Hi all,

I've been doing some searching on the topic of replacing wheel studs.
I have a questions about the bearings and hub for the front wheels.
I've discovered that the hub must be removed to replace broken wheel studs, but I need to know if the bearings also need to be replaced. The Honda dealer that I sometimes use tells me that the bearings do not need to be replaced, but it would seem to me that the bearings should be replaced if removing the hub. So my question is do you in fact not need to replace the bearings after removing the hub so new wheel studs can be installed? If this is the case, can it be done without the use a press.

If anyone has any experience with replacing a wheel stud, I'd be happy to hear it.
If all I have to do is pup out the hub, and replace the stud, that would be great, but I think there is much more involved.

Thanks for any help.

 

Whenever a hub is removed from the bearing, the inner bearing race is stuck on the hub. You can press the hub back in the original bearing, but you risk contaminated the grease in a once sealed bearing.

To remove the race it has to be cut off the hub, usually with a die grinder and a chisel. If you need a stud replaced, I'd reccomend replacing the bearing at the same time.

You can drive a new bearing into the knuckle using a appropriately sized driver, a bench vise and a BFH ( big f'ing hammer) You do risk damaging the knuckle with wreckless hammer blows. A shop press is the tool to use to reassemble without damaging the knuckle or new bearing.

 

OK, then it seems the best thing for me to do is take it to a shop were they have the proper equipment, along with a new set of bearings.

Thanks for the help.

 

 

Slow...you know you can warm the race, and it will fall off...it doesn't take alot of heat either....I used to spin them in my monster low speed drill press (25rpms) and warm them with a torch. I could catch it in my hand...it was hot, but not enough to damage it.

 

Here in the south, we don't use the blue wrench. Of course we don't have rusty cars either. I'm so used to not having a torch, I forgot about it's use in this situation.

The cut with a abrasive cut-off wheel, crack the race with a chisel work.
Even if you use a torch to remove the race, you're still risking contaminating the bearing when reassembling.

 

 

This might be a stupid question, but how do you remove the knuckle so that you can easily work on the hub and the bearing, i.e. removal with the blue wrench. When I changed out the bearing in the rear, I had to take the knuckle along with the hub and the bearing to the machine shop when I had the old bearing pressed out and the knew bearing pressed in.

 

Removing the knuckle is pretty straight forward. Seperate the upper and lower ball joints, remove the rotor and caliper, remove the ABS speed sensor and tie rod.

Removing the hub can be done with the BFH and a driver, a slide hammer, or a press.

 

If its a front knuckle you wont need to seperate the lower ball joint. Instead there are 2 bolts that hold it in place that can be removed.