Help please! Rear wheel bearing

88325i300K · 09-08-2008, 09:42 PM

OK, so Ive been pounding on the rear hub with my hammer for about six hours and i even wedged my 2 ton floor jack between the diff, a block of wood and the hub and it still wont move, it's loose, but nothings working, any tips or tricks would be helpful, also would a bearing puller work(rental from auto zone) or is that just for removing the bearing itself. Thanks

Manolito · 09-09-2008, 05:45 AM

I soaked mine in penetrating oil for two days, and then broke two wheel pullers while using half a bottle of propane trying to get mine off.

I gave up and took it to my favorite shop, where I take all the jobs I can't do. He has a portapower puller and said that he had to lower the car so that he could jump on the handle of his portapower before it finally broke loose.

Someone last week said that they cut their bearing off with an acetylene torch, but they needed another part or two after they did that.

The interesting thing that my mechanic pointed out is that the small Mercedes uses the same bearing configured in the same way, yet the Mercedes rear wheel bearings almost never fail. BMW bearings rarely make it much past 200k miles. Go figure. My guess would be that the Mercedes design does not let as much brake heat into the bearing.

coolbear1 · 09-09-2008, 07:08 PM

I have been there. I tore up every gear puller I had, I used heat, and still would not come off.
I ended up buying a OTC 7394 hub puller and it pulled it right off. Actually it pushes the stub shaft out of the hub, then you have to knock the hub out of the bearing from behind, then the bearing race has to be pulled out of the trailing arm.

you can check out hub pullers at this link;

http://www.nextag.com/wheel-hub-puller/search-html

88325i300K · 09-09-2008, 08:12 PM

I have the Drive axle out it came out easy and ive been trying to pound out the hub from the trailing arm with no luck, today i went and rented a slide hammer with attachments just for pulling hubs but that did not work, so i called my local bmw dealer to ask how they get them out and they told me a slide hammer is what they use there. i asked if i could bolt the drive axle in and use a puller and they said no it would mushroom the threaded end of the spindle and possible destroy the joints, Has AnyOne successfully used a puller in that manner without serious damage, i cant afford a new drive axle. Thank you

coolbear1 · 09-10-2008, 11:18 AM

I was able to drive the hub and bearing out of the race from under the car, it tore it up, but who cares, it was bad.
Then I used a 3/4 drive socket that was a little smaller than the race with a big washer behind it to pull on with a puller.
It pulled it right out.

whosyadadie01 · 09-10-2008, 11:33 AM

would i be able to take the whole hub out of the car and take it someplace just to have the berring pressed out and the new one pressed in or am i missing a few steps here lol?

88325i300K · 09-10-2008, 12:21 PM

cool bear how did you drive the hub out ive tried holding the socket on the back and hitting with a hammer and used a slide hammer, What size hammer did u use im only using a regular hammer should i go pick up a big sledge hammer im not worried about the old bearing im worried about the CV joint ends being ruined if i were to reinstall them in the hub and use screw press to pull the hub with the screw part of the puller pushing against the cv joint spindle(the end with the 200ft-ib axle nut)

coolbear1 · 09-10-2008, 12:53 PM

I would not chance using the spindle, What I used was a large socket that spanned the axle bore in the hub, so it would not damage the hub. then I used an extension in the socket to hit (a cheep throw away kind, not my snap on).
Place it solidly against the hub and hit it as had as I had room to (don't get mad at me if you miss though, OUCH) with a baby sledge hammer. A full grown one is too hard to handle under there.
Good luck, you have taken on a tough project, that learns hard the firt go round. It took me a week to do the right side and twoor three hours to do the left.

coolbear1 · 09-10-2008, 01:28 PM

whosyadadie01,

Problem is, the stub shaft is tapered, and is pressed, or actually pulled into the hub by the hub nut. The bearing is pressed into the trailing arm, and the hub is pressed into the bearing.

You would have to first get the stub shaft out of the hub, sometimes it is easy and sometimes it is impossable without a hub puller.

Then if you are going to take the bearing and hub to get it pressed out, you would have to take the trailing arm off and take it to them.

88325i300K · 09-10-2008, 08:08 PM

Thank you coolbear i picked up a 4lb sledge today ill see what happens tomarrow, ive been workin on cars for years now and have never had a project feel so hopeless, but its made me feel better knowin it took you a week thanks for the help and wish me luck on my 4th day. if i get it out i think we should add a note to the bearing change article that says use the biggest friggen hammer you can find and be prepared to scedule a rental car!!

coolbear1 · 09-10-2008, 09:54 PM

I have never done it this way, but I was told that you can put something between the hub and the trailing arm, and use the lug nuts to push the hub out of the bearing.

Sounds good.

If you can find the right thing to go in there to space it and push on, and keep from bending the dust shield up, it may work.

88325i300K · 09-11-2008, 09:04 AM

Thats a great idea, but fourtunatly the sledge i picked up worked nicely!, i took the hub to my local shop though to have them pull the race off only charged me $10, ill bet the lug nut method would have worked though, thanks everyone for the help, ill be back if i need help with the master cylinder,wiper motor,front shocks,tie rod's,power steering rack/pump,rear window motor, and all the other fun little things that need attention.