Rear Wheel Bearings

[George4th]

Hello all, I have been lurking for a while but I need to ask question!
Having been reading through the archives , there seems to be some people who have changed their rear bearings with a hammer and punch and others taken to a machine shop to have a 6 tonne press help.
I haven't got a 6 tonne press nor realistic access to one. Is it possible with normal tools and can anyone pass on any tips. I intend to remove the hub with SJS's little tool

Thanks

George 4th

[rgh0]

Once you have got the hub off the rest is certainly possible with just a hammer and suitable drifts. You need to be very careful that you only use the drifts on the right race of the bearing when fitting new ones so you dont load up the ball races when fitting the bearings to the hub or the housing. You also need to make sure the housing is very clean to prevent the bearings doing damage when removing or fitting and properly supported when driving bearings in or out of it. Lots of gentle taps around the bearing races so it moves slowly and squarely into the housing or onto the shaft is the key.

When driving the axle and inboard bearing out of the housing and outboard bearing using the end of the shaft fit a spacer over the threaded end and tap on the spacer to avoid damaging the thread

It helps if you get a pipe length that fits the inner bearing outer race and needs 3 cut outs along its length so it fits over the donut drive arms so you can drive the old inner bearing off easily and then also drive the assembled shaft and inboard bearing back into the hub. This avoids damaging the dust shield which can happen if you just use a small drift around the periphery to drive the bearing into the housing.

It also helps if you get a length of pipe that fits the inner race of the bearings to drive the bearings onto the shaft

The only challenge is fitting the outer bearing as it needs to be driven onto both the shaft and the housing at the same time. The fit on the shaft is much tighter than the housing so I drive it on the inner race. Warming the housing with a hairdryer also makes it slip easier into place. You need to support the shaft and the housing at the same time when doing this operation to avoid loading up the inner bearing which can be tricky, concentrate on supporting the shaft first as it gets the majority of the load as you fit the outer bearing onto it and into the housing.

hope this all makes sense
regards
Rohan

[UAB807F]

Hi George,

I don't have a press either so I used the hammer & drift method. I made a drift from some 1/2" bar stock I had lying around but no doubt I would have used a sacrificial screwdriver if that had been the only thing available. As Rohan says, the trick is to take your time, make sure everything is clean and try not to transfer all the load through the bearings themselves. Probably the easiest mistake when fitting by hand is to get the bearing misaligned slightly by hitting one side too hard and it jams/marks the casing. Gentle taps on opposing sides and working your way around the diameters is how I do it.

Brian

[George4th]

Rohan and Brian
Thanks for the info, it certainly sounds do-able

Thanks again

George

[ardee_selby]

Hello all, Having been reading through the archives...George 4th

Hello George,

Just a thought...

You may have read threads about rear disk run-out from the "ears" being bent from, possibly, an earlier attempt at shaft removal. Some have used shims to correct but I, and others, have trued-up the mounting faces in a lathe whilst the shaft was out.

If run-out has been any cause of concern for you...maybe now would be a good time to check & fix?

Cheers - Richard

[rgh0]

The photo shows the two "special" drifts I used orginally with no press to remove and refit the wheel bearings using a hammer to drive the bearings on and off. Now i use the same tools in a press that I have which makes it easier and quicker.

Not hard to make as one is just a length of pipe that matches the bearing inner race and the other a length of pipe with cut outs that matches the outer race.

As noted by others , dont support the shaft on the end of the arms or you may bend then, support it via the centre.

cheers
Rohan

[George4th]

Richard - Thanks for the tips
Rohan - Is it possible to measure the pipe sizes for me so I can purchase some bits of pipe from our local metalworker

Thanks

George (4th)

[rgh0]

Pipe for inner bearing race

length 265mm
OD 42.5 mm
ID 36.2 mm

This matches the inner bearing race 32 mm ID and 39 mm OD


Pipe with cut out for outer bearing race

length 75mm
OD 60.4 mm
ID 53.0 mm

This matches the outer bearing race 53.0 mm ID and 62.0 mm OD

cheers
Rohan

[George4th]

Thanks so much Rohan , I'm on the case!

Cheers

George

[George4th]

Rohan
Would these work - cut down a bit (Found on ebay) :-

Mild Steel Round Tube Pipe 60.3mm x 3mml - 90mm long - This seems a little thinner? Too thin or OK yours is 3.7mm? Could this be 4mm ID 52.3mm?

Mild Steel Pipe 42.4mm x 4mm - 450mm long - Round Tube - This seems a bit thicker but ID would still be more than the shaft

Thanks

George (4th)

[rgh0]

They look OK

What is crtical is that the ID of the smaller pipe fits over the stub axle. I.e. slightly larger than the ID of the inner race and the OD of the larger pipe fits inside the bearing housing i.e. slightly smaller than the OD of the outer race.

3mm or 4mm wall thickness should be OK provided the ID and OD above are achieved.

cheers
Rohan

[George4th]

Rohan - hope you are around .....
I am up to here......

I used SJS's little tool for the hubs and attached my slide hammer and I have my tubes as above
Tried the slide hammer and nothing. Would a bit of heat help?
Trying the other direction, when you mentioned a spacer , does this mean just hitting a piece of metal on the end or is it some kind of cap? Previously on other cars I have just put the nut on?

Thanks
Terry -OOps sorry George4th

[rgh0]

Hi Terry
A little heat on the hubs I have found to help even with a 12 tonne hydraulic puller and splitter behind the hub which is what I use. i would think heat is a must with the knock on tools like the SJS one.

I use a spacer ( a socket of suitable dimensions works) over the end of the shaft to bear on the axle just below the thread so i dont deform the thread when driving the shaft and inside bearing out of the hub and through the outside bearing. A couple of nuts bottomed out on the thread can be used instead but if you deform the nuts then you can damage the thread when removing them.

cheers
Rohan

[George4th]

Cheers Rohan

My cover has been blown

George

[rgh0]

Just had a look at your photo.

You can use the slide hammer from the inside or try to drive from the outside with a spacer or nut over the threaded end of the shaft. i have always driven from the outside. The puller on the 3 arms I only use to remove thge diff shafts.

If using the slide hammer be careful you dont distort the 3 arms on the shaft as they bend relatively easily.

You need to support the alloy hub securely and remove the inside circlip and clean any dirt or corrosion. A spray of penetrant on the inside and some heat on the alloy helps the inner bearing come out with the shaft. Some penetrant on the shaft around the outer bearing helps the shaft through the outer bearing.

cheers
Rohan