Rear Wheel Bearing Blues

DCinVA · 04-09-2007, 12:43 PM

OK, I need to replace the rear wheel bearings in my 86 Carrerra.

Does anybody know where I can rent an easy to use tool to pull the outer bearing race from the hub. I might be able to hammer it out, but the results might not be so pretty. I would probably bang up the hub, and likely bang myself up as well. I would prefer to rent a toll to keep thigs as simple as possible.

Thanks in advance for any help !!

tonythetarga · 04-09-2007, 01:06 PM

rear wheel bearing questions

read through this thread and use the link for removal in Randy Webb's response. It has great pic's and tells you how to make a tool to do it.

DCinVA · 04-09-2007, 01:16 PM

Thank you Tony G.

I off to Homo Depot.

Wavey · 04-09-2007, 01:42 PM

The heat is important. Get all the pulling hardware in place, put some torque on it, and start heating the control arm - you'll hear it pop when the bearing lets loose. Then you can run it out.

john walker's workshop · 04-09-2007, 02:22 PM

so you have the hub off and want to get the outer race off of it, or you need to pull the hub out of the bearing in order to remove the bearing from the arm? there is no hub puller that won't screw up the e/brake assembly in the process. just rent a slide hammer. a big one, that will bolt to 3 of the wheel studs. the race on the hub issue.... use a sharp chisel and eye protection, and drive the chisel between the race and hub flange to move it out somewhat. dress any burr from that procedure with a file. then i clamp the hub in a vise and use two quite large crowfoot bars to pop it off. it can also be heated for easier movement, but i rarely have to do that.

DCinVA · 04-10-2007, 05:06 AM

I have the wheel hub removed (two pry bars work well to remove the wheel hub), Ebrake assembly removed, Inner wheel bearing races removed, Swing arm still installed on the car, outer rear wheel bearing race stuck in the swing arm. I need to press the outer rear wheel bearing race out of the swing arm. Bentley manual describes a process using a drift (special tool) and a BFH (big hammer). I tried the bentley process, but no luck. There is really not much room to swing a hammer in that small space.

I am going to try to build my own tool. Went to homo depot last night and bought some half inch threaded rod, some washers, a couple of half inch nuts, and some other misc pieces described in the thread mentioned above.

Hopefully I will be able to rig up something to press the old one out, and the new one in.

dfink · 04-10-2007, 08:38 AM

Make sure that you are using super hard nuts. I first just used the ones that you get out of the bins and you need so much pressure that the nuts gauled on the rod and had a biatch of a time getting things apart. Then I got a couple of the really hard nuts out of the specialty bins and worked much better.