What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

FWD pressed in front wheel bearings --anyone done one at home without a press?

diesel4me

diesel4me

1 ton status
- In Memoriam -
Joined
Jul 24, 2003
Posts
28,551
Reaction score
10,847
Location
Massachussetts
Been wondering if I should be foolish enough to attempt replacing a front wheel bearing on my 1995 Ford Contour..

Seen many similar ones done at my friends shop,but never attempted taking a FWD apart myself yet,not sure if I want too either..

He would do it for me,but he's reluctant to take the job on,because its a big hassle for him to get the bearings pressed in and out--has to close up shop,go trotting around looking for a shop that might do it right away,and some stores are jerks about pressing one if you did not buy the bearing from them (one place wont touch it if you bring the bearing--they tell you to go somewhere else!--their prices are higher too!)--and they almost never have one in stock ,so he has a car sitting on the lift 24 hours sometimes,which screws up his schedule)..they charge anywhere from 25 to 65 bucks to R&R a bearing too!..

I am considering buying a Harbour Freight 20 ton press I see on sale for 149 bucks,so I could press the bearing myself..it'll cost me half that just to drive somewhere to get it done elsewhere ,and then maybe I could use it to make a few bucks doing other FWD bearings for my friend at home,instead of him closing up and wasting time dealing with the jerks at the usual places he deals with--and use it on other things too..

I know about the tools that supposedly press the bearings in and out "on the car" that cost 100 bucks,but to me they seem not worth it,seeing you still have to take the knuckle 99% apart anyway..two more bolts and its off..but I suppose it might prevent the ABS sensor from being destroyed during the bearing R&R ..seems to me a hunk of 1" threaded rod and two sockets the right size would do the same thing,if you had a good impact gun?..

I have pressed ball joints and other things with a crude "press frame' made of 3/4" threaded rods and 2" square tubing and a 6 ton bottle jack before,but I have seen FWD bearings that came out VERY hard even in a 50 ton press,so I have doubts it would work on this job...

Getting the hub out of the bearing looks to be the hardest part,trying to support it somehow while its being pressed out looks like fun...once thats out I could even torch the old bearing out if I had too,that dont scare me..mucking up the new bearing does though,and if the axle splines happen to be rusted to the hub I know they suck to get apart..I dont have the big socket to get the nut off the axle either,or a impact gun with enough balls to spin it off.,,might be able to borrow those though..

I think FWD sucks donkey dicks...give me a rear wheel drive any day...
I can replace the front wheel bearings on my old G-10 or any RWD car in less than an hour with a punch,hammer and pliers...I think it sucks having to need a press,a DAY,and 150+ bucks to replace one side on a FWD pos ..this is progress??.:dunno:....maybe for dealer service profits..

I want to go back 30 years as far as vehicles,ones I can work on myself and dont cost a fortune to buy parts for or need special tools!..worst part of this job is it might turn out to be the CV joints howling after I'm done with the bearing,but it seems to me its the RF bearing,turning to the right makes the noise almost go away completely...I dont want to drive it much more because its sounding pretty bad now..been making some noise since I got it 8 years and 6000 miles ago..
 
all i can say is even with a press and GOOD selection of adaptors / spacers / blocks / old bearings for pressing adaptors it can be a job .

there is a tool called a hub tammer thats basicly a ball joint press type device that is just for these style press in/out wheel bearings . never used one my self tho.

and fyi if you have any sort of rust under the car/truck/suv grab a extra snap ring if you can even get one ( prob dealer only ) as there 90% the time rusted in place bad.
 
when i did the one on my wifes honda geting the old one out gave the 50T press a work out had to use the heat gun penatating oil and the BFH to mesage the outer wall, finaly got it to pop :haha:i kept the new bearing in a ice chest and that helped with puting it back in:popcorn:
 
Sounds like "fun" ...maybe I should sell it as-is and take my lumps...
:dunno:.

Getting tired of owning vehicles that are always in need of something...cant trust anywhere..repairs that are costly..
Something I cant DO half the time..

I'm getting pathetic in my old age...cant do a dam thing any more without feeling beat and exhausted ,like I'm going to pass out and DIE..

I just spent the past 2 hours changing a flat on my K2500,one tire went flat in a heartbeat,when I got under it to look,it had a gash in the sidewall from rim to tread...dont recall hitting anything,or seeing any slash marks when I put the tire on maybe a year or two ago..

Good thing I'd just gotten off the highway and was only a mile from home...
Should have just driven home on the rim..:mad:

Had the stock jack slip out just as I got it high enough to get the spare on too,good thing I left two lug nuts on a few threads and had not taken the flat off yet,or I'd be in the ER or dead right now..got nice blood blisters on my hands now from cranking the jack 10,000 turns..

Luckily my spare had air in it,its a dry rotted cracked old POS ,thats all I have hanging around too as far as any others...

I swear,every time I get 4 matching tires on something,its a dam JINX..

These were 265/75-16 Goodyear Wranglers..my spares are bald 245/75-16" Michelins or Firestone "steeltex",dry rotted aincient bald petrified junk too..looks like I"ll be looking for tires at junkyards and used tire places now--just what I need, when every cent I have is spoken for to finish paying my moms funeral and legal expenses off..:mad:..


..I knew the tires on my 3/4 ton were heavy,but I must be getting weak,I could barely get the spare out of the bed and on the truck..had to take a shower when I got home..dont know how the hell I'm supposed to fix wheel bearings and put a tranny in my suburban ,when I get winded changing one tire..:confused:..

The RF caliper is dragging on the truck now too,and the oil pan is leaking worse every day...I'm not up to changing the pan myself either..

Feel like just junking every vehicle in the yard right now..:mad:..
 
Call around/visit some local tire shops.

Alot have presses, and if they're slow and you talk to mechanics we'll do it right quick for a few bucks.

I do it all the time, no paperwork, 30 mins I've made 20$ you're on your way.
 
I wouldn't consider taking one apart at home without a press and proper adapters/fixtures and the KNOWLEDGE.


With that said I can do just about any FWD bearing in about 15 minutes once it's on my workbench, but then again having a 40 ton hydraulic press and proper adapters/fixturing and 25 years worth the knowledge doing it certainly helps matters. :D
 
I've used a press in shop class and at the auto machine shop quite often in the parts stores I worked at,so I'm not inexperienced --out of practice maybe,but I do know how to use one properly...that part of doing the job wouldn't scare me if I HAD access to a press..I'm leery of mucking up the CV joint taking the hub off the axle or the boot more than anything..

I now have to do something ,cant trust my truck out of my driveway till I find another tire,replace a caliper,master cylinder,and I think it needs a fuel filter,feels like its plugging up---and at least put more putty or fiberglass resin and cloth on the rotted oil pan, before I ruin it running it out of oil--i'm in no condition to try installing the used pans I have for it on my back in my driveway..--

Also I have nothing else to drive unless I borrow something to even go buy parts for either of my vehicles,or go get the bearing pressed if I succeded in getting the knuckle off the car without wrecking something else....my friend wont be able to look at my car till next week at least and doesn't really want the job to begin with..

I just wasted most of the day at the welfare office trying to straighten the mess out as far as food stamps I was getting jointly with my mom,now I had to reapply and it'll be at least 3 weeks before I get an answer whether I am eligible or not...and if I want any emergency cash assistance I'll be forced to get rid of one vehicle,or at least take it off the road.even if I do that they will still find some reason to not grant me any cash assistance,I'll be lucky if I can just get food stamps..

I hate accepting any "assistance" from the government because they always make it hard as possible to GET any,I was also told if I was granted any cash assistance and I happen to get approved for SSI disability in the future--they take the amount you collected out of your disability check...if I have my way I'll find a frigging job and tell them to keep their "assistance",and shove it!..--but with no vehicle to get to work in or even look for a job,how the hell do you get or keep one?...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom