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front wheel bearing replacement
#1
Posted 08 June 2004 - 05:23 PM
#2
Posted 08 June 2004 - 06:08 PM

There was a way of unbolting the strut that made it very easy to pull and replace, Im not as sure being its been so long but I think it was the mounting plate bolts on the top.
Alex
#3
Posted 08 June 2004 - 06:35 PM
#4
Posted 15 June 2004 - 08:37 PM
#5
Posted 15 June 2004 - 08:38 PM
#6
Posted 16 June 2004 - 04:34 AM
GD
#7
Posted 16 June 2004 - 07:45 AM
#8
Posted 16 June 2004 - 09:29 AM
When driving in the new bearings make sure you only strike the outer race, If you hit the inner race the force will transfer through the balls and may damage the bearing.
Gary
#9
Posted 16 June 2004 - 09:36 AM
#10
Posted 16 June 2004 - 10:00 AM
#11
Posted 16 June 2004 - 11:46 AM
Oh ya The manual is spelled "Haynes".
#12
Posted 16 June 2004 - 02:37 PM
GD
#13
Posted 16 June 2004 - 02:56 PM
#14
Posted 17 June 2004 - 12:30 PM
for installation i will tap them with the axle socket to seat them, install the axle as usual.
use new seals because the only bad bearings i have seen had bad seals
it takes me no mor ethan 5 min longer than just changing the axle.(per side)
#15
Posted 18 June 2004 - 01:03 PM
It did NOT get rid of the clunk,clunk sound when turning.It makes no noise under excelleration going straight like it did before but still has a little bit of the clunk,clunk sound when turning. My guess is it's the axles CV joint is also messed up. I had the boot replaced about 3 months ago. My mechanic said the CV was fine.Maybe he was wrong, or I did the install wrong.
#16
Posted 20 June 2004 - 05:37 PM
Since I suspect the CV is bad I also replaced my axle. I got the axle for $44 with trade in at Knechts.Seems like a good deal?
Now with the correct grease and a new axle the clunk,clunk is finally gone!!!
Also this time I did a couple things different.I put the bearings in a plastic bag( to keep out moisture ) and ,then into the freezer for about an hour.I left the knuckle in the hot high desert sun for an hour.It definately went together easier this time.Plus I used a feeler gage to make sure the inside bearing was seated perfectly flush.
Final note. The only problem with fixing that annoying noise your car makes is. Now you can hear the next quiter noise that you now have to fix. Now on to that rattlely exhaust.
Thanks for everybody's input. It's nice to have a place to ask questions and kick around ideas. Kudos to you all...

#17
Posted 20 June 2004 - 06:08 PM
The freezer is a great idea, although I have not used it myself because I'm always in too much of a hurry to wait on it. I've heard about that technique here before and have always wanted to try it.
CV's that make noises..... yes they do, but until you have experienced one that is REALLY, REALLY bad, you don't quite understand just how bad they can sound and still operate. If you don't have to pull over to check if the wheel is still there, then the noise isn't loud enough yet! Seriously - they can take a lot of abuse and a little clicking while turning is nothing to worry about. It just indicates some wear on the bearing cage inside the joint. It's when you hear crunching noises and it clicks ALL the time, not just while turning, that you have to stand up and take notice.
In my experience the rattle in the exhaust is nearly always inside the cat, and difficult to fix unless you weld up a new one. You can check for rocks in the cat's dust cover, but often the bolts are rusted so bad they will never come out.....
GD
#18
Posted 21 June 2004 - 12:19 PM
the exhaust noise is little rocks in the heat sheild.
#19
Posted 21 June 2004 - 12:44 PM

GD
#20
Posted 21 June 2004 - 01:55 PM
#21
Posted 27 June 2004 - 05:30 PM
Agreed. All you guys that just hammer 'em in make me cringe. Bad for a precision bearing. Spend a few bucks and have them done right. Take off the steering knuckle and have them pressed in.(BTW, been a machinist for going on 20 years, so I'm not just some guy spouting what he THINKS he knows;) )
Newbie machinist, and newbie on the board.
I certainly agree with you rickssubbie, I have cringed myself while I was "pressing in" bearings (former bicycle mechanic) with a hammer and the appropriate sized socket, I've done it before, and will do it again, if I have too, but I now have access to several presses, which brings me to:
I need to do the front bearings on my '83 GL, I'm only going to have this car for a few more months (I may have to cringe with the hammer in my hand). My question is; To remove the drive shaft to do the job on the car, do I need to remove the roll pin at the tranny and "press" the axle out of the steering knuckle???
To do the job removing the knuckle (not cringing, using a press), can I leave the drive shaft attached at the tranny, remove the ball joint, tie-rod, and strut??? If I do it this way, I assume that an alignment is in order as well, however, I don't like to assume anything.
This car is my daily driver but it's days are numbered so I'm looking for the minimal expense/downtime way to get the job done.
Thanks for any input:cool:
#22
Posted 27 June 2004 - 07:49 PM
#23
Posted 28 June 2004 - 04:06 AM
You don't need a press for anything on the suspension of an EA81 - front or rear. The use of one is time consuming, expensive, and uneccesary.
If you want to follow the book and not take the advice of board members who have done it too many times to count, then by all means - but why ask in the first place then?
GD
#24
Posted 28 June 2004 - 06:36 AM
I've done the front bearings on all 3 of the BRATs in my sig. Used a press the 1st time around on the '86. Just used a punch and whammer on the others. Reason being, it's just way time consuming trying to get the knuckle(s) set-up on the press so that everything is true and level for pressing the bearings in/out. Then you have to repeat the set-up 2 times for each side of each knuckle, once for removing, once for installing.
As for removing the knuckle from the vehicle,
I just back-off the tie-rod locknut, (just enough to release the rod end), and unscrew the rod end from the shaft. Then I undo the clamp bolts for the strut and ball-joint, and remove the knuckle. The axle is left on the tranny, and knocked out of the knuckle.
Takes me about 45 minutes a knuckle, start to finish, using punch and whammer method vs over 3 hours for both sides using a press.
#25
Posted 29 June 2004 - 04:52 AM

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