Front Wheel Bearing R&R

[andrewwynn]

You can no don't do it. 95% chance the guys using the hammer destroyed the new bearing going in though.

Consider: lateral impact; hit a pot hole while turning is almost always how the bearing is destroyed, one single hit on the inner race of a new bearing you just destroyed it.

I destroyed my wife's abs sensor with slide hammer by not removing it before knocking out the hub .

I've seen examples of people using a 10T ram to install and supposedly remove front bearings on an X3 which I think is very similar to X5 and there is no way that can reliably push out an X5 front bearing. I've done about 5 of them so far and another tomorrow.

I may try to use hand power and a torque adapter to see if adding Release agent can drop the forces enough you can use a 3/4" rod.

It's painfully simple for me to pull the bearing now with the 1" rod and 760 ft·lb impact wrench.

If you bought the right pipe coupler and flange, you should be able to do the same job on the cheap and way more reliably than the H F set with the under sized rod.

I've actually seen that exact video before I did my first bearing replacement, probably where I got the idea to cut the race off the hub with angle grinder; that's a very effective method.

I did notice that Honda bearing is quite small compared to the X5 bearing. Maybe less than three rear bearing on the X5. It probably took less than 5T of force to install the rear hub into the bearing on the back of the x5.

Since removal is the bear, you could likely use a trick like that video and a sledge for removal. If you used the old bearing for the press you might get away with sledge for install but you'll be subjecting the inner race to 1000s of G of impact there is no way I would recommend that. You need to make one dent 0.0002" deep and that bearing is toast. Definitely only install using slow force like a screw or hydraulic piston or you will be calling this install the "practice run"