Changing wheel bearings, Press required?

[pt102]

Hey 37, thanks for the insight and expertise as it seems as you are in the industry. With luck I'm goin in also, and would understand not givin out trade secrets Thanks for the tip with the prybar. I found it easier to lift both sides, sway bar doin what it does makes it hard to reassemble.

I have been unable to find a hub/bearing assembly, except for the rear. The front only lists bearing. It appears the previous owner was rough on her, so replacing the whole thing could be optimal- as you stated, don't know if someone hit curb or what not.

Short on cash is main reason I want to DIY. Just bought the PT 2 months ago, and am strapped.

Thanks again

[Ashley77brown]

Originally Posted by 37plymouth

The hub/bearing is an assembly that is not servicable individually. The parts are available from a parts store or dealer, so you can check prices. The price your mechanic gave you isn't bad, unless you're short on cash, then it might as well be a million.
First, jack the car up on the bad side, second, remove the wheel, third, remove the brake caliper adapter which will take off the caliper/pads/adapter as an assembly. Adaptor is held on with 2 18mm screws going into the knuckle. Tie the assembly up to the spring with a piece of wire so that the brake hose is not taking the weight. remove the brake rotor and set aside. The axle nut is 1 1/4" and comes off next, good time to have air tools. The hub/bearing assembly is held to the steering knuckle on the inboard side by 3 screws. Screws are kinda tough to get to without a u-joint socket. Loosen and back the screws off about 1/8", but don't remove them. Soak down the hub flange on the outboard side with wd or the equivalent, give it a little time to work, then use a punch/drift and hammer to tap on the heads of the inboard screws to push the hub out of the knuckle. Do not try to aid removal of the hub by prying on it against the brake rotor backing plate. The backing plate will bend easily, then you'll hear a bunch of nasty scraping noises when you go down the road, you'll blame me for bad info, then take it to your mechanic where he'll bend the sheetmetal back into place, and charge you $400 to punish you for doing it yourself.......Takes a few minutes with a hoist, the right tools, and a little experience. Will probably take you a bit longer. Good luck with it!
P.S. the hub is NOT a press fit to the knuckle, no press required. Corrosion usually makes it seem like a lot tighter fit than it really is.

Hell, I have a 2003 PT. I am interested in changing the wheel bearing/hub myself....I have been looking at a few sites for the prices of the parts/tools. Do I need to purchase the bearing sepereate from the hub? Or is it one part? I cannot find just a hub for the front wheel, only the rear. And do I need any special tools to get this job done? Also, would you suggest removing the bearing/hub, and then taking it to my local mechanic? J/W because I read here where someone did that....Thanks for your time, your posts are very helpful!!

[lakersfan1]

Not a mechanic, an automotive machine shop. Some NAPA stores have a machine shop onsite. Otherwise, pop the phonebook and look. It's about as simple a job as it gets, so any auto or truck machine shop can handle it in minutes.

[b0b88]

lol 37, im gonna try to take my left front berring out and replace it this weekend!! wish me luck!!! and if i have any questions try not to go on vacation haha j/k

[b0b88]

Originally Posted by lakersfan1

I've never needed a puller to pull any hub on any car.

Just bring your thinking cap and patience with a rubber mallet and a pry bar. Then, if you get the point you're about to go on a homicidal binge you add booze and a heavy hammer. Always works out in the end.

LMAO GREAT SUGGESTION ON THE BOOZE

[cgleibrand]

hey 37plymouth i have a quick question for you. im currently in the middle of replacing my right front wheel bearing. ive read your breakdowns but just wanted to make sure im doing this correctly. is it safe to say that all the bolts attached to the hub/bearing assembly need to be removed? thanks for the info you've already shared.

[jgclark]

hey cgleibrand,

how did you make out with the bearing replacement? I need to do my right front bearing soon ans was wondering if it went like the thread says it does.

Also, does anyone have pictures of this?

-jc

[cgleibrand]

jc...i have the passenger front suspension pretty well torn apart but thats only cuz i had to take out the wheel bearing and the lower control arm in order to replace a ball joint. As for the wheel bearing i just took it out and will have a local shop press it out and put the new one in for me.

[Swanson]

Know this is an old thread but wanted to pass along my experience. If there is anything incorrect in what I have done, please let me know so I can correct and others do not do the same.

Doing this from memory (yesterday) so may not be in exact order but believe I have all the steps mentioned.

- Removed the wheel with a 19mm socket.
- Removed front brake caliper by removing the two bolts that connect to the hub assembly
- Removed two large bolts that attach hub to the strut assembly
- Removed bolt and nut from balljoint at the bottom of the hub assembly
- Removed nut from tie-rod(?)
- Removed bolt that holds connects sensor to the hub assembly
- Removed cotterpin and large nut from axle that connects to hub assembly
- Removed 3 bolts that hold backing plate onto hub assembly


One side I was fortunate enough to muscle the bub assembly off without and major resistance. The other side, could not get it off the balljoint. I used a pickle fork to separate and used this product from PB Blaster that freezes the connection and has a lub. Forget the name of the product but has helped many times in past and really recommend it for use in your shop.

Anyway, doing this in a friends garage, so if you dont have the parts yourself, enlist a shop for the use of a press. Put the hub on press and used some metal blocks and washers to get the assembly as level as possible.

I used these metal discs made for removing bearings. They come in a kit in varying sizes. Another item worth buying ($50) and would recommend getting a press (20 ton) if you have the room (another $250). Well, was able to use the press to remove the center hub portion from the rear of the hub assembly. Afterwards, pressed out the bearing in the same manner. Need a larger metal disc to fit the bearing.

Once the old one is out, you can see how far to press the new bearing into the assembly. There is a lip that the new bearing will be pressed into and should fit flush against this lip.

I cleaned the assembly out with a fine metal brush and sprayed the inside with some WD40 to help ease the install of the new bearing. Maynot be needed but it made me feel better. The new bearing ($45) was installed in the reverse method. When done, you will see about 1/4" of the old bearing sticking out of the hub assembly. I was worried I didnt press it in all the way. Verfied it was flush against the lip and compared against the old bearing. Sure enough, I could see rust on the old bearing where it was exposed.

Now, I flipped the hub assembly and put a disc on the back of the bearing to support the internal portion of the bearing. Not sure if this is needed or explained properly. I was afraid that pressing the wheel hub back into the bearing, it might mess up the internal portion of the bearing. The metal disc are tapered so it supported the internal bearing portion. Having a difficult time explaining but hope this helps, but then again, may not be needed but my own fear of ruining a somewhat costly bearing.

Pressed the wheel hub into the bearing. Presto! New bearing and hub assembly ready for another few X amount of milage.

Reassembly was the reverse of the beginning of my post. Required some muscle to get some bolts and assembly to line up. Didnt mention some little items like these metal shields that protect the tie-rid and some washers from around the axle. Would recommend taking photos along the way if you are prone to forgetting the order they go on. Or maybe lay them out on a table in the order they are removed. Wouldnt recommend the floor because you might kick them accidentally. Ask me how I know....

Once I did one side, the other came apart and back together again in half the time because I had the right sized tools and knew what to expect to do on the press. I had the advantage of having a person help me and the use of power tools and various other parts. Again, I would plan for 4 hours minimum but your milage may vary depend on skill and or cooperation of parts removal.

It is most a DIY job for most expect for a press which isnt your everyday tool in a garage. Power tools made the removal of bolts completely brainless. Otherwise expect to use a pipe to get the proper leverage on the bolts to break them loose.

Now my question to everyone here. Anything in my process that seems to be wrong? Do I need a front end alignment for any reason. I dont see why myself but never sure. Dont see adjustments from the connection of the tie-rod or attachment of the hub assembly to the front strut housing.

So hope this helps others who want to do this themselves and save a boat load of money on labor.

If I am missing something or did something incorrect, please advise as I am hoping this helps others.

[Skye]

Mine were so bad off I had to replace the whole hub assembly. If there's any wear on them, it'll cause the new bearings to prematurely fail, so I had to replace the whole friggin thing. Now, the passenger side is in the same boat, with 75K miles on the clock.

This car hates me.