Wheel bearing job from hell.....
 

Well I managed to change the wheel bearing on my 2005 bmw x5 3.0.

I'm sitting with bruises from head to toe and semi conscious. Not responsible for spell errors. Heck not responsible for complete thoughts.

I have changed a few hundred wheel bearings in my day. At least 100 cv axles.

I have NEVER been through the hell I went thru today in all of those jobs.

I watched this cool video showing how easy it was to change the front wheel bearing. For the most part the guys video was dead on with minor changes since he was doing the job on a x3 and mines an x5. Generally it covered each step nicely.

I should of just quit after taking the wheel off the car. Really. The axle nut was crushed onto the axle. Sure they are supposed to be dinged to keep them from coming off on two spots. But some moron had CRUSH the entire thing in with god knows what.

After 30 minutes of battling with that and finally DRILLING holes in the nut to flare it out enough I had the front tire off. YEAH!

Should of stopped there.....

Next I went to tap the cv axle out some like the guy in the video did with a tiny hammer and then even used a screw driver to finish knocking it thru. LOL not my x5. I made it up to 10 lb sledge hammer and still didn't seem to move it much. Maybe 1/4 of an inch. Maybe.

So I decide to skip that for now and took everything else off. EVERY one of the control arms, steering linkage etc was in there like no tomorrow. After beating the snot out of the stuff I finally had everything undone linkage wise. Even kept from damaging the wheel sensor and the leveling sensor for the headlights. I was feeling kind of proud of that since I read where so many had the sensor break off and the auto leveling sensor being fragile too.

Then I returned to the cv axle from hell. I beat this thing for 4 hours straight. I kept at it since it was moving verrry slowly. I had moved it a full inch and 1/2 now. Major progress or so I thought.

Eventually I realized the axle wasn't actually moving. I had mushroomed the entire axle 1 and 1/2 inches worth :yikes:

I decided since the thing wouldn't come out I would introduce the bastard to my new 20 ton press I bought Saturday. I was sure they would be goooood friends.

So I proceed to remove the axle shaft from the chunk side. This wasn't that hard the heart attack part was when it snapped free like it should and then kept coming out of the chunk and coming out and coming out.

I didn't know it had a few feet of shaft to it and at this point I figured with how my day had gone I had just messed up my front end and was pulling out the carrier shaft along with the cv shaft from the other side of the car....

After going inside and double checking what the thing was supposed to look like and deciding it wasn't destroyed I took the entire steering knuckle and several feet of cv shaft over to my press. Trust me trying to feed all of the cv shaft thru the base of the press while holding the steering knuckle over your head is not fun or easy.

I finally got it in there and proceeded to press the thing out. I shattered the first impact socket I tried to use as a peg to push the axle shaft out. Then crushed two more solid metal spacers I had. After mangling a hand full of gear it finally let go with a horrible screeching sound and pop. I'm thinking YES its over finally. Nope it just moved 2 mm tops. This process had to be repeated about 20 times before I finally got the axle out of the hub.

That's when I realized how bad it was mushroom from the hammering.

So I called autozone and ordered a new axle which will be in tomorrow morning.

The funny part is the inside of the hub and the axle were spotless. Not one bit of rust or corrosion so no clue why it was in there so bad.

Next onto the flange the wheel bolts onto. Of course this came off with half the bearing seized to it. But I'm ready for this part. I had run into this on my other bmw's. I go to get the bearing splitter. Turns out a friend borrowed it and didn't bring it back. So I have to wait 3 hours on that to get back to me.

So I turn to the wheel bearing swap itself. That part actually went semi smoothly with the new press.

Then when the bearing separator finally made it back to me I removed the piece off the hub and pressed it into the wheel bearing. I wish I had a video of the wife trying holding the bearing separator rig while I turned the bolt with the ratchet.

So now I have a shiny new wheel bearing installed in the hub sitting beside my X5. When the axle gets in tomorrow at autozone I MAYBE will get it all put back together but at the rate my luck is going Im not counting on it...


Anyone else been thru this much just the change the a wheel bearing on their X5? Is this what its going to be like from now on????

I did a rear wheel bearing recently and while it was challenging and took some time (about 6 hours) it went really well. I did it all in situ - I didn't remove the knuckle - on a rear that would be a mission anyway! I did drop the entire exhaust, to get the rear CV axle clear of the diff etc. but it was pretty quick.

I did a front wheel bearing (and hub) on a 2005 Subaru a few days ago (for a colleague) and it took just over an hour. SO much easier ...

Yep - the BMWs can be very tough.

i did mine last year on my 01x5 3.0 it was fairly easy taking off entire knuckle only prob i hsd was i to bought a 20 ton press at HF! and when i went to instsll bearing it went n crooked and trashed the damn thing twice!!! so i wound up buying 3 bearings!!

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Next time (if there ever is a next time!) just groove the inner race stuck on the hub with a cutting disc on an angle grinder and then smack the groove with a cold chisel - it'll crack and you can pull it off by hand. Takes about 90 seconds.... :D

Once I had my bearing tool it didn't take but about 3 minutes or so to remove it. If I had a vise to hold the thing I could of done it instantly with my air impact turning the tool. Wife holding the bearing tool took longer as I turned her as often as I turned the bearing :)

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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My wheel bearing job... The gift that just keeps giving....


I finished up and had started putting most of my tools up feeling veeery happy this was over with. Then I went to put the wheel on the car and it wont go on.

Hmmm

After battling with it a for a bit I then realized what had happened. In my quest to hammer the cv axle out I missed quite a few times hitting the nose of the wheel hub. I mushroom it out too :(

So now I'm grinding the wheel hub down so I can get the wheel back on slowly but surely. Decided to take a break and post this between grinding on it.

Will this ever end ?????

Ok wheels on. I started out with a flat file and that wasn't getting anywhere fast. The only other grinder I had was a dremel tool. I was pretty amazed how easily I was able to file down the hub with the dremel tool. Was still a very tight fit but I walked the lug bolts as I tightened them slowly a bit at a time. The wheel finally pulled flush and all the bolts stopped as expected effort wise so I think Im good to go. Will know after a test drive. Did do a final check with the torque wrench to make sure I had them tight enough.

Wheel bearing job from hell.....
 

I was concerned about exactly the same when I was banging on the hub center but I used a large headed hammer so less pressure less denting.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...12d0681302.jpg

Here's my upgraded 1" bolt bearing press. Non challenge pressing the back bearing in as it probably takes 7-10T of force vs the 31T capability. As you can see it's a relatively easy concept a couple steel plates with 1" hole and an 8" bolt. I turned it 80% on by hand but did use impact wretch for the last 20%

The stacked plates are because the bolt isn't fully threaded.

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Nice looking setup. I hope I don't need to work on the car for a little bit. I don't think there is enough left in me for any more major projects right now.

I imagine the radio install day after tomorrow should be fun as I probably wont even be able to move by then.

Well the test drive was a success. No more roar.

Congrats Crowz. The end result makes the bruising and sore muscles almost completely worth it.

Now, when the test drive goes badly... and you hear that poor bearing still making noise... LOL that's not good times. My brother in law had that happen to him on his 330ci because he had tapped the bearing in improperly and damaged it. HAHA, I still remember that string of expletives... very reminiscent of Chevy Chase near the end of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. ;)

Wheel bearing job from hell.....
 

23 cusses ending with hallelujah holy shit; where's the Tylenol.

I have to replace the third bearing on wife's x5 I figure I'll do the 4th preemptively when I have a spare day. Always a gamble if the new one was a fluke or its a different one broken it is so hard to tell which. Always feels so good to feel the bump bump bump in the old bearing when you pull it out to confim you did the right one.

A great tip: if you can: change the wheel to a different width wheel. Borrow or use a spare: if you can get the force to flip from inside to outside or three opposite you can often nearly eliminate the vibration and confim which wheel.

When I changed my 255s to 245s one of my front bearings flips from leaning in to leaning out and instantly showed the hidden damage. I'm going to try that same test with wife's x5 to confim the left front is the bum bearing as opposed to the right (which is the one I replaced last year).

I caught myself almost pressing a bearing in on the wrong race. Outer race to put into the carrier, inner race to press on the hub. Do not want to put 10-15T of force sideways on the bearing itself

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At this point I figured with the way my luck was going either I replaced the wrong bearing or who knows what else :)

But everything seems ok. That was the most tense test drive ever for the first trip up to the speed limit.

Just so happy it worked.

Amen !

The which way you turn making it quieter seems to be the best method for figuring out which one is bad. Heck the old one seemed ok when I went to remove it at least by turning it by hand.

The way I picked the one to change was that turning to the right made the noise stop. So I changed the right hand (passenger side) bearing.

I really couldn't tell which one it was just driving straight.

Works for the front wheel bearings. Not that great for testing the rear bearings.

I'm going to go ahead and order the other 3 bearings and put them up for when I either feel like changing them or when they start marking noise. I know it wont be to soon one way or the other. I'm finding just walking a major challenge today and in 2 days I get to redo the entire stereo system....

Getting old sucks.

The problem with the logic of right vs left turning is you don't know for sure if the load plane is inboard or outboard of the centerline of the bearing.

Take the right wheel for example: if the load centerline is right of the bearing center then the outer race of the bearing holds the weight and the inner bearing only keeps the wheel straight. A left turn will flip the job of the inner and outer race. If the outer race is the damaged one it will get quieter as the load is removed from the outer race even though the right wheel will have more force during a left turn. It's really frustrating to determine because of this.


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Should still be quieter on a hard turn when the weight is shifted off the bad bearing. So far its worked for me finding bad bearings. Of course I prefer to jack up the vehicle and spin the wheel after I narrow it down via the turning method.

Only problem with the X5 was neither bearing made noise hand turning. So luckily the driving and turning worked out otherwise I wouldn't of had anything to go on this time around.

Hopefully, you changed the shaft seals for the differential case when you pulled the cv joint off the differential case. The seal is pretty inexpensive and if you have the right tools it just adds 5 minutes to the job. If you didn't I would monitor any new fluid leaks that you may notice. A leaking differential will eventually leave you with a burnt or scored ring and pinion gears.

Nope didn't change it. If it leaks I'll replace it. So far its dry around shaft and that side of the case.

Had to revive this one.

Roars back.

Wife has this X5 now and daily drives it back and forth to work but I don't think that is what killed this bearing.

If anyone remembers the other thread I had with the wheel not coming off after I forced it on from the mushroomed hub I think that explains what caused this one to fail so fast.

That wheel was beat on for a few weeks by everyone that wanted a shot at trying to hammer the wheel off. A mechanic finally hammered it off the car.

I don't think the wheel bearing faired to wheel in all of the abuse.

Anyways Im sitting here trying to convince myself to do this all over again.....

Film it all this time. If it's anything like the last one, you'll be youtube rich and famous by the end of it. Might even get your own reality show out of it. :thumbup:

Im going to film the whole thing this time since I have a nice work area now. Im hoping for a drama free time this time around !

Im already a youtube star :)

Over 6000 subscribers, should be at 7000 soon.

Also 4 million views on one of my vids. My vid of washing a wheel on my e70 with my pressure washer went viral.

If you decide to replace the bearings again, are you staying with the same brand? Which one did you use; OEM or aftermarket (FAG, Ruville SKF)?

I don't really know if I can blame the FAG ones I used since it was abused so bad to get the wheel off so I don't know yet.

I have to do a front and a rear bearing soon. I'll take some useful step by step with some of my tricks like adding a slot to the end of the E14 bolts holding the rear bearing on so I can use impact with a flat blade screwdriver to turn them. Almost tight then one twist from under the car to torque them down.

I am also due for front wheel bearings soon. My plan is to remove the hubs and use my recently acquired 20-ton press (HF special) to press the bearings in/out.


"The only additional cost is the wheel alignment." So with the alignment cost, I'm thinking of paying attention also to the rear. The rear does not need bearings at the moment but the negative camber is wearing out my rear tires.


Q: From a factory perfect rear camber settings, does your tires wear out unevenly (inside part of the tire)? I'm running 285 wide tires in rears


Andrewwynn and Crowz, hopefully you have time to document the steps for the "how to's"

Wheel bearing job from hell.....
 

I'm not the type to do video or every step but I sure will show the critical steps and the tricks to make it easier. I'm in the process of upgrading my bearing press to have roller bearing and can't wait to use it.

The rear bearing tricks are worth the wait and I have them on xoutpost but just a post on somebody's thread so good luck finding that.

Im either under attack by pollen or I have a nasty summer cold.

Once Im not popping Dayquil like there is no tomorrow I will start on doing this.

I am already doing the front bearings right now on my 2001 BMW X5 3.0i. I got the FAG bearings. Is there an orientation on how to install the bearings?

Looking at one bearing, I see a black band going around the circumference. My instinct tells me this side should be on the inboard side (where the pickup is located).

I will continue my search for the correct answer. I can't afford to make a mistake and do this all over again.


I see a video of an X3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6yYw04vgPc at 11:25 that the end with the black band goes in the inboard side.


Found my answer:

The black ring has to be aligned with the abs sensor when installed which was in first best I remember. just make sure the ring is on the side that is closest to the abs sensor after installed.

I could see the bumps in the abs ring. One side is supposed to have a wider chamfer to help get it centered / started. All bets are on the back band towards the car centerline

Thanks Crowz and Andrewwynn. That's how I installed the bearing. I just finished front right side. The left side will be for tomorrow.

While I was removing the old bearing using my 20-ton press, I forgot about the loud bang when bearing releases . . . scared the shit out of me :yikes::lmao:

Also, half of the bearing race stayed on the hub. I have to slightly cut it using a dremel without leaving a mark on the hub. I then use a torch to help expand and split the journal. Once it is split, I use a cold chisel to walk it out of the hub.


One important thing when pressing the new bearing on the spindle especially with a press . . . when it is about to hit bottom, keep a watchful eye on it and make sure it is close to or fully seated. Try fitting the wheel sensor making sure it does not rub against the bearing.

Wheel bearing job from hell.....
 

I did my first one at 11pm in the dark alley. Imagine MY SURPRISE.

BETTER: I preloaded with 10,000# more than the push rod was designed and it didn't move: until i heated it to about 240°F and THEN the BANG! I was sure the knuckle split.

I didn't just get the one bang. Since I was using a threaded rod press, I got bang-bang-bang-bang. The secondary bangs were not as loud.


I used to use that method now I use my 4.5" right angle grinder and cut parallel to the hub face to make a 1/16" slot in the bearing race that I can use a chisel to push the race off. No heat needed.

That is the normal for the bearing. The inner race will always stay behind.

The Honda Odyssey Front bearing is fun to watch.

Without the use of any press...

These guys should have use a piece of wood to hold the spindle while banging it out...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edabaqTXBYw


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For the OUTER Race, I wonder if we can use a small angle grinder or dremel and cut a 45-degree groove (making sure you do not go through the racer and cut into the spindle), deep enough to make it weak, then bang it out using cold chisel?

I found the answer to the OUTER Race inside the spindle, this guy used a "rotary tool" (probably angle grinder with small blade or dremel) and make a 45-degree cut, then tap it out...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nifUUKDMiw


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Same principle applies. I use my 30T bearing press and my 760 ft·lb impact to knock out the bearing. Clever to use a Dremel if you don't have the tool but I wouldn't hammer the new bearing in.

Actually...

- Few people own a press, so dremel 45-degrees should help removal.

- New bearing: use installation tool or, actually if you have a big socket or old bearing OUTER race, gently hammer it in as long as you hammer the outer race, it will be fine.

Many people remove/install bearing with little understanding of how bearing works. If people do a bit of reading then they will know the "dos and don'ts".