Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement

Last updated September 9, 2008

 

Photos used with permission from George A. Suennen

 

 

Tools needed:

  1. Floor jack or lift with jack.
  2. 350 fl-lb torque wrench for the axle nut (Well, 322).
  3. 100 ft-lb torque wrench for other fasteners.
  4. ¾” drive breaker bar at least 2 feet long or other suitable tool (see number 5)
  5. Variety of large ¾” drive sockets to use as drivers for pressing in and out hub parts and bearing.  This set from Harbor Freight

  1. Shop press.  I have a 20-ton Harbor Freight item 32879, but a smaller one will work.

20 TON SHOP PRESS

  1. 10, 17, 19, 22mm sockets and wrenches.  32mm socket for axle nut (from set above).
  2. Caliper hangers (coat hanger wire)
  3. Strong needle nose pliers or spring hook for parking brake springs.  Here is Harbor Freight item 95757 (not in online catalogue):

  1. Large bearing separator.  Another HF item 3979

LARGE BEARING SEPARATOR

  1. Large internal circlip plier.
  2. Oven to heat the hub carrier OR propane torch and IR temperature meter.
  3. Oven mitts or welders’ gloves to handle the hot hub carrier.
  4. Impact wrench to speed removal of some bolts and nuts.
  5. WSM volume 4, section 42, pages 7-11

 

Within the process description you will see several CAUTION statements.  These came about from learning the hard way, so hopefully you won’t have to learn that way.

 

Procedure:

Car on the ground

1)      Remove rear wheel center cap – usually a couple of thin, very small-blade screwdrivers or dental picks will get it off w/o damage.

2)      Break free the 32mm axle nut.  This is supposed to be 322 ft-lb.  ¾ drive tools are needed.  A 2-3 foot breaker should do.  I stand on the end of it.  With a 2 foot bar, my 170 lbs exerts 340 ft-lb just standing on it.  All I usually need to do is jump up and down a little to get it to loosen.  Just break the torque, but leave it on until the wheel is jacked off the ground.

3)      Break free the wheel lugs. Just break the torque, but leave tehm on until the wheel is jacked off the ground.

 

Jack up the entire rear with a jack on the center of cross-member or one side using the usual rear jack point.

Hub carrier removal:

4)      Remove the rear wheel.

5)      Remove the brake caliper.  On the rear wheels this is held on by two 19mm headed bolts on the inside of the caliper.  These should not be awfully tight (62 ft- lb), but due to their location, it’s hard to get enough of a lever arm on them w/o hitting the wheel well.  I use a long 19mm box end wrench and if I can, I smack it with a 3-lb sledge until it moves. If the bolts are not too tight I can just use my hand to smack the wrench.  Then I use a Gearwrench to quickly spin off the bolt.  These should have antiseize on them and often they will spin out by hand w/o needing the Gearwrench once they have broken free.

6)      Hang the caliper with a bent piece of coat hanger wire so the brake line is not stressed.

7)      Remove the brake rotor.  There are two Phillips screws that lightly hold the rotor in position.  Use a large head Philips screwdriver that fits the screws.  These usually break free easily.  If threatening to strip, smack the screwdriver with a small hammer to “shock” the screw and better seat the screwdriver, and try again.

8)      Finish removing the axle nut (32mm) and washer.

9)      Remove the brake caliper backing plate (5 or 6 10mm headed bolts).

10)  Remove the ABS sensor and bracket holding the pad wear sensor connection block from the hub carrier (varies with model year).  There are two or three 10mm head bolts holding this bracket on.  There may be some wires in the way that need to be removed from their clips so the bolts can be accessed.  The ABS sensor may have a small Allen holding it on.

11)  Remove the parking brake assembly.  PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ASSEMBLY DETAILS.  Take pictures of the assembly so you can get things back together EXACTLY as they should be.
[NOTE:  This is a great time to rebuild or replace a worn axle.  The axles do not need to be removed to replace the bearings, but the processes overlap, so take advantage of that if you have bad axle or axle boot, as we did here.]

 

 

12)  Pull off one end of the spring that spans the adjuster shown below.  I use a “spring hook” shown in the tool section that I found at Harbor Freight.

13)  Use a large screwdriver to press in and twist the shoe retaining spring in the middle of each shoe.  This spring has a hooked end that protrudes through the hub carrier backside.  To get it free from the hub carrier takes a lot of compression force and a few twists.  You may be able to feel where the other end of the spring is hooked on the back of the hub carrier.  Eventually with compression and twisting it will pop free.

14)  Pull the loose end of the shoes apart and work the other side off the brake actuator.

15)  Once the shoes are off the brake actuator assembly may simply fall to pieces.  Note carefully how it is assembled.  There are two round pins.

16)  The large pin on top slips off once the outer shell piece is free.  Then the smaller lower pin can be pushed through the pivot point and the cable can be pulled free through the back of the hub carrier.

17)      Unbolt the upper control arm from the hub carrier.  This is a 17mm headed nut and bolt.  Pull the bolt out observing the order of the washers.

18)      Remove the large lower control arm shaft enough to free the hub assembly.  The end nuts are 22mm.  I try to remove the front nut and pull the shaft to the rear so the shock stays mounted.  To do this I put a wrench on the rear nut and use an impact gun on the front nut.  This may loosen both nuts, but usually the front one will be driven off.  Then I use a drift, such as a long 3/8 inch extension to drive the shaft out until the hub assembly is free.

Hub and bearing removal from hub carrier assembly:

19)      Press the hub out of the hub carrier.  I used a 32mm socket on the hub shaft but fit inside the bearing inner race.  We had to improvise to support the hub carrier while providing room for the hub flange to fall.  We used some 2x4 sections and half of a bearing separator as a stand on each side of the hub carrier.

20)      As you press the hub out, it will take half of the inner race with it.  Below is shown the hub carrier with the bearing clearly missing the inner race and the hub with the inner race on the center shaft on the right.

21)      Grab the bearing separator (Tool #10) and fasten it with the beveled inner edge at the seam where the race sits on the hub and press the hub shaft down to remove the inner race piece.  I had to improvise a bit to support the bearing separator and provide room for the wide hub flange to move down as the hub was pressed out.  I used some large wrenches.  Not the best support – they bent a bit.
 
Race and socket in right hand, bare hub in left hand.

Here is a picture of the resulting pieces with the socket and extension I used to press out the hub and separate it from the race.

22)      Moving on to the hub carrier bearing removal process, observe the circlip that retains the bearing.  You will need large circlip pliers to remove it.  If you can get it started, you can use a screwdriver to assist with leveraging it out.


23)      Next step is to press the bearing out from the other side.  The WSM calls for you to heat the hub carrier to 248-305F.  We used a propane torch playing around outside of the hub carrier and an IR temperature meter and heat the hub carrier to 200F and found that to work well.  It took about 10-15 minutes to get the area around the bearing to that temperature.  In this picture it may look like I’m heating the bearing.  The flame should be directed to the outside of the hub carrier in the flange area through which you want the bearing to pass.
 

24)      Use a socket that will press on the inner race.  You could use a larger socket that would press on the bearing’s outer shell, but it is not necessary and we didn’t have one that large.  Pressing on the inner race will take the whole bearing out.  This shows the arrangement I used with a 38mm socket inverted and an extension, although I ended up using a longer extension when I did the job.  The inverted socket seats perfectly into the inner race.
 

25)      Support the hub carrier so it is level and firm.  Here is the bearing almost fully pressed out.

Bearing installation and hub carrier reassembly:

26)  Flip over the hub and reheat this area to get ready for bearing insertion.

27)  Support the bottom of the hub carrier.  To do this you’ll need a section of 4”ID pipe or something similar that fits the boss on the hub.  I used the jackpad base from my Craftsman floor jack, an aluminum disk about 5” across.  It supported the hub carrier perfectly.  Without the rubber pad, it looks virtually identical to the Porsche tool (VW 441).



28)   YOU COULD FREEZE THE BEARING, but we didn’t.  If the hub is 200F or close to it, the bearing will literally drop in even if not chilled.  However, I would recommend freezing the bearing.
CAUTION:  BE CAREFUL THAT THE BEARING STARTS IN STRAIGHT.  WHEN WE RESTED THE BEARING ON THE HUB FLANGE, IT FELL IN AT AN ANGLE. AND IT BECAME LODGED, COCKEYED IN THE HUB.  WE HAD TO PRESS IT BACK OUT AND START OVER.

29)  Press the bearing in with the same 38mm inverted socket and extension used to press it out.  Although you could use something that fit the bearing’s outer shell, BUT that may dent the thin cover piece that is between the shell and the inner race.  So, just press the bearing in via the inner race as we did.

30)  Press the bearing in until it clears the circlip recess seats against the lower lip of the hub carrier center.  Observe closely as you press that the bearing is going in straight.  If the hub is hot, the bearing will fall in.  It should not require a lot of force and that could damage the race. (sorry no picture of bearing going in.)

31)  Install the circlip.

32)  Before pressing the hub into the carrier make sure the backing plate (circled in red below) is in place if you happened to remove it during the bearing replacement.  If you forget this and press the hub into the carrier, you have to start over at step 19.

33)  Press the hub into the hub carrier.  DOING THIS CORRECTLY REQUIRES REALIZING THAT AS THE HUB SHAFT IS PRESSED INTO THE BEARING IT WILL DRAG THE LOWER HALF OF THE INNER RACE WITH IT AND DESTROY THE BEARING UNLESS THE INNER RACE IS SUPPORTED FROM BELOW. DO NOT SUPPORT THE BEARING SHELL – SUPPORT THE INNER RACE.  I used a 46mm socket carefully positioned as shown here (of course, the bearing is already inside the hub carrier):

Getting ready to press the hub in.  You can’t see the inner race support on the plates under the hub carrier.  CAUTION:  MAKE SUTE THE HUB STARTS GOINIG IN STRAIGHT.  Also, I recommend you chill the hub in the freezer, although the WSM does not call for this.  The hub goes in somewhat reluctantly otherwise.  It will stutter as it goes in and then finally make a more definite clink as it seats

CAUTION:  If the hub starts to go in crooked, do not attempt to remove the hub and start over.  The hub will pull out the inner race and destroy the bearing.  All you can do is try to adjust the press so it pushes the hub in more on the high side until it is straight again.

 

Reinstall the hub carrier assembly on the car: (NEED PICTURES)

34)  Insert the parking brake cable into the hub carrier.

35)  Line up the hub center with the axle shaft and push it on, rotating the hub a bit until the splines mate and it slides fully on the axle.

36)  Install the axle washer and nut and snug it up, preferably with a impact gun.  Final torque later.

37)  Refasten the upper control arm and torque it to 33 ft-lb.

38)  Get the conical washers positioned on either side of the hub carrier and slip it into the lower control arm.

39)  Lever the lower control arm until the large shaft can be slid through the hub carrier and the rest of the lower control arm.  This can take some huffing and puffing.  Torque the 22mm nuts to 103 ft-lb.

40)  Reinstall the pad wear sensor connector and ABS bracket.

41)  Reinstall the brake backing plate.

 

Reinstall the parking brake assembly:  This can be a challenge.  The shoes need to go on in the correct orientation.  The way the springs join the shoes makes reassembly very tricky and can be frustrating. (NEED PICTURES)

42)  Assemble the brake actuator on the end of the cable.

43)  Install the lower shoe and its retention spring to help hold the actuator assembly in-place.

44)  Install the long shoe-joining spring on the actuator side of the installed lower shoe.

45)  Install the other end of this spring into the free upper shoe.  Now comes the hard part…

46)  Maneuver the upper shoe, stretching the shoe-joining spring around in front of the actuator.

47)  Lever the shoe over the top of the actuator until it seats properly in the actuator notch.  Often the spring pops off one end or the other during this step.  Keep trying, while holding the two ends of the spring in-place.

48)  Once this end is settled, install the adjuster on the other side.

49)  Install the shoe-joining spring on this end using a spring hook or perhaps a needle nose plier.

 

Complete the reassembly:

50)  Rotor

51)  Caliper

52)  Wheel

53)  Let down jack until wheel are partially on the ground and finish torquing the lugs (95 ft-lb).

54)  Let down all the way and torque the axle nut (322 ft-lb)