it sounds like. Wear shows as a periodic clicking or dribbling sound, most noticeable on turns and rough pavement. It is easily mistaken for a stabilizer-rod problem, and a visual inspection may not reveal early damage; replace promptly once symptoms appear to avoid safety issues.⁹⁷ A detailed thread described the classic signature as whistling or humming that (1) starts around 50,000+ km, (2) intensifies while turning (which loads the bearing), (3) scales with vehicle speed and (4) worsens over speed bumps.^{9899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118} Another case: tire/road noise audible only inside the cabin (not from outside) on only 2-season-old, lightly used tires, rising in pitch and volume with speed — this points to the hub bearing rather than the tires (Oct 2025).^{119120121122123124} To tell a bearing hum (гудит) from other noises in the steering area: a hum or grinding/scraping that changes or intensifies with the wheel turned to one side, plus a slight vibration through the steering wheel, indicates the hub bearing rather than the power-steering pump. Confirm on a lift by rotating the wheel by hand and listening for grinding; the fix is then the whole hub assembly.^{125126127128129130131132133134}

Direction of the noise. Two independent reports agree that bearing noise is directional and worse on the outside of a turn. (1) For a dull noise from the left front, turn the wheel left: if the noise decreases or disappears, the left front bearing is the likely cause; if it persists, check the tie rods or other components. Left alone, the noise escalates to a loud hum comparable to an airplane taking off.¹³⁵¹³⁶ (2) More generally, a humming/grinding noise when turning right means the right (outer) bearing is the failing one. When replacing, fit the complete sealed unit rather than attempting a partial repair.¹³⁷

Hand checks. With the wheel jacked up, engine off and the gearbox in neutral, spin it by hand: a healthy wheel spins freely with minimal resistance. A mechanic's first move on a lift is exactly this spin test, to separate bearing problems from caliper problems.¹³⁸ A second method: a mechanic diagnosed a failed right front hub bearing (Aug 2026) by grabbing and turning the suspension/spring area by hand and feeling for excessive play or resistance, instead of listening on a lift. The right front hub was replaced and the symptom disappeared completely. The owner notes that diagnostic thoroughness varies between shops — one shop found "nothing wrong", a second physically manipulated the suspension and found the fault at once — so have the noise checked by hand or on a lift rather than relying on a single inspection.¹³⁹¹⁴⁰

Caliper or bearing? Symptoms that look like a bad wheel bearing — the car pulling to one side, heavier steering, uneven/rapid tire wear on one wheel — can also come from a sticking brake caliper, and the two overlap enough that they should be told apart before ordering parts. Poor or restricted spinning in the hand test points to a dragging brake pad or a binding caliper piston (see the brake caliper repair kits card for piston/guide-pin service) rather than the bearing. Other caliper-side causes of drag are a pad surface sitting out of plane and a loose caliper mounting bracket.¹³⁸

Multi-symptom case at 73,000 km. One owner's front-end noise (rising with speed, worse in turns) was diagnosed as a combination of worn front hub bearings on both sides, worn brake pads, worn front suspension bushings (sway-bar links and longitudinal-arm bushings) and worn rear sway-bar bushings. See the suspension noise diagnostic checklist for the general approach.⁹¹

Replacement procedure

Front hub replacement (2025-04 report, about 3–4 hours). Key steps: (1) turn the wheel fully inward to push the drive axle away from the hub; (2) unbolt the upper suspension arm — the shear pin here is the hardest access point; (3) remove the ABS sensor; (4) extract the CV joint (ШРУС); (5) reach and remove the hub bolts. The lower ball joint does not need removal. Alternatively, remove the steering wheel for better access to the hub bolts from inside the cabin. The tool needed is an old Soviet-style open-end wrench (17–19 mm); modern tool sets sometimes lack the right profile for this fastener.^{141142143144145146147148149150151}

Another sequence (about 127,000 km report). Remove the wheel, suspend the brake caliper (do not disconnect the hydraulic line), disconnect the wheel-speed sensor, then unbolt the strut-to-knuckle attachment bolts to free the hub/knuckle assembly.⁹²⁹³ A detailed photo guide on Drive2.ru, "Замена передней ступицы (потом и кровью)" (front hub replacement, blood, sweat and tears), covers the whole job: https://www.drive2.ru/l/662909855111075430/¹⁵²

Nut size. Undoing the front hub centre nut needs a 32 mm socket; Victor bought an Airline ATIS1247 head for about 300 RUB (RU market, Sep 2026) for the job.¹⁵³¹⁵⁴

Seized knuckle/driveshaft parts. Victor read that vinegar works better than WD-40 on rust and planned to soak a removed knuckle (кулак) with its driveshaft outdoors because of the smell.¹⁵⁵ Василий Егоров says Coca-Cola removes rust within an hour and helped him after sea swims;¹⁵⁶¹⁵⁷ Victor replies that cola is not stronger than vinegar.¹⁵⁸ The two positions differ and are recorded as such.

Ball joints and CV boots alongside. One owner replaced the front ball joints, front wheel hubs and outer CV boots at 5.5 years / 115,000 km — the first replacement at that mileage, considered normal wear. On this car the right-side ball joint was factory-welded to the control arm and could not be replaced separately; the whole arm had to be replaced (or modified).^159160161162

Sourcing, prices and brands

Sourcing channels. Front hubs are sold on Ozon and Avito,^{656667686970717273} on Wildberries (FAW-branded front hub with bearing),¹⁶³ on Emex and zzap.ru, via AliExpress, and from direct suppliers and the KitZap/KitParts catalogs. Some owners suggest salvage yards when new-part prices rise.^{123456789101112131415} Several owners ordered 5CA033047B via AliExpress with a perfect fit ("подошли идеально"): a notably lower price than local suppliers, but about a month of shipping and the usual risk of an unverified overseas seller.^164165166167

Price history (RU market).

• June 2024: a new assembly cost 6,000–8,500₽;^{9899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118} across ZZAP.ru, KitZap, KitParts and Ozon the range was 4,850–8,500₽, with unusually low prices flagged as likely refurbished rather than new.^{37383940414243444546474849}
• Sept 2024: AliExpress about 3,500 RUB with a ~1-month wait; chinaspare.ru (https://chinaspare.ru/c/faw/besturn-x80/tormoznaya-sistema/stupitsa-perednyaya-v-sbore-faw-besturn-x80) had acceptable pricing but no delivery time was available.^21222324
• March–May 2025: see the table below.
• June 2026: 5CA033047B cost 10,019₽ at Emex.ru (an Ozon-affiliated seller, 4.3★, 27 units in stock, 14-day delivery at the time); also listed on Avito in the Moscow and Krasnodar regions. Confirm whether a listing is genuine OEM or aftermarket before buying.^{168169170171172173174}
• July 2026: Zekkert RL-2434 about 6,000–8,000₽; genuine FAW units via Emex/Wildberries about 3,990–4,000₽+.^{82838485868788}
• Sep 2026: Prosto Zuev bought the original for about 4,500 RUB (and one for about 3,500 RUB in July 2026);¹⁷⁵¹⁷⁶ Victor paid 4,580 RUB as a spare, when the only alternative was an unknown no-name Chinese part.¹⁷⁷ Андрей pointed to zzap.ru at about 3,500 RUB;¹⁷⁸ his screenshot of part SCA033047B shows about 16 sellers from roughly 3,340 up to 4,275 RUB, many on pre-order and the rest in stock with delivery in 1 to 7 days.¹⁷⁹

Stock and the Sep–Oct 2026 listing. The front hub is listed under FAW number 5CA033047B. Victor said the original was not visible on Ozon at that moment;⁸¹ stock status was disputed — Victor said it was not on sale,¹⁸⁰ while Prosto Zuev said it is available and linked the avz.ru catalogue entry.¹⁸¹¹⁸² Stock varies by seller — confirm before ordering.

Spread of prices and labor (community data, March–May 2025). The table mixes front-hub, rear-hub and bundled quotes and shows how wide the spread is.

OEM-quality hubs versus cheap marketplace units. OEM-quality replacement front hubs (green-spline marking) cost about 9,500₽ each from a direct supplier (in stock; shipped via Sdek, Delovye Linii, Pek or Energiya; contact by private message for pricing/logistics). Conflict/warning: one buyer who bought a cheap hub on the Ozon marketplace had it fail after only 1,000 km. Another member explains the economics: marketplace listings carry ~50% platform commission plus logistics and taxes, leaving little margin for genuine OEM-quality parts at rock-bottom prices, so unusually cheap hubs are likely counterfeit or reconditioned. Physically inspecting stock before shipping, as the direct supplier offers, is the safer route.^{187188189190191192193194195196197198}

Brands and counterfeits. FAG (German manufacturer) is considered a mark of quality: a FAG-branded hub priced around 5,000 RUB (RU market, March 2025) is likely counterfeit, since genuine FAG hubs cost significantly more. One owner reports 12,000+ km trouble-free on a genuine FAG hub. SKF and FAG are named among the best bearing brands for this application.¹⁹⁹²⁰⁰

Bare bearing brands (2026-05 report, likely 6206/6206RS spec; applies to both axles). For the bare wheel bearing itself, as distinct from the sealed hub assembly: Lynx WB-1544 (Japanese) is recommended at around 500 RUB (RU market, May 2026), and Koyo (Japanese) is also considered acceptable at a similar price. SNR is considered overpriced. FAG/INA (marketed as European/German) have a good reputation but carry a high counterfeit risk on marketplaces such as Ozon — genuine SKF, Koyo, NTN and SNR bearings are not expected to sell below ~800 RUB (RU market, May 2026), so a suspiciously cheap "German quality" listing is a red flag. Buy from reputable sellers who can show original certificates.^{201202203204205} ILDJIN (a Korean Mazda OEM supplier) bearings were confirmed to work well and are endorsed by the community.^{20620720820978210}

Related parts

Wheel studs. Unlike the bearing, wheel studs (lug bolts) can be replaced individually without replacing the hub. Hammer or press the stud out from the outside toward the inside of the hub; identify the correct stud size before sourcing a replacement.^211212213214

TPMS sensor. The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor part number is BM133714XA. It may vary by production year, so verify it against the specific model year before buying.²¹⁵²¹⁶

Front ABS sensor location. One member stated that on the X80 the front ABS (anti-lock braking system) wheel-speed sensor is mounted on the front drive shaft (привод), not in the wheel hub (ступица). Single report, medium confidence.²¹⁷

Noise when turning left. An owner with 40,000 km got a new noise when turning left after the wheels were rotated. Advice: remove the right front wheel and turn the hub by hand with the steering on full left lock to locate the source. Others suggest also checking the CV joint (ШРУС, slang "граната") and the tripod joint (трипоид), since either can make a noise as the car starts to move.^218219220

Media

Front hub bearing assembly shown alongside a Wildberries marketplace listing (out of stock at time of posting)

Front wheel hub bearing assembly interior shown dry (no grease) before service

Removed front hub bearing assembly

Bearing installation/greasing setup on plastic film

Video of the front hub bearing replacement procedure: caliper removal, strut disconnection, and bearing extraction

Zekkert RL2434 aftermarket front hub product photo

OEM-quality front hub with green-spline marking, direct-supplier listing

Second photo of the OEM-quality front hub listing referenced in the marketplace-pricing discussion

Emex.ru product listing for front hub assembly 5CA033047B, 10,019 RUB, 4.3-star rating

zzap.ru comparison list for part SCA033047B (front wheel hub for FAW X80): about 16 sellers, prices from about 3,340 RUB to about 4,275 RUB, many marked pre-order, others in stock with delivery in 1 to 7 days

Video showing the upper arm unbolted, center hub bolt removed, wheel turned inward, CV joint extracted, ABS sensor disconnected

Old Soviet-style open-end wrench used for hub bolt work

KitZap catalog listing for the 5CA033047A hub with specifications and multiple angle views

Bearing size/price comparison photo showing near-identical dimensions across brands

Second bearing pricing comparison photo

Third bearing pricing comparison photo

Related pages

• Rear wheel hub bearing
• Wheel hub bearings — part numbers and defects
• Rear arm bushings — numbers and Mazda fit
• Front upper arm — part numbers and ball joint
• Rear suspension bushing overhaul

Sources

This page is compiled from 220 community messages. Every fact carries a numbered reference to its original author and message.

Last updated: 2026-10-29