What have I done? Rear wheel bearing debacle

ninesixfour · 05-20-2010, 06:38 PM

I had the whole thing back together when I realized I forgot to put the wheel bearing cover back on the control arm. I tried to pound out the hub from the bearing with the 27mm socket like I had originally, but this time the whole bearing/hub assembly came out and now I can't separate them. Also, the bearing didn't look like this when I installed it, do I need to replace it?

jason2guy · 05-20-2010, 08:44 PM

yup get a new one and start over. i did the same thing.

James Brown · James Brown's Garage

Just like removing the old one, you only get one shot at it.

wilke3169 · 05-20-2010, 09:18 PM

I took a little different route but had the same result. When I went to the mechanic to get another bearing he laughed and said, "we have all done it just move on." New one seemed to go in better.

ninesixfour · 05-21-2010, 02:53 AM

OK no big deal, get a new bearing, but how do I separate the trashed bearing and hub? Machine shop? I tried my 3 jaw puller, but it doesn't fit well enough to pull it. Thanks.

tobluforu · tobluforu's Garage

I learned my lesson as well, bring it to a shop and have them do it in minutes.

kwikt 911 · kwikt 911's Garage

Yep, I did the same screw up. The next time I replaced it, I hung the backing plate on the trailing arm as a reminder to reinstall.

BK911 · BK911's Garage

Did you freeze the bearing before installation? Makes it go in easier.

Vincent Hill · Vincent Hill's Garage

When I went thorugh this, I took my Dremel tool with the Fibre Cut off wheel and sliced off the outter race then then cut the inner race (Carefully) until almost through and hit the groove with a Chisel and it split and then was off. Now I would use the cut off wheel on the cheap Harbor Freight 4 inch grinder and do the same thing

ninesixfour · 05-21-2010, 07:17 AM

Took it to the shop, and yes, I did freeze it. I have the puller Pelican sells, and it made the initial removal and install a breeze....until I forgot to reinstall that damn plate. Oh well.

hcoles · 05-21-2010, 07:50 AM

there are two types of bearings out there with the same dimensions.

1 - the seal slips on the outside race
2 - the seal slips on the inside race

On the original seals on the inside race. I think this is better because it keeps the slip surface further away form debris.

Don't feel bad, I had to buy an extra bearing when I forgot to put the sheet metal on first.
I froze the bearing and heated the arm, it went right in.

There is a long thread on here about this.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

This was done on a 996 Turbo, but almost all wheel bearings are very similar. I spent a long time making this article very complete, because I know there were no good articles on wheel bearing replacements out there before.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/40-TRANS-Wheel_Bearings/40-TRANS-Wheel_Bearings.htm

-Wayne

Vincent Hill · Vincent Hill's Garage

Wayne, did I "Again" miss something? In one Pic we aee the inner race of the bearing still on the Hub and in the next frame they are pressing the NEW Bearing into the swingarm. Did I miss how they got the inner race off of the hub?

Walt Fricke · 05-21-2010, 09:29 PM

Well, it is too late for you to do this, but here is a trick if you forget to install the bearing retainer plate/cover before you put the flange into your new rear axle bearing.

Cut the cover in half, and install the halves. There is just enough room to get short 8mm bolts in there between the flange and the demi-plate. I can't recall (this painful episode was 15 or so years ago) whether I had to find shorter bolts, or if the stockers worked. An open end 13mm wrench worked fine once they were started.

Haven't had a problem with it since. Necessity is the mother of invention. Also, this is a track only car, so no parking brake assembly. Might change things.

But I have a replacement retainer on the shelf against the day that bearing needs replacement.

rusnak · 05-22-2010, 11:24 AM

Be mindful of the torque needed on the axle nut or you'll be doing this again in a few thousand miles. I had to buy a special socket and wrench to get the required amount of torque.

911mnypt · 05-22-2010, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusnak

Be mindful of the torque needed on the axle nut or you'll be doing this again in a few thousand miles. I had to buy a special socket and wrench to get the required amount of torque.

What is the torque needed on the axle nut?

rusnak · 05-22-2010, 12:25 PM

I think it's 340 ft lbs. All I know is that your typical 1/2" wrench will twist in half, and therefore you need a good 3/4" drive socket and wrench. Look into a Wright Tools socket, and an Ace Hardware wrench, or buy the socket and lease the wrench. Then a 4' long steel tube or box iron beam goes over the wrench, and you stand on it about 3' from the centrline.