Newbie attacking rear bearings, need help please

[whiz05403]

Originally Posted by ivangene

what brought about this replacement....

hate to break up the fun - since you are passed the point of no return...but a loose axle nut CAN be the source of a heck of a lot of noise in the wheel bearing area

work of caution - DONT FORGET to put the parking brake assy on BEFORE inserting the hub into your new bearing - when you get there

getting that old race off the hub can be a challenge AND check the hub condition - replace if neccesary.

you have a great start...keep going!

Yes, noise in the bearings area. The nut still required a breaker bar to loosen.

[SCOTITUDE]

yes, just remove the screw and the rotor should just come off the hub, maybe a bit of tapping to break the rust. your not going to press in the hub with the rotor attached.

[whiz05403]

Originally Posted by SCOTITUDE

yes, just remove the screw and the rotor should just come off the hub, maybe a bit of tapping to break the rust. your not going to press in the hub with the rotor attached.

Thanks, so just so I can get my head around this. After I remove the bearing, I have to press in the new bearing and then also press on the hub after? Also, from my pic, why are there two races? Are there two bearings I need to replace?

Sorry for the stupid questions.

Mike

[SCOTITUDE]

ok,. while its still fresh in my head.
remove old bearing. clean up the arm with a little scotchbrite.
press in new bearing. very carefully, it easily cocks to one side. tap with hammer to set it. then press in with tool
install bearing retaining plate, 4 bolts
press in hub into bearing. support rear of bearing as to not pop out back side of bearing.
insert stub axle end thru center of hub. attach a couple of cv joint bolt to trans side to support axle
tighten castle nut on axle. my 80 spec was 217-243lb/ft. adjusted to get cotter pin thru axle.
tighten all the cv's. i think spec was 30lb/ft
install rotor, reinsert screw
install caliper, reattach brake line.
BLEED!!!!!

[bigel]

Originally Posted by whiz05403

Sorry for the stupid questions.

Mike

Don't worry about it...plenty of us lurkers out here learning a ton from this whole thread!

Besides, they wouldn't answer if they thought it was "stupid", right?

[SCOTITUDE]

mike,
these aren't stupid questions. we have all learned to wrench our cars on here. This is the best forum for our cars. I have learned so much from here and even though I have turned every nut on my car I learn something new here all the time.

[will hung]

SCOTITUDE summed it up right.

These aren't stupid questions. I jumped into mine and ripped my e-brake assembly apart to replace the pads. Never thought to take note of how it came apart to put it back together right. I had to look at pics and scratch my head a few times to figure it out.

I'll stress, install the bearing first, THEN the e-brake assembly, and then the hub. Otherwise, you'll be pulling the hub again to install the e-brake assembly, destroying a brand new bearing. I knew this and still did it last time.

[ivangene]

FREEZE the bearing - no need to "press" it in - heat the trailing arm a little and that thing will slide in with no effort at all...

like I said earlier - post 19 and Will said - dont forget to put on the ebrake assy prior to putting that hub in

then freeze the hub - that will make it go in a lot easier though I did not make it 100% it made it a long ways so I knew it was straight through the split in the bearing inner race

[whiz05403]

Thanks for all the support guys. Going out now to remove the ebrake assembly and use my new home made bearing puller. (per Wavey's post) More to come.......

I still don't know why there are two inner races?

[whiz05403]

OK, so I went out and removed the four bolts holding on the brake assembly, but couldn't figure out how to disconnect the e-brake cable until I noticed this bolt on the front:


Remove the little cotter pin and unscrew bolt, out pops E-brake cable. I then tried to pull out the assembly but it was still bolted to the dust cover shroud, simply unbolt the shroud and off comes the assembly.

Next, break out the new puller tool designed by wavey:


I used a 5/8 inch foot long thread for more girth.

[whiz05403]

I thought the 2" conduit would line up perfectly with the outer race but it actually sits on the black rubber portion of the bearing. Using the breaker bar I tightened the crap out of the tool with no bearing movement. I was skepitcal about adding heat, but after 3 minutes of heat and about 10 more super easy turns of the wrench and OUT walked the bearing!!!!!





So for clarity, it's one big bearing with TWO inner races that wrap around the hub.

The hub and rotor seperated very easily after I took off the two screws:



So now it's time to order new bearings. From what I have read the FAG bearing is the way to go. Any inputs.

I just hope I can get all this stuff back together, also, what type of grease should I smear around/in the hub and bearing area?

Thanks again, very excited here!!

[ben parrish]

You are doig GREAT!!! It really is not a hard job...just takes time. I used FEG when I did mine.
As has been stated, freeze the bearing for a few days and heat the inner hub with your torch...the bearing will go in with ease...no drama.
Also, put your wheel hub(with the wheel studs) in the freezer...it will go in more easily when you reinstall. Heat the newly installed bearing with a hairdryer for about 20 minutes and the cold hub will go in much easier.

DON'T FORGET TO REINSTALL THE RETAINER BEFORE INSERTING THE HUB!!! Made that mistake once!

[whiz05403]

Thanks for the reminder!! What kind of grease should I use on reassembly?

[Brando]

DO NOT FORGET!!!

Put your bearings in the freezer over-night. When it comes time to install the new bearing just use your MAPP gas unit, get the hub hot to the touch (not too hot) and the new bearing will just slide right in. Push it in quick and hold it there while the bearing and hub balance in temp (the bearing outer race will expand, the hub inner surface will shrink).

For grease, use MOLY grease or some anti-seize should work fine.

Whenever I do wheel bearings I take some high-count emery cloth and lightly rub the inside of the hub.

You will be surprised at how much quicker everything will go back together.

[Packet82]

Originally Posted by whiz05403

So now it's time to order new bearings. From what I have read the FAG bearing is the way to go. Any inputs.

6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Pick whatever bearing they have in stock. The SKF and the FAG bearings are both of equal quality.

[SCOTITUDE]

I love the Home Depot kit. im gonna make one to drag to the track.
only part i greased was the axle splines. no grease for bearing or hub. a good antiseize will do. either bearing is fine.

[SCOTITUDE]

refresh my memory. i havent had ebrake on track car for a long time. wont the bearing retainer plate come off without removing e brake or backing plate? why remove ebrake and backing plate?

[whiz05403]

I think the real reason to remove the e-brake assembly is so you have a place to put the puller against to pull the bearing without crushing your braking assembly. Minus the cable, it was super easy to remove.

I never thought of the vagina as an engine, this whole time I thought the jet engine was the best engine in the world, what was I thinking??!!

[Smoove1010]

Whiz,
I give you a ton of credit for diving right in on this. I suggest you read the threads I posted below - they have all your answers. Read them all the way through and thoroughly digest them, they were immensely helpful to me in doing this same job (which is more like two or three jobs.)

The CV-related threads are included because, as you found, removing the axles is integral to replacing the bearings. While you're at it, you might as well inspect, re-boot, and re-grease your CV's.

There are some nuances to these jobs, and there are a few things that if done wrong could wreck your car and the people in and around it. I little time invested in reading up is time well-spent.

Also, if you don't already have the Bentley manual, get one or something like it. Between that and the advice and knowledge base on this forum, you'll be well-equipped to handle axle bearings, CV joints, and more...

Rear Wheel Bearing Removal

Carrera CV Boot Replacement

Reconstructing Constant Velocity (CV) Joints

Good luck!
GK

[whiz05403]

Thanks, those are good reads!