Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

Well after some pretty spirited driving over the past 6 years with my civic, my passenger side wheel bearing decided to give up. My wife works at Les Schwab and even with her discount, I still think $205 for replacing one is too much. I think I looked it up last night that a pair from kragen is around $75...I'm planning on tackling the job without a press or tamer. I have a decent amount of basic hand tools at my disposal, so we'll see what happens. I'll be documenting (taking pictures) along the way so in the even that i'm successful, I can make a small write up.

Every 88-00 civic and 90-01 integra should be almost exactly the same

Most people that have diagnosed their car to have a bad wheel bearing and know how to replace rotors should have enough knowledge about honda suspension to get as far as removing an axle, so that's about the time i'll be taking pictures.

If anybody has done a replacement without a press or tamer, what's some advice that you have?

Look forward to seeing this post deleted because I pussied out and took the knuckle to a shop for their press.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

Get a torch and an air hammer, it'll be much easier to remove the old bearing race from the hub that way.

Simple job, without a press I can do them in about 30 minutes, with a press it knocks it down to about 25 minutes. Press isn't absolutely necessary so long as you know what you're doing and have air tools. Without air tools, I'd probably spend all day trying to get the race off of the hub.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

I forgot to mention a MUCH easier method of doing this.



- Remove wheel.
- Remove 32mm axle nut.
- Remove cotter pins from tie rod end, lower ball joint, and upper ball joint.
- Remove 17mm nut on tie rod end, use hammer to break it free.
- Remove 2 17mm bolts from brake caliper bracket to remove caliper assembly.
- Remove 2 brake rotor retaining screws (if they're still there) and remove brake rotor.
- Remove 17mm nut on lower ball joint, use hammer to break ball joint free.
- Remove 17mm nut on upper ball joint, use hammer to break ball joint free.
- Remove steering knuckle assembly away from axle and put it in the back of your car.
- Drive down to a machine shop and pay them $15-$25 to press it in for you.

Install in reverse order of removal.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

when it boils down to it, this is probably what will end up happening. i'm stubborn though and will probably do any/everything in my power to do the job without taking my parts to somebody.. :/

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

i did find this though!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=4711

harbor freight is a hop skip and jump away...

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

but how often are you going to use that press? if often..90bucks will be worth it. if not then just do what slomofo said.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

i ended up needing much more than a bearing. my hub was toast and my knuckle somehow had scoring...i bought the whole knuckle, to include ball joints and a rotor (that i didn't need) for $65.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

good to see you got it fixed.

for anyone who searches this in the future, its easy to hammer out the hub from behind with a 1 1/8th socket and hammer.

re-seat the rub by tightening down the axle nut


the same technique can be used for installing extended wheel studs without a press

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

i have the same press, weak point is the jack, replaced mine and its been money ever since, the other tool i have is this guy
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=66829
works wonders for everything but removing the hub out of the center of the bearing, for that i still use my press, but with the impact and that guy, its 1,2,3,. bought it while i was working at a shop and couldnt get the knuckle to sit in the press right

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

$40 and a friend at the Acura dealership :) Getting my front pass side replaced today.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

humm i have a press.. but i haven't an extractor. i need it?

i mean.. the knuckle is already out of the car... i need to change the wheel bearing now..

should i press the hub out, press the hub+bearing out ?

and then? if part of the bearing stays in the hub?

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

To take it somewhere and pay them $25 to press the bearing out/in is well worth it. You already have the knuckle off and the majority of what a shop charges is strictly lin labor to remove the knuckle.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

Yeah but they charge $25 per knuckle, why not just spend the $75 and get a press that will do the job?

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

To each his own I guess. I mean if it's worth it to you, by all means, buy that bad boy. But how often will you really use it?

I'm just sayin, I've done all of my own wrenching over the past 8 years, on 6+ Hondas (among others), to include many driveway swaps and a complete build. Only ever had to pay for 2 wheel bearings to be pressed. To me, I'd rather give someone else a few bucks and save myself the time and hassle.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

this write up has been done already...!!!
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-crx-ef-civic-1988-1991-3/write-up-diy-front-wheel-bearing-replacement-2685054/

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

blah, its easy to do with a press - did today =)

i just need to put the hub back.. but i want to check if it's ok before i press it in the bearing..

how i can check if the hub is warped?

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

put a fine straight edge up to it. mine was scored like a mofo..almost looked like a horrible brake rotor after a blonde riding brakes down pikes peak with no brake pads.

Re: Wheel bearing replacement without press
 

In my area, they charge $60/bearing to press them in/out with the knuckle removed. Not only do you need the press, but you need bearing plates and an assortment of adapters to properly hold the knuckle.

If you have the space, I think it is worth it to get a shop press (20 ton)...you can do bearings, ball joints, bushings, crush cans. Harbor freight has their 20 ton going for $160 w/ coupon. I'm going to pick one up for my accord.

Autozone loans out specific auto tools like bearing pullers that can get the race off of the hub if it is still attached.

The hub is a very solid piece and is usually only warped from crashes/accidents. If a bad bearing left deep grooves in the hub itself, you should replace it.

Also, make sure all your wheel studs are in good shape (clean threads, no damage). If you do a lot of wheel changes, you might want to think about replacing them...they are cheap and easy to press in/out when the hub is out of the knuckle.