I have a rear wheel bearing failing on my '91 318is. I normally do my own
maintenance but reading the procedure in my Bentley manual makes it sound
like I will have to rent a puller to get the axle out, remove the trailing
arm from the body to get the old bearing out, and that I would still be at
some risk of ruining the new bearing if I don't have a press to do the
installation. So I'm looking for guidance from someone who has done this
job at home. TIA for any experience out there.
>I have a rear wheel bearing failing on my '91 318is. I normally do my own
>maintenance but reading the procedure in my Bentley manual makes it sound
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>installation. So I'm looking for guidance from someone who has done this
>job at home. TIA for any experience out there.
Did the front on my car a couple of weeks ago and it was a piece of cake. I
rented a puller from autozone, and bought a *very* special tool to press the
bearing back in. A piece of 1 1/2" (or perhaps 1 1/4") pipe and a hammer.
Pulled the old one off with very little more than my fingers for a wrench on
the puller, tapped the new one on with my special tool... if the rears are
the same, then... but if not, then...
Matt
Psycho - 16 Sep 2006 15:55 GMT
The rears are a little more difficult but if you follow the guide
they're not that bad. I used a Haynes manual and about had a heart
attack when it told me to put the new bearing in by using a large
socket and beating it in with the inner race. Worked like a charm
though and the new bearing seems to have survived...
>>I have a rear wheel bearing failing on my '91 318is. I normally do my own
>>maintenance but reading the procedure in my Bentley manual makes it sound
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
>Matt
Jack - 16 Sep 2006 17:10 GMT
Thanks for the Haynes reference Psycho.
I forgot I have a Haynes manual as well and I see it recommends pulling the
hub into the bearing inner race using a threaded rod, nuts and washers.
This was the part of the job that seemed high risk to me as I thought it
required hammering the hub into the inner race (forgot the hub is hollow).
So I'll scedule the job for next weekend as I guess I'm still too tight to
pay someone $250 labor to work on my car if I think I can do it myself.
Thanks again.
> The rears are a little more difficult but if you follow the guide
> they're not that bad. I used a Haynes manual and about had a heart
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>>
>>Matt
Ed Beroset - 30 Sep 2006 18:50 GMT
> Thanks for the Haynes reference Psycho.
> I forgot I have a Haynes manual as well and I see it recommends pulling the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> So I'll scedule the job for next weekend as I guess I'm still too tight to
> pay someone $250 labor to work on my car if I think I can do it myself.
Good for you! You can relax about the threaded rod trick. It has been
used for many, many years. I think that the first time I saw it
described in print was in one of Carroll Smith's books -- maybe "Prepare
to Win" -- some years ago.
Ed