swervey87gl Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Do I attempt to change them myself or pay someone to do the nasty deed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 rage it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 I always have mine done at the machine shop. This is a critical component and you want it seated properly, without damaging the bearing or the housing. Don't forget all the labor it takes to get to the bearing. You don't want it wearing out prematurely. good luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 how bad do you want to save $? do you know what you're doing? do you have another vehicle? have you done it before? this group is a good resource for you if you do try it. i wouldn't plan on rushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 They're an absolute cakewalk to change yourself. I did my drivers side one 30,000 miles ago and the passenger side one 10,000 miles ago and they're both going great. Take the axle out of the bearings/hub then remove the strut. Pry the old seals out. Get a selection of BRASS drifts. To remove the bearings, use the drift and a hammer to tap them out from the opposite side. Clean the hub really well, as any crap in there will destroy the bearings in short order. Pack the new SOA bearings with bearing grease. Carefully tap the new bearings in by the OUTER RACE ONLY until the sound that the tapping makes indicates that the bearings are bottomed in their bores. My old shop teacher went through 3 sets of bearings in 15,000 miles before figuring out that pounding on the inner race results in deforming the balls (and we don't like deformed balls, now do we? ) Don't forget the spacer! It can be reused if it's not damaged, just don't forget it. I always put a couple nice globs of grease in there with the spacer just for good measure. Tap the seals into place until they just touch the outer bearing races, prelube them with a dab of grease, then put everything back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 Swervy, I am paying someone to do mine on Tuesday, here are my reasons.... 1. It's my only car, it can't be down for long 2. I've never removed bearings or installed them without the use of a press. (Never done it with a press either, but seen it done plenty of times ) Therefore, I don't want to experiment on something that needs to work. 3. I don't have acces to a garage......I'm not into working on cars in the dark/cold/rain. With those excuses, uhhhhhh, I mean "reasons" in mind, I decided to have a shop on 128th do it. $170 seemed reasonable to me and this shop has worked on a few freinds of mine cars and were recomended as honest, fair, and relialble.... Does this make me a Suba-puss???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 what i would have to say is if you can manage to change an axle yourself the wheel beqrings go right along with it. just be careful with the drift punch to install them, use a large socket to tap them in as long as you can spread the forces across the races evenly. yorquing up the axle nut will seat the bearings all the way. i can see alleyboys point, but for economical reasons if they wouldnt hold up as long as using a press, its still cheaper to do it again later than to pay a shop for the first time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 the bearings arent that hard at all.. If you have a 3/8 inch extention, and the 36mm castle nut socket and a hammer you can change the bearings. It is VERY easy. Use the extention to tap the old bearings out, grease the new ones, put em in with the 36mm socket, tapping on the outer race going around in a circular motion. Toss the dust seals on and you are good to go. I did one of mine on the side of the road. 45 minutes When you pack the new bearings, use synthetic grease. Bearings will last a lil longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Damn, is it really that easy? lol What torxx says makes me want to do them myself. Wonder if it's supposed to rain this week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballitch Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 i need to do this on my 98 legacy sedan, same rules apply? if so then ima go for it, as soon as i figure out that stupid problem with my EJ converison. do you have to drop the strut and axle and all that good stuff, would like to not have to pay for an alignment after im done if possible. ~Josh~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singletrack Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 You can use a piece of all-thread with big nuts and washers to press them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 yeah it is about that easy. the only thing is there is a certain way way to do it. you gotta take out the inner bearing before the outer bearing. Using the 3/8" extention because they have rounded corners on the tip, and they are pretty soft metal, so you can be fairly rough with em. Make sure to have brake parts cleaner on hand to get all the old grease out. You want the inside of the hub completely clean. If you are gonna do it yourself, heres some tips to speed things up: Before you do anything, take the cotter pin out of the castle nut and loosen the castle nut. 36mm socket and 2 foot 1/2" drive breaker bar. Also break the lug nuts loose. Jack the car up, put a jackstand under it. Take the tire off. Take the bottom bolt out of the brake caliper (14mm.) Lift the caliper up and slide it off the stud and set to the side. Now take off the 2 17mm bolts that holds the pad holder on to the rotor. Take the castle nut, flat washer and the conical washer off. Slide the rotor off. Take the cotter pin out of the tierod castle nut. loose the nut a few turns, hit it with a hammer to pop the tierod out, then take the nut all the way off. Take the 14mm bolt out of the bottom of the hub holding the ball joint loose. (You wont be unseating the balljoint from the control arm, just taking the hub off the top of the balljoint) Now hit the control arm a few times with a hammer. The hub should pop off the balljoint. Put the castle nut back on half way and use a block of wood between the nut and the hammer. A few wacks and the axle should slide out of the hub Take the 2 14mm bolts out that hold the strut on to the hub. Now you can do the bearings. should take you about 10 or 15 minutes to get the hub off the car. 20 to do the bearings. 15 to 20 putting back together. Make sure to use all new cotter pins and to torq the castle nut to 150 lbs and you should be good to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Have seen a few people mention geasing the new bearings before putting them in. Many bearings these days come pre-greased. You will probably want to add more gease, as others have mentioned (the grease that comes in them is used rather sparingly!), but i thought i would just mention the importance of cleaning ALL existing grease from the bearings. Different greases (even similar ones with subtle differences) are NOT compatible with each other, and can turn in to a thick goo (a bit like plasterscene) when mixed under high pressrue. Before adding grease clean them with kerosene or petrol or whatever, as long as its very clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 With those excuses, uhhhhhh, I mean "reasons" in mind, I decided to have a shop on 128th do it. $170 seemed reasonable to me and this shop has worked on a few freinds of mine cars and were recomended as honest, fair, and relialble.... When I talk about having pressed professionally, I mean spending about $20 a side in labor plus the cost of the bearing. This means taking the control arm off the car, and taking it to the shop. If you are willing to remove the parts, it shouldn't cost you anything near $170. I agree that the front bearing can be done sucessfully without a press, but to me it's worth the extra $20 to guarentee the full life of the bearing. Now the rear bearings are a different story. These are much more difficult than the fronts. I can't imagine getting a new one in without causing some damage to the bearing, leading to premature failure. If someone knows a foolproof way to do the rears without a professional press, I'd like to hear it. good luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 If someone knows a foolproof way to do the rears without a professional press, I'd like to hear it. good luck, John I repacked my rear bearings with out any special tools or press when I upgraded to rear discs. Put thousands of miles on since then. Seeing how I didnt read any instructions on how to and didnt even use a torque wrench; I'd say they are pretty fool proof 99% of shops will tell you a press is required. Well that works out great for them seeing how they have the press and are gonna get paid to do it. :-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiftt Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 You can do it yourself if you are resourceful and patient. The methods described are valid, although I'd prefer a brass drift over a 3/8" extension. If you don't have one, buy one. They're cheap and you'll have it the next time. That's how tool collections get up to snuff. The grease that comes on the bearings is packing grease. It's there to keep the bearings from rusting during shipping/storing. It is NOT a good lubricant. Definately pack the bearings before you put them in! If it's in your budget, you should thouroghly inspect, and replace as necessary; your axles, struts, springs, tie rod ends, lower ball joints, brakes, brake hoses, and anything I may have forgotten while you're in there. Lastly: YOU CAN DO IT! There's a first time for everything. Be brave. That's how you learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BushmasterSI Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I think in other car manuals I've read that you can tap them in with a socket that can fit in the race of the housing. Can this be done here or is the race tapered or something? Even better, if you had a large C-clamp you could put a board or something over the front/back of the housing and use the clamp to push on the socket as a makeshift press. Dunno if the clamp would have enough leverage to press it in, but I think it would be worth a try. I have to replace my front cv axles and am going to replace the bearings at the same time. I may try the c-clamp idea when I do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiftt Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I think in other car manuals I've read that you can tap them in with a socket that can fit in the race of the hub. Can this be done here or is the race tapered or something? Yes, A socket will work if it's the same diameter as the outside race. You DO NOT want to beat on anything contacting the balls or the inner race. Keep in mind that sockets are made of high carbon tool steel. They are tough but brittle. Not the best material to be hitting with a hammer. Make sure to wear safety glasses! (For the record, you should wear safety glasses if you use a brass drift as well.) Another option is to find out where your local scrap metal recycling yard is. You can buy scrap brass for roughly $2.50 a pound (your mileage may vary depending where you live and what's available). That's where I got all my brass drifts. You could look for some brass pipe of the appropriate diameter and you'd be set. You'd get the ease of installation a socket provides without beating the $hit out of your nice, 36mm, $30.00 Snap-On socket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 I repacked my rear bearings with out any special tools or press when I upgraded to rear discs. Put thousands of miles on since then. Seeing how I didnt read any instructions on how to and didnt even use a torque wrench; I'd say they are pretty fool proof 99% of shops will tell you a press is required. Well that works out great for them seeing how they have the press and are gonna get paid to do it. :-p My comments and opinions are from years of experience - not what some machine shop tries to sell me. Most of the machine shops around are pretty honest too, BTW. Time and many miles of driving will tell whether a bearing is seated properly or not. If it's even slightly off, or if its damaged during installation, you'll be replacing it again before you should have to. The bearings on these cars should last at least 100k. Anything less that that is a premature failure in my mind. No matter how much practice you've had with a race, it does not subsitute the strong even pressure that a press will give you. If the bearing goes in too easily, I would question the condition of the housing. Maybe it's worn out too. If you don't plan on keeping a car that long then maybe it's not worth the extra expense to have them pressed. I would definitely consider packing the bearings once a year if you do them yourself. good luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 The grease that comes on the bearings is packing grease. It's there to keep the bearings from rusting during shipping/storing. It is NOT a good lubricant. Definately pack the bearings before you put them in! bearings come with high pressure grease in them when they are equipped with sheilds - including the 7206 used in the front of the subie. I get bearings with one sheild which i leave facing outwards, as it provides an extra barrier against moisture that gets past the seals. As for hitting a socket with a hammer, don't forget to put a block of wood between, or use a dead blow hammer, otherwise you'll end up with a shattered hammer or socket. All of my bearings that i have done on my own and others cars have been done without the use of a press (both deep groove ball and tapered roller), and i have never had to re do one yet (The rear ones in my 81wagon have done 80,000 without a repack so far). Compare that to the one i had done on the front of my 81 wagon by a specialist subaru garage that only lasted 20,000km, and i can't see any advantage in using a press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 i did jims bearings by hand, they have held up, but the main thing about it is it has new bearing seals. the bearings will last as long as the seals if thay are installed properly. ince the seal goes bad then the bearings get contaminated, thus failing the bearings will bottom out in their seats, so tap/press them in as far as they go. as the axle and hub comes together it will also squeeze the bearings in as you torque the axle nut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiftt Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 I concur that a press is nice. I also say it's not necessary. In fact, I'd much rather use a drift to install myself then take it to someone else to do the work with a press. The main reason: I don't want some $10.00/hr employee who has problems with his Ex-wife and bill collectors doing work on my car. I'll do the work myself, "thank you very much!" The way the hubs are machined for the bearings, it would be difficult for anyone with any sense to seat them crooked. There is a ridge that keeps them centered and straight. When drifting them in, you can hear when they seat. As previously mentioned, the large castle nut and washer that secure the axle will also align everything in the hub as it's tightened. If your bearings fail prematurely, it's doubtful it's because they were in crooked. It's more likely they were cheap bearings (I highly recommend Timkin) or they were somehow contaminated. If you're an individual that sees no alternative to using a press, then I would suggest you go buy one. A suitable press for a home shop can be purchased from various sources for about $150.00. If you're resourceful, you can build one like I did for about 20.00 in steel, welding rod, and an old bottle jack. For these prices, it's easy to see that if you have the room to keep one, it's far more reasonable to buy one yourself than to pay someone else to use theirs. More important in the preceding scenarios, is the fact that you don't have to let anyone else put their dirty mits on your pride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 It sounds like you guys have had a lot better experience with Sube bearings than I have. I agree that it's better to do them yourself than paying some $10/hr hack do them. I've had good luck with the machine shops I deal with, and I believe that skilled techs and the right equipment do make a difference. It's not always obvious unless you hang onto your car for a long, long time. Getting 100k instead of 90k may not be as meaningful six years down the road. It's great to do things yourself whenever possible, and if you are happy with the results - more power to ya!! good luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swervey87gl Posted March 2, 2005 Author Share Posted March 2, 2005 What if the guy makes 15 a hr and drinks alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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