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Alrighty first thing to do is to purchase two wheel bearings...autozone, napa etc.. runs around 35bucks (keep in mind that these bearings are directional)
1:Break all the nuts on the wheel
and remove wheel.
2:Lock e-brake as tight as possible for the breaking loose the stake nut on the axle shaft. Lift the rear end of vehicle and place on stands. Remember to chock the front wheels/tires. Now un-steak the axle nut (recommend to use new steak nuts but funds dictated otherwise for me), a small screwdriver and hammer works best. Tap in the screwdriver and pry the stake out.
Now you are ready to break the nut loose. An impact works best but we had no air tools for this project.
3:Now remove caliper, caliper bracket and rotor. Rotor is held on by two screws if they have never been removed a impact driver with a Phillips head bit works best. Hang the caliper out of the way using a cord or some other device, do not allow the caliper to hang by the brake line.
4:This frees you up so you can get at the castle nuts in order to remove the hub carrier.(terminology may vary) There are three castle nuts that need to be removed inside each castle nuts there are cotter pins, recommend you replace them but if your gentle you don't have to. Sorry about the fuzzy picture
They make a puller to separate the ball joints however if it is unavailable to you. Make sure to order a new castle nut from Fastenal. They have them for the cheapest but dealer works, too. You re-thread the old nut onto the ball joint to protect the thread, but do not thread it all the way down so as to leave room for ball joint to move, use a hammer to hit the hub carrier/eyelet that the ball joint goes through until it pops out. Then remove old castle nut.
5:Now you must remove the abs sensor, which is held in by 10mm bolt, DO NOT pinch or fold the wire, try and avoid prying on the sensor itself, if necessary do so very gently. Place the sensor out of the way or hangout to the side. When re-installing sensor gently tap on top of sensor body until it sits flat, otherwise it will read incorrectly, causing overactive abs that for some reason, didn't set off my abs light.
6:With stake nut still partially threaded onto the axle shaft, lightly tap the axle shaft until it begins to pop through the other side, preferably using a rubber mallet
That's my buddy "lightly" tapping.
These tools are also useful when axle shaft is rusted and bound inside the hub as was the case with the passenger side ; )
Hub carrier should be ready to come free, simply pull it off away from the rest of the suspension.
Next few steps require a shop press.
7:Take press find appropriate cones to hold in place, make sure it is pressing against the hub carrier and not the brake-dust shield. Then press the hub out of the bearing itself, half of the inner race will remain attached to the hub itself.
8:From here there is a snap ring that holds the rest of the bearing in the carrier. Remove the snap ring and set the hub carrier face up on the cone with the cone underneath the bearing. Press down on the hub carrier to force the bearing out.
9:Reverse the cones(one on top goes underneath) use the old bearing to press the new bearing in.
10: Put hub in vice, use angle grinder with a cutoff wheel to cut slots in the remaining half of the bearing race that is attached to the hub. NOTE: this step requires gloves and safety glasses. It is ok to actually nick the backside of the hub itself but try and avoid nicking the machined surface that fits inside of the bearing races. Use a hammer and chisel, place chisel inside the divots in the bearing race made by the cutoff wheel and strike with a hammer in order to free the remaining race and wiggle it off.
11:Reinstall snap ring.(Recommend new snap ring if possible) Set the hub on the cone with the flat side of corn touching the bearing so that there is no way for the bottom half of the inner bearing race to fallout and ruin the bearing. (The inner bearing race is made of two pieces)(Cones = adapters) Place hub gently on the bearing and find the appropriate cone to set on hub and press hub into bearing.
NOTE:HUB BEARINGS ARE DIRECTIONAL BLACK PORTION MUST BE FACING OUT
We found out the hard way.
This is what it should look like properly installed, this is the backside of the hub carrier.
Now begins reassembly
12:With bearings properly pressed into hub carriers you can simply reverse steps 6-1 for re-installation making sure all new castle nuts and stake nuts are torqued
properly. Do not forget to re-stake the axle nut once torqued.
Castle nuts - 43ft lbs
Stake nut - 181ft lbs
For re-installing the hub carrier you can use a floor jack to raise rear lateral arm to make threading the castle nut on the ball joint easier. You can also pry down on the upper control arm using a large screwdriver or pry bar.
Open for revision if I missed anything just let me know.
I have a feeling I may need to be doing this sooner than I anticipated... :-( I am hearing a little noise right now, but I plan on getting a 2nd opinion.
04-19-2010, 05:30 PM
Wheel bearing Replacment DIY
awesome write-up!
