What Puller For Front Bearings?

[andrewwynn]

Pull knuckle use press. It's not faster. Not easier.

With my upgrade my press is good for 31T and using impact to turn the bolt takes about 30 seconds to pull the bearing and just a little longer to press in the new one (because I like to finish that one by hand)

[Attacking Mid]

Originally Posted by Henn28

I wonder what the dealer uses for this job? I can’t imagine they don’t use a press to speed the process up.

It's about $2500, but available to purchase! P/N 81 64 2 155 744



AM.

[Attacking Mid]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Pull knuckle use press. It's not faster. Not easier.

With my upgrade my press is good for 31T and using impact to turn the bolt takes about 30 seconds to pull the bearing and just a little longer to press in the new one (because I like to finish that one by hand)

Andrew, just to be clear... you bought the $120 HF Wheel Bearing tool and then drilled and replaced the bolt with a 1" bolt? Did you just use a regular nut instead of the long version that comes with the kit?

https://www.harborfreight.com/front-...ece-63728.html

AM.

[andrewwynn]

I bought 1-14 grade 8 bolts and normal nuts also oilite bronze bushings (but they have to be the thick ones. The thin ones sqeezed out like Play-Doh).

The bolts I bought are partial thread so I usually need to stack a couple plates as a spacer but I've been using the combination since 2016 and the bolts are as good as new.

I used to mess around with heat and cold to help ease things along and I still put the bearing in a freezer to shrink it a couple mils. The new bearing goes in much easier that way and no need for impact tool.

Always lubricate the bolt/nut/thrust bushing. Stupid amount of forces involved. About 30-35,000 If you don't heat the knuckle.

I'm pretty sure the HF kit you mention is the one I have. I only drilled out the biggest 4-5 plates I bought a grade 8 3/4 threaded rod to push the smaller sizes.

I drilled a hole next to the handle to drop in the 1" bolt and keep with the kit.

[Attacking Mid]

Awesome, thanks! I don't have a wb failing yet, but at 170K on the clock, it could be coming in my near future. I just finished an oil pan gasket and motor mount job, so I hope I can have a little break on E53 projects for a while!

AM.

[andrewwynn]

WB do not wear out they can go a million miles. They get damaged from Impact. Especially likely if you hit a pothole during a curve.

BMW has an advisory to preemptively replace any wheel bearing of a wheel that was impacted in an accident. That speaks volumes in regard to failure mode.

At 170 you should have already replaced the intake cam sensor and coming up on exhaust, the alternator, fuel pump, disa valve and the FPR. The Siphon jet usually lasts about 5-7000 hours. You should have also replaced the coolant reservoir by now.

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by Henn28

I wonder what the dealer uses for this job? I can’t imagine they don’t use a press to speed the process up.

I have some numbers from TIS for the tool they use, but I'm told they would take a long time to get and be quite expensive. I didn't write all of them down, but the most important pieces are the receiver cup for the removal, which in TIS shows as 33 4 261, and the press plate for installation, 22 1 018. I have no idea how to translate those to actual part numbers...BMW seems to have followed Ford on this sort of nonsense! If I had those numbers I'm sure I could use them with any ordinary puller kit.

[tempest411]

Originally Posted by Attacking Mid

Andrew, just to be clear... you bought the $120 HF Wheel Bearing tool and then drilled and replaced the bolt with a 1" bolt? Did you just use a regular nut instead of the long version that comes with the kit?

https://www.harborfreight.com/front-...ece-63728.html

AM.

You'd be much better off with the Astro Pneumatic pt# 78825. At least it has a 7/8" draw bolt already and a receiver cup big enough to remove the bearing, if not a press plate large enough to install it. I may go this route myself as I've found something to bodge together a way to install it, and need only a way to remove it-the larger receiver cup.


Master Front Wheel Drive Bearing Adapter Kit | Astro Pneumatic Tools

[nick325xit 5spd]

Yeah. I can confirm that the HF kit couldn't even survive one bearing.

[80stech]

The first bearing I did I used a friends press, for the second I got my self a 30 ton hydraulic ram with a hole down the center so it's kinda like the factory tool, still pricey but much less than $2500. If I remember correctly I used parts from the ATD 8625 kit and a big generic Chinese sleeve kit and a 3/4" grade 8 rod. I took the the knuckle off both times.