Wheel bearing time? HMMMMMMMMM

[andrewwynn]

That's why i cut a slot so i can use s screw gun and long flat blade.


–awr–

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[X5chemist]

Cool, I'll run them through by hand before installation. I like the small slot option. Using a small screwdriver from the outside to run bolts in.

[andrewwynn]

Pretty big screwdriver. I use a 6" long screw driver bit in an impact driver. (lefty tighty). You have to poke thought a lug hole in the hub. You could use a manual screwdriver but then fight the factory thread lock


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[Effduration]

Hi - I wanted to share my rear wheel bearing experience;

I used Andrewwynn's excellent rear wheel bearing DIY as well as the youtube link from post #9 above, both were extremely helpful.

Easy parts:
-tapping axle out
-puling hub with a free loaner slide hammer from Advanced Auto
-remove old bearing race from hub with grinder and a smack with a cold chisel
-Pressing new bearing onto hub
-cutting slots into bolts to make it easier to snug up bolts.

More difficult parts
- getting the correct angle and ENOUGH torque to break bolts free
- getting bearing flange bolts started by hand.
- getting the correct angle and ENOUGH torque to torque the bolts upon installation

My axle nuts were a corroded mess - see pic below, so I bought replacements and paid a mechanic to loosen/replace them for me. Glad I did.

I did this on a lift, and becasue time was tight I decided to do one side then the other later. One bearing was making a load whirrring noise and I guessed it was it was the right side rear (passenger side in US) and thankfully I was RIGHT.

Once I removed wheel, brakes, rotor, parking brake shoes, axel nut, & tapped the axle through, I was read to attach the loaner 5lb hammer and the hub came right out.

I then jacked up the rear wheel carrrier close to level and USED EVERY socket extension, wobble joint, universal joint and 3/8- and 1/2= drive E14 socket I had, as Andrew mentiones in his DIY... I used different combinations for the upper and lower bolts... I found I needed a large 1/2 drive breaker bar to break the bolts free..

The trick to getting access to the bolts is to keep the axle pushed in.. On reinstallation of the new bearing. the axle is going to have a tendency to push thru the hub...but don't let it until you got bolts tight.

I used a flexible socket 8" inch 3/8 drivev socket extention with a finger ratchet (i'll try to add a picture) to get the new bolts started by hand...They felt like they wanted to strip, so getting them started by hand is the way to go. I slotted the new bolts, and was able to turn them fully snug with a long screwdriver (another Andrew tip) before torqueing them.

[X5chemist]

Originally Posted by Effduration

The trick to getting access to the bolts is to keep the axle pushed in.

Do mean "pushed in" towards the differential side?

Thanks for posting your experience! I'm getting really tempted to swap the rear bearings. Even if prematurely. Seems easy enough.

[Effduration]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

Do mean "pushed in" towards the differential side?

Yes...pushed in toward the differential.

The outer rear axle - CV joint, CV boot, splines - is kind of bulky and moving it inward about an inch gives you the clearance you need to put an E14 socket on the bearing flange bolts.

[X5chemist]

TRQ posted an E53 video 6 months ago.
I know the centric washer is tack welded on the RR side. I had it tack welded when the slot holder was damaged during a new shaft installation. I don't plan to disturb it.

[X5chemist]

X5 humming is getting louder. At good speed and going around a U underpass (left turn), the humming goes away. So weight shift does affect the failing bearing. Does weight shifting right on a left turn mean the LR bearing is going out? Weather should be nice enough to rear lift it and check this week. I have a new 1/2" brushless impact to try out. Christmas gift. A lot stronger than my current 1/2" impact.

[Clavurion]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

X5 humming is getting louder. At good speed and going around a U underpass (left turn), the humming goes away. So weight shift does affect the failing bearing. Does weight shifting right on a left turn mean the LR bearing is going out? Weather should be nice enough to rear lift it and check this week. I have a new 1/2" brushless impact to try out. Christmas gift. A lot stronger than my current 1/2" impact.

It can be either way but more common on a starting failure to cause noises when the load is partly taken off.

Have you tried rotating the wheel and feeling the spring with your finger for light resonation? (Pry the brake pads off the rotor surface to prevent brake noises first.)

[andrewwynn]

Each wheel has an inner and outer race. The weight shift depends if you have 255 or 235 tires.

255s force is on bottom of the outer race and on the top of the inner race.

235s the force is on the bottom of the inner race and on the top of the outer race.

If you have 255s and a 235 spare the best way I've found to confirm a suspect bearing is to put the spare on each corner.

It's how i found out i had a bad bearing that made no noise; i put a spare on and it sounded like i had pea gravel bearings immediately. As bad as if i had a bad bearing getting worse for as year or two but it came to be instantly!

If the growl goes away or drops far in intensity you've found the wheel!

It's very often not the corner that's getting loaded to change during cornering, but when there is a distinct change from cornering you can often work out which side is at fault.

Example: since 255s are pre stressed top in, it means the outside wheel will flip which races are loaded. If it gets louder then more than likely it's the outside wheel but 235s are opposite and getting louder on the inside (of the curve) is the expectation.

If the sound gets quieter, the opposite applies.

Getting a bad bearing swapped is one of life's pure joy. Godspeed.


–awr–

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