Wheel bearing job from hell.....

[andrewwynn]

Second that method. (Cut and break). I have another bearing job to do, bearing arrived yesterday. I'm thinking of cutting a groove next to the hub and using heat to make the bearing race bigger to push it off rather than break it off. Don't be afraid of these as DIY but caveat: not for the beginner. Two things for the front: 1) it takes 15-20T to press out the old bearing (at least on 2001 model). The 3/4" bolt in the front bearing kits is only designed to handle 23,000#. I turned three of those bolts into smooth rods while changing two front bearings. 2) it can be an absolute beast to break the initial torque on the axle nut so maybe get a friendly mechanic to break that nut loose before starting.

You could make your own bearing press from 1" grade 8 bolt and some large metal plates and spacers made from steel pipe and washers.

Don't use the lug bolts to push off the old bearing: fit rear use side hammer, for the front some 14mm bolts with the tip ground a bit so the threads don't get mangled works good to push off the hub (I just let the tool mangle the dust shield and replaced it)

I upgraded my bearing press to 1" push rod so now it's upgraded to 62,000# and I don't expect problems in the future. I used the big bolt to press on a back bearing and that was a cake walk.


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