wheel bearings, do it ALL by yourself?

[cb7 calling]

I know there is a which brand wheel bearing thread in the beginners tech but I don't want to jack it. I have done front wheel bearings three times. I pressed the first ones in/out on a 100 ton press which was reading almost 60 tons when it released my civic manual said it took 50 tons. Now that's a bad bearing! Next time I had no access to a huge press and paid a machine shop to press in and out.
Six months ago I did my brothers bearings, paid a machine shop, they pressed them out and set the bearing on the hub, started the bolts and said tighten them evenly to set the bearing in the hub.
So now I know they don't need pressed in but my question is are there any methods to get them out of the hub in a garage full of junkyard tools? Ie hammer, chisel, dremmel? ACME size magnet.
A few months ago I saw in a thread someone cut it with a dremmel if it was really frozen. hellraisen was the poster I believe. My last two days of searching did not uncover a DIY, maybe ill make one.

[toycar]

If you have a slide hammer its fairly easy to slide hammer the hub off and then just unbolt the bearing from the knuckle and hammer that out. I have a circle press/punch kit and there is an inner lip you can hammer against with a press/punch from the inside angle of the knuckle. Like, tranny side. So, basically unbolt bearing and hammer it out. ***Edit*** If you don't have a slide hammer, thats ok. Just hammer the hub out of the bearing using an old socket. The inner diameter of the bearing is the outer diamter of the hub. So, get a socket that is big enough to hit the hub and small enough to clear the bearing and there you go. If you have a press/punch kit, use that.


Then, once the bearing is off the knuckle cut into the bearing race until you are 75% of the way through it. I use a dremel with a cut off wheel to do this. Anyways, once the cut is made shove a chizel into the groove you just sliced, and hammer that chizel until the bearing race pops loose. Wear goggles/eye protection. Shit goes crazy occasionally when these pop apart.


So there you go, thats exactly how you do it using tools you should have around the shop.

[GeoffM]

There is an Eric the car guy video showing how to do this.
I believe I have it linked it the beginner technical stickies.

[accordztech]

I Dont know if it was just me but using the slide hammer screwed up my bearing. I was using it to separate the hub so I can get the rotor off. When I hammered it back on and went for a drive it felt like the front end was going to fall apart.

I know I got it to seat correctly and I had the nut on there.

If you can get it off take it to a shop and have them press it out.

[toycar]

I Dont know if it was just me but using the slide hammer screwed up my bearing. I was using it to separate the hub so I can get the rotor off. When I hammered it back on and went for a drive it felt like the front end was going to fall apart.

I know I got it to seat correctly and I had the nut on there.

If you can get it off take it to a shop and have them press it out.

Well, as a rule of thumb if you pull a hub and bearing a part, the bearing is toast. Its just the way it is.


You should've pulled the hub/bearing as one, then rotated the rotor and slipped it off the back side over the bearing leaving the hub/bearing connected. Thats the proper way to do change rotors on our cars w/out needing to replace the bearing in the process.


You can slip the rotor over the bearing, but not over the hub. The bearing taps out of the knuckle with a press/punch tool. Honda makes one specifically for this process. Its basically a screwdriver handle with a circle on the end that aligns with the hub, through the knuckle. A few taps with a 2lb sledge and the hub/bearing and rotor will fall out of the knuckle as one assembly. Of course, after you unbolt the bearing from the knuckle.

[accordztech]

Then tell me why does everyone do it and its fine?

Trust me on the taking out the hub and the bearing as one piece. I do it all the time, and I do it in less than an hour. But on my dads accord that he picked up, was STUCK! I had bolts in the rear hammering them forward, no go. It pissed me off so I did what I never do and use the slide hammer...never did that again lol.

I eventually got the bearing off the knuckle by heating the shit out of it and wacking it with a 4 pound hammer.

[cb7 calling]

I'll give separating the bearing from hub a shot. I think my chances are pretty good. The biggest problem I expect is caused by the bad bearing. Everything was stupid hot for who knows how long, when I parked it the rim burnt my fingers. That means broken bolts galore just like every other time I've done bearings. I wonder if I should drive it around untill it heats up again then pull it apart while hot? Might help.
Either way ill be working on it on Sunday due to work schedule and weather, ill update then.

[toycar]

You can't be serious.



When you install a bearing the race more or less works like a one time only lock on the hub. When you seperate the two, the race will be left behind exposing the inner workings of the bearing.


Do what you want. Its easy enough to do the following;


-unbolt lower ball joint
-unbolt tie rod end
-unbolt upper control arm
-unbolt axle
-remove axle
-remove knuckle
-put knuckle on vice or hold it down with your feet or whatever and unbolt bearing from knuckle
-tap out bearing from knuckle.TAP IT OUT. Its easy with a manual press. You could also tap it out on the bolts by leaving them half threaded and tapping them in opposing order a little at a time. It will come out easy.
-Once you are holding the hub/bearing/rotor, unbolt the rotor from the hub. Slide rotor off of bearing by aligning the opening on the rotor with the odd shape of the bearing.
-Slide on new rotor.
-Bolt new rotor up and torque to spec
-bolt bearing back into knuckle
-reinstall knuckle






I swear to god, this is the proper way to change your rotor w/out ruining your bearing in the process.

[cb7 calling]

I did the driver side today and would have done both but one of the hub bolts was frozen. It took the strongest impact I could get, across town at my dads house. It came out without braking luckily and was replaced on installation. It was pretty easy the race that stayed on the hub got dremmel tooled and a chisel. Wham bam thank you mam. I did seperate the race on the knuckle side upon installation but pounded it back on. It seems to be fine but I hope to fix that on the passenger side by supporting the bearing better as I tap the hub in. Can't wait to ride smooooth.

[toycar]

I did the driver side today and would have done both but one of the hub bolts was frozen. It took the strongest impact I could get, across town at my dads house. It came out without braking luckily and was replaced on installation. It was pretty easy the race that stayed on the hub got dremmel tooled and a chisel. Wham bam thank you mam. I did seperate the race on the knuckle side upon installation but pounded it back on. It seems to be fine but I hope to fix that on the passenger side by supporting the bearing better as I tap the hub in. Can't wait to ride smooooth.

Did you install the bearing backwards? How did you separate them during install?

[cb7 calling]

Did you install the bearing backwards? How did you separate them during install?

It's not backwards. The procedure was possibly. After I bolted the bearing to the knuckle as I pounded the hub in the back cover came off the bearing. I didn't really look at it good I just smacked it back on. It seems to he fine as I drove it yesterday.Should I have put it on the hub first? I just did it yesterday and can't remember if that's possible. I will find out soon though on the passenger side.

[toycar]

It's not backwards. The procedure was possibly. After I bolted the bearing to the knuckle as I pounded the hub in the back cover came off the bearing. I didn't really look at it good I just smacked it back on. It seems to he fine as I drove it yesterday.Should I have put it on the hub first? I just did it yesterday and can't remember if that's possible. I will find out soon though on the passenger side.

Yeah, you should've installed the hub on the bearing first. The rotor/hub/bearing should all be assembled before bolting back up to the knuckle.


If its OK, then you got lucky. I would imagine that might have shortened the life of the part though, keep an eye on it.

[cb7 calling]

And done. It went much better than the bad/driverside. It's definitly helpfull to put the bearing back in the proper order. Back on the road.

[toycar]

Now that you've done this, do you see how you can change the rotor w/out separating the hub and bearing?

Did I leave anything out in my "backyard mechanic" description of how to do this on your own?


Didn't think I did, but if so add to this thread so the next guy can get it done too. Someone 5 years from now will search and find this thread, so, if there is anything to add to this lets pay it forward and do that.

[cb7 calling]

I would add replace any bad ball joints. If your bearings are bad enough to think over bumps.and shake at 60 mph then they wear out the joints. This Sunday I'm doing them all and brake rotors/pads while they are off. Probly a passenger cv joint too it works but the boot is torn. Luckily I have lifetime warranty on all those parts except rotors/pads.