DIY Front wheel bearings - worth it ??

[Dee2]

Well it's all done.

 

New bearings, seals and an outer axle boot. Most of the front end noise is gone and the play in the wheel is gone . I presume remaining noise is coming from the other front wheel but it is not enough to worry about yet.

 

Reassembly went much faster than disassembly. The strut (which I had so much trouble getting apart) went back in easily by placing a floor jack under the knuckle and lifting up while guiding the strut stub.

 

I used the washer/spacer technique for pulling the axle through and that worked very well. Hammer /screwdriver suggestions didn't work at all for me.

 

Other problems I had to resolve along the way included:

 

-- questions on seal installation, covered in a sidebar thread here:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=135413

 

-- banding on the boot replacement. The bands included in the kit required a special tool which I bought. Tried to use it and it just tore the buckles right off the bands. I returned the tool and bought some universal bands from Autozone for $3. No special tools required and they worked.

 

Extra costs incurred for the project were:

-- replacement bands = $3,

-- 36mm socket =$17

-- gas for extra trips to the parts store= $20

-- big washers/spacer for axle pull =$5

 

With the original $36 for parts the total project cost out of pocket was $81