Wheel bearing/s

[DeskJockey]

Can't change my vote, but I stand corrected. Your combined superior knowledge on the topic convinced me I was wrong to assume both needed doing as a pair.

Should I ever need one done, I know better now. Internet isn't all bad!*






* Very heavily caveated statement.

[Beany]

I've never done more than one bearing at a time, but that's mostly been a financial/time thing. They're one of those things that my friendly mechanic told me, specifically, not to worry about until they need worrying about.

[Sundayjumper]

Good god the internet never ceases to amaze me.

You don't change wheel bearings that don't need changing, even if you're pretending you're doing it yourself. On your pushbike maybe, but not on a fucking car.

I wasn’t pretending, I have very definitely done E36 bearings myself ! Fronts pretty easy. The rears, however, I have no intention of doing that job ever again. Horrible horrible job.

[Beany]

Good god the internet never ceases to amaze me.

You don't change wheel bearings that don't need changing, even if you're pretending you're doing it yourself. On your pushbike maybe, but not on a fucking car.

I wasn’t pretending, I have very definitely done E36 bearings myself ! Fronts pretty easy. The rears, however, I have no intention of doing that job ever again. Horrible horrible job.

That bad?

[mik]

Good god the internet never ceases to amaze me.

You don't change wheel bearings that don't need changing, even if you're pretending you're doing it yourself. On your pushbike maybe, but not on a fucking car.

I wasn’t pretending, I have very definitely done E36 bearings myself ! Fronts pretty easy. The rears, however, I have no intention of doing that job ever again. Horrible horrible job.

I hadn’t noticed Dan’s throwaway slur earlier

I wasn’t pretending either - have done loads. Initially helping my dad, later on my own. My dad was a great man for finding a way. Removal involved holding the hub in a cast-iron piece of “no idea what this is but it might come in handy” that he came across one day, a 4llb lump hammer, and a slice of railway sleeper - about 12mm wide (also found) which proved a great drift.

Inner race removal involved swearing at ineffective pullers, smaller hammers, sometimes old kitchen knives that were sacrificed in the call of duty, and less often - the angle grinder.

That was the easy bit, as we never had a press.

Fitment of the new bearing went in using a very old bench vice, with various spacers n shit (and often the recently removed bearing shells) to try and keep it straight. You can’t use a hammer on a vice. Destroys the screw. Luckily no-one had told ours this, so with grease applied the same 4lb lump hammer was swung onto the vice handle to drive it in.

This method always worked, although I rather suspect now that it contributed significantly to the fact I did so many over the years....

[dan]

It’s not meant to be a slur against those that have actually done the job, more a general observation on the kind of advice that people with absolutely no qualification to do so are so willing to dish out.

If you’ve done wheel bearings you know they’re invariably a ball ache and just not the sort of thing you do for the sake of it. Would you also flush all the other toilets in house after a taking a shit in one of them? It’s about as relevant.

[Alex_]

IWould you also flush all the other toilets in house after a taking a shit in one of them? It’s about as relevant.

End of fred

[mik]

Would you also flush all the other toilets in house after a taking a shit in one of them? It’s about as relevant.

(Although that extra water might help get it beyond your property.... )

[V8Granite]

Only change when knackered or adjust as necessary.

Also if it’s a press fit bearing, sometimes you can only press new bearings in so many times till the hub/ housing itself needs replacing.

Dave!

[Marv]

I pretended to change both front wheel bearings on my 968 because it's a fairly straight forward job...left my RACE mechanic to do the rear bearing when it was making noise, as it's a PITA job.

[Broccers]

Is a special tool required to do mine? Thats the reason why Im not doing it

[mik]

Marv - pictured in his “968 workwear”.

[Broccers]

Only change when knackered or adjust as necessary.

Also if it’s a press fit bearing, sometimes you can only press new bearings in so many times till the hub/ housing itself needs replacing.

Dave!

A chance for education for me - I presume this is a press bearing



https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticl ... arings.htm

[integrale_evo]

Yes.

The bearing is pressed into the upright from the wheel side, where it butts up against a shoulder. It’s usually then held in place with a big circlip although really that’s a safety measure as the press for of the bearing will stop it ever moving.

Then the hub is pressed into the centre of the bearing, and on a rwd car the driveshaft is put back through the middle and the hubnut done up FT.

They’re the sort that are a pain to diy. Often because the driveshaft is nicely stuck in the hub, plus you have to beat the crap out of them to separate the hub from the bearing, usually leaving part of the inner race stuck to the hub as in the inset picture, then you have to try and get the outer out of the hub carrier. Usually involves lots of hammering and swearing. Easiest way to diy it is to run a decent bead of weld around the inside of the outer race, when it cools it contracts and is often enough that you can just tap it out of the housing.

Front bearing on most rwd BMW’s are a piece of cake. They come as one with a flange so you just undo the nut, persuade the hub off with a hammer, shove the new one on and stick a new nut on. All going to plan they can be done in 15mins. A bit longer I’d the old inner race sticks to the stub axel, but a careful slice with a grinder and wack with a cold chisel will soon have that out of the way.

[scotta]

It’s not meant to be a slur against those that have actually done the job, more a general observation on the kind of advice that people with absolutely no qualification to do so are so willing to dish out.

If you’ve done wheel bearings you know they’re invariably a ball ache and just not the sort of thing you do for the sake of it. Would you also flush all the other toilets in house after a taking a shit in one of them? It’s about as relevant.

Myself and Neil did the bearing on the lotus. It was a fucking arse of a job. Fuck doing the other side just for the lols.

Toe links on the other hand I did them both.

[mik]

, and a slice of railway sleeper - about 12mm wide (also found) which proved a great drift.

Arse. I meant a slice of railway track. Cool thing that.

[Gavin]

Prescient thread, was driving the Volvo yesterday and when you put weight on the front left which no doubt will herald a largish bill.

Thanks to this thread, I know to just change the one though at least.

[Rich B]

Prescient thread, was driving the Volvo yesterday and when you put weight on the front left which no doubt will herald a largish bill.

its almost a sentence!

[mik]

Bit unfair Rich - it’s not easy to type into your phone when you are running round flushing all your bogs.

[integrale_evo]

So are we flushing all our bogs if we suspect we have a dodgy wheel bearing now?