wheel bearing renewal.

**Gary** · 26-06-2002 09:58

as usual, I can get to the stage where the outter race is left in the hub, but as before, lack the facilities to press it out - anyone got any tips or tricks that's enabled them to do this at home ?

**Haynzee** · 26-06-2002 10:01

I used a 'kin big socket and a lump hammer.

tbh though dude, go down to your local place and get it pressed out for a fiver - it honestly is worth it, as they will press the new one in, without risking breaking it.

bastard job.

**Gary** · 26-06-2002 10:04

yep, that's what I usually do.

It's one of the very very few jobs I can't do, and I feel inadequate see, I fear being blackballed down the masons if I can't do it McGvyer style.

**Haynzee** · 26-06-2002 10:05

don't try to be a hero

**Gary** · 26-06-2002 10:08

Billlyyy....

**Andy.free** · 26-06-2002 10:14

well, u could cut a grove in the race with an ange grinder, then get a large coal chisel and wallop it off.

Then to press the new bearing in, you can use studding, with nuts and washers to pull it in. You are better off getting it dome properly, but if you do decide to go DIY this is one way of doing it

**Haynzee** · 26-06-2002 10:16

i used a vice to squeeze mine back in.

and a big hammer and socket too - did i mention that ?

you would be better off getting it pressed in.

have a word with tomstickland, i think i read about him removing his to save weight. maybe he has some tips.

**DarrenH** · 26-06-2002 10:41

think stickers used the angle grinder blow torch method. goes without saying really.

**Gary** · 26-06-2002 10:54

how the 'eck can you get a grinder to the bearing outter race when it's still stuck in the strut ?

**DarrenH** · 26-06-2002 10:57

its a secret

**Joekont** · 26-06-2002 11:02

If you've got a MIG welder (no puns please) then just run a bead of weld around the face of the race. This bead will then contract and either pull the bearing race in and make it manageable, Or pull the race out which will make it possible to get it off a shaft.

You'd think that it'd make it tighter on the shaft but it don't!

Trust me.
It's works..

**Giles** · 27-06-2002 09:40

I've tried every which way to do wheel bearings over the years - Gary there is NO easy DIY way unless you wanna make something up.

This is what my mate has done (but he is a semipro mechanic).

Frame made up of H steel sections.
Transit tipper hydraulic ram mounted on top with pump under frame.
Ram pushes down using various sized plates/sockets/tubes and pushes out bearing.
Assembly is reversal of removal.

He went to a lot of hassel to set this up after trying for years to find an easier & cheaper way (which he never found).

Give in gracefully and go to a local place to get it done (you know it makes sense).

**Gary** · 27-06-2002 10:06

gggnnn... must ..... do it........myself......

anyone know if halfords do the bearings cheaper than Vaux ? - not fitting, just the part.

**DarrenH** · 27-06-2002 10:20

i bought one for my old cav was only about 30 quid at motor factors. Like fool that i am i tried to fit it myself with a vice and spacers. duuuuh, hours and hours of struggle and i couldnt even shift the old outer race.

That was before we had the mother of all vices now situated in the back of the garage. It weighs about the same as an engine block, took me and my dad to lift it onto the bench. mwwuuuuuuu ha haaaa.

**Cemesis** · 27-06-2002 10:30

Originally posted by Gary
gggnnn... must ..... do it........myself......

anyone know if halfords do the bearings cheaper than Vaux ? - not fitting, just the part.

You could buy the pressing machine that the garages use.

**Giles** · 27-06-2002 10:35

motor factors for the part Gary - £16 a side for a Cav (would assume same/similar for Astra).

My local shop/motoe factors is run by 3 ex mechanics. V friendly & knowledgable and have a workshop out back with loads of equipment that they will leand to you FOC

They also havea proper bearing press - buy the bearing from them (for £16) and they will press out you old one and in with the new one all FOC.

Now thats called service!

**Giles** · 27-06-2002 10:37

Of course I can go to Redhill bearings which is 10mins up the road and get one for 9 quid as well but it's worth the extra for the pressing.

(thought I'd rub in what a lucky git I am)

**Mark T** · 27-06-2002 11:19

Did my Cav last month.

I got some 3/4" Studding, some nuts and washers.

Pulling the hub out I did using the Wheel bolts, and some packing (tyre lever and spanners)

Got some Circlip pliers but they were NBG so arefully used small screwdrivers to prise out the circlips. (Gloves and Goggles!!)

I used the studding to pull the bearing out flush, then hused a hammer on the back of the studding to drive it out the rest.

The Inner race on the hub was well stuck, and the suggestion of a welder might have done it, welding something on to the race to get a 2 or 3 leg puller on may have done it.

My 2nd inner race had been spinning on the Hub and worn it cone shaped!! so Ineeded a new hub anyway, which saved me the bother of getting the race off.

If I ever need one again, I'll get a complete strut from a scrappy.
It would have been quicker even with having to change over springs dampers and discs!!

**tomstickland** · 27-06-2002 11:22

Blowtorch for 20 minutes. Then about 30 minutes with hammer and punch. I but the inner race and bearings back in and whacked them repeatedly with hammer.

http://www.tomstickland.co.uk/astra/...sion/dbear.htm

Firstly everything was softened up by heating for 20 minutes with a blow torch. The differential expansion as parts are heated helps flex the surface contact and make driving/pushing the bearing out more easy.

The picture shows a punch that was used to drive the race out. The key here is to apply only 2 or 3 sharp blows before moving the punch to another location. Since the bearing race is thin there is not much area to get the punch to contact. A way round this is to put the inner race back in together with a cage and a set of ball bearings. The inner race can then be hammered. Bit by bit the race will move. Impact is good at this moment since there will be microscopic movement with each blow. It all helps to start freeing up the contact surfaces. After ten minutes of this there was 5-10mm of movement.

The assembly was then placed in a vice and the bearing races pushed out with the aid of carefully placed packing pieces (sockets will do).Using a vice and packing pieces means that the strut, the bearing and the packing pieces need to be placed and the vice done up. This might take ten minutes to get right. It's quite tricky doing up the vice with your knee whilst trying to hold the parts. Having two people would make the job much easier.The force required to get the bearings in or out has been within the capabilities of the vice. Due to the nature of tolerances some will be easier than others. I've done this job twice and the second time it didn't take too much effort but the first time I was almost at the heave limit.

**Gary** · 27-06-2002 12:47

halfords wanted 30 quid, guess what I said.

found out equivalent of motor factors, and sure enough, £17

cheers Tom et al... I think though judging by the amount fo effort and time required to coax out the old race using the various DIY methods, I think I'll drop it round my local backstreet happy bodgers and give the mechanic some beer money, as per last time

if it were anything else less mundane I'd do it just so as not to be beaten, but wheel bearings are one of the most boring bits on the whole car

**Gary** · 27-06-2002 21:26

mwuhahahaha - cower, mortals, for I popped out the old outter race tonite with my bare hands...

.. well, actually, I found a big two prong bearing puller that I bought about 10yrs ago cos it looked nice, and never used - I thought I'd at least give it a try - and prestidigitato, it worked a treat, with some blowlampage first and a little elbow grease and gritting of the teeth whilst winding on the pressure, making as much of my body as far removed from the airspace of possible ballastic flak from the operation as it's possible to get - took about 20 mins in all - with no entry or exit wounds, which is a bonus.

I might be in for a shot at grand high poobah down the masonic lodge now when I walk in holding the conquered bearing aloft

**yunis4z** · 27-06-2002 22:06

hey gary i`ll bring my car down to u then, i`m thinking of changing my bearings too!!lmao lmao

any pics of this adventure???

**JamesMcbride** · 27-06-2002 22:26

he he he, i love the pic! good to see that i am not the only one that does 'car stuff' with a pint of beer to hand!

lmao

**rgv_stu** · 27-06-2002 22:52

saw my mate change them on my sisters car (nova) and he used the welder to get them out/off

literally turned the hub upside down and they fell off

also makes it a bit easier to fit the new ones aswell

**Gary** · 28-06-2002 08:16

no pics - adds to the air of mystery

so that means I will have spent a grand all in total of £16.95 to change the bearing

wonder what my neighbour with the M3 convertible coughs up, apart from his larynx when the quote the price lmao

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