HELP! 2003 3.0i X5 Rear Wheel Bearing Hub Removal

Bluemach1 · #1 05-01-2018, 05:20 PM

I have everything apart and I am using a 5 pound slide hammer and I can not get the hub to separate from the rear wheel bearing. What am I doing wrong? Is there another way to get this come off?

I need this apart today.

HELP!

Thanks,

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wpoll · #2 05-01-2018, 05:39 PM

I used a slide hammer to separate the hub from the bearing, before I removed the bearing from the knuckle. Easy as....

The bearing inner race stays on the hub when you use this method but you can then nick the inner race with a cutting disk and smack it with a cold chisel - it'll crack then pop right off.

white_335i · #3 05-01-2018, 09:48 PM

5lb slide hammer did not help when I did the bearings. I bought a 10lb and about 10 whacks, the hub came off.

wpoll · #4 05-01-2018, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by white_335i

5lb slide hammer did not help when I did the bearings. I bought a 10lb and about 10 whacks, the hub came off.

I think mine is a 3kg hammer. At about five whacks it was loose and at eight it was off... (from memory)...

cn90 · #5 05-01-2018, 09:59 PM

- I wrote a DIY REAR Bearing for the E39 5-series below.
X5 is similar...

DIY: 1998 528i REAR Bearing the Easy Way! - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums

Bluemach1 · #6 05-01-2018, 11:21 PM

Thanks everyone for your help.

I finally got this off. The 5 lb hammer would not even budge that sucker. I could not find a 10 lb slide hammer anywhere locally. Just 5 lb'ers. I finally got bearing separator and was able to slowly work the hub from the bearing by running bolts through the hub to the separator. To do that, I had to take the brake apart. Not a big deal, just not a step that I planned on.

So there is a lot more MacGyver involved with this than expected. I was following this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyHghlHcpA0 but it wasn't quite that easy.

Pretty good but it must be a little easier with the air suspension versus the coil spring. Had to get in to some creative jacking to get the coil sprin compressed while leaving enough working room to get the bearing bolts out and back in and taking the pressure off of the shaft to allow it to move around. None of my spring compressors could even fit. I am sure there is a compressor out there that would work. But none of the three styles that I have would get it done.

I spent about 8 hours on this today. Mostly figuring stuff out. A couple of runs to the parts store for rental stuff (slide and separator). A run to the hardware store for bolts for the bearing separator.

Got the new hub / bearing installed but will have to button the rest up tomorrow.

Knowing what I know now, I bet I could do the other side in about 3 - 5 hours.

wpoll · #7 05-01-2018, 11:37 PM

Glad you got it sorted.

I dropped the exhaust then pulled the rear axle from the car. Doing this left the hub empty (no drive shaft in the way) which allowed me to use the slide hammer with the bearing still on the car. It also made unbolting and bolting up the wheel bearing MUCH easier!

Seems like there several ways to do this job and what works depends on what tools you have...

Bluemach1 · #8 05-01-2018, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wpoll

I dropped the exhaust then pulled the rear axle from the car. Doing this left the hub empty (no drive shaft in the way) which allowed me to use the slide hammer with the bearing still on the car. It also made unbolting and bolting up the wheel bearing MUCH easier!

I gave that shaft a long look once was in there. Only problem I thought I would have was breaking it loose as I already had the brake disassembled. I think that I would do that when I do the passenger side. If that shaft was out of there, it would be a piece of cake.

andrewwynn · #9 05-02-2018, 03:31 PM

I did the right rear on wife's car without taking down the suspension by using a couple wobble extensions to get around the end of the axle. I used a 1/2" breaker bar to just get the bolts started and then I have a special 3/8" ratchet with two flex joints it literally goes around corners and worked perfectly to finish removing the bolts.

To install the bolts I cut slots in the end of the bolts to turn them into screws and used an impact driver to turn them in from the opposite end they got snug enough I could reverse the removal process and only needed a quarter turn to torque them

I used a slide hammer and it wasn't 10# it may have been only 5, but if somebody else has the same problem you can add anything heavy to the slide to improve the knock. Eg hold a 4# hammer behind the slide of a 5# slide hammer and suddenly you have a 9# slide hammer.

When doing the front bearing I use longer bolts through the lug threads and some metal plates behind. It destroys the dust cap so I just get a new one when I buy the bearing. Helps me keep track of which bearings I've done as a bonus.

Bluemach1 · #10 05-02-2018, 05:23 PM

So how do I set the axle nut? I cant quite get the right angle to bend it down with a cold chisel. It sort of just drives it back but not down.

The one I removed looks like it was cut then bent. But there is no way to get a cutoff tool in there.

Also, for posterity, what i was able to do for a spring compressor is to use a couple of my vise grip welding C-clamps. I think they are the 3.5" jaws. Working with them together (clamp one, clamp two, clamp one, clamp two....) you can compress a couple of inches. Worked really well for reassembly..

Thanks,
Ted

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