Changing wheel bearings, Press required?

[aboyfromkansas]

I too think I am having a wheel bearing issue with my 2006 PT Cruiser. However after reading the many posts on this topic, I am still not sure.
The noise I have is a thumping low pitch growling noise. It does not change when I make either left or right turns. Is it possible that this is still a wheel bearing problem? I just recently took a 3K mile trip but did not notice any noise until I was nearly back home. Before the trip I had the tires rotated. I went back to the tire dealer and they thought this was the reason. As it turned out it was not. They put new tires on the car and I still have the noise. Also I had an accident a while back and the right front fender was replaced. I am wondering if maybe the grounding strap was not reinstalled?
This I will check today. The warranty on my car ran out last month in May 09 and the car has 35,600 miles. With the situation nowadays with Chrysler, I doubt they will do much for me? Looks to me from what I have read, that removing the hub from the steering knuckle would be the best solution for getting a local machine shop to press in and out the bearings.
Thanks for any help or advice anyone out there might have. This is a great forum and I have read pages and pages from both members and the moderators. Thanks..........Bill

[Swanson]

Did the bearing spin in the hub assembly? Trying to understand if I am missing something in my process. If you dont mind me asking, what did the hub cost? Seems these bearings dont last long and expect to be doing it again in a few years.

[lmmegt]

30K on 2005 Turbo and left front wheel bearing shot as of today thank you very much Chrysler.

No wonder PT get such "good" ratings in consumer reports.

Started as wierd intermittant noise. Then changed to constant rub-rub-rub-a-dub yesterday. Pretty sloppy when you wiggle the tire.

[jrr344]

I didn't use a press to remove my bearings, I used a socket and hammer to remove the hub and bearing as one piece from the knuckle then I use a die grinder with a 3" cutoff wheel and cut the outside race of the bearing, then I removed all the roller bearing, I used a 3 jaw puller to remove the races off the hub and put a pipe plug where the cv shaft spline is to press off of. I then used a hammer and 2X4 to press the bearing on the hub and the hub and bearing in the knuckle.

[UptownSport]

jrr! Good man!!!!!

IDK what a hub costs, bearing usually doesn't spin, I remove lots of these
for other reasons.

IF the wheel is loose, you've got SERIOUS problems. They usually will only get a small pit in race.

here's another method, and tool we made to remove hubs ASAP:

[UptownSport]

AND PT only uses a Neon Wheel bearing- Substantial difference in weight for
same wheel bearing

[jrr344]

I was doing it yesterday and I really didn't want to put much money in this so I just used what I had at the house. I saw that you couldnt use a puller with the whole bearing intact and I knew once I got it apart that I could probably get a puller on the lips of the races. I could not cut through the whole out side race I had to leave about an inch or I would cut into the hub but the rest split easily with a chisel.

I am used to working on larger vehicles so when they said the bearing was pressed on I thought it would be a bear but it really wasn't bad it come right off with a little three jaw puller I had. It went back together really easy I was surprised, but there is no more wobble in my passenger side wheel now. Another thing I did was mark the strut bolts with a paint pin so I could put them back in at the same position as not to affect the alignment or affect it as little as possible. It worked really well once I was done but I still have a vibration at 70mph and I am leaning towards balancing the tires.

[jhn_plsn]

Can a guy buy the spindle with the bearing already pressed into it to ease this change out?

[UptownSport]

The entire steering knuckle?

Bearing on hub?
It'd have to have the plate on it, and you'd still need to press it into the
knuckle

[jhn_plsn]

HMMM. Just spit balling here.