Rear bearing replacement 1984 4wd wagon

[mkoch]

I bent my rear inner suspension arm on my 1984 4wd wagon. My project is to replace it.

 

 

I bought a used inner arm, and new bearings and seals.

 

I removed the brake components, leaving the spindle. The spindle has a lot of play, or wobble, in it. Is this normal?

 

The Keep Your Subaru Alive! book mentions that special tools and expertise is needed to replace the bearings. Is this something that only the dealer can do, or can auto shops typically do this?

[GeneralDisorder]

Yes there will be play in the bearing assembly without the drum in place as it holds the outer bearing into it's race.

 

You can do the bearings yourself though it does help to have the ring nut socket. You can use a punch to free the ring nut and spin it out if you don't have the socket. Once that is out, drift the bearing assembly out through the back of the arm, clean up the cavity, and install the new bearing outer race or assembly. Usually you can use part of the old bearing as a driver to install the new one.

 

Make SURE you drive the axle stub out of the old bearings while it's still in the arm - before you remove the ring nut otherwise they can be difficult to remove once free of the arm.

 

If you have access to a press it will be a simple matter. If not you can get the job done with a good sized hammer, some brass drifts, and a bit of injenuity. It's really a very simple thing.

 

Most dealer's won't even bother to do a job like this. They will just send it out to a machine shop with a press. But half those monkey's don't know how to use a press or how to treat bearings. Bearings are delicate - you can't ever press or pound on a bearing in such a way as to transmit force through the balls. Every whack they take = -10% or more on their life. It can't be overstressed that it MUST be done correctly and in the correct order or the bearings will last 10,000 miles instead of 250,000.

 

GD

Edited March 6, 2010 by GeneralDisorder

[naru]

Forget the dealer,they will probably find a way to mess it up.

 

Do it yourself.Quite easy.

 

That is a dumb book.

[backwoodsboy]

That is a dumb book.

 

.... thats your opinion.

 

That "dumb book" has helped more folks on this board than we both could count!

[hatchsub]

.... thats your opinion.

 

That "dumb book" has helped more folks on this board than we both could count!

 

Agreed ^. Opinions are like.... u can finish that one off. HTKYSA is a great book that covers more aspects of subaru repair than Haynes or Chiltons.

[naru]

.... thats your opinion.

 

And it is supported by the statement that " special tools and expertise is needed to replace the bearing"

[backwoodsboy]

*sigh*

 

more importantly, lets get back to the discussion at hand please.

 

GD is right. The bearings arent that bad to change.

 

I myself have found that if you can score a swing arm with good bearingsat the j/y, that its sometimes easier to change the whole arm.