Rick James Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 The noise I thought was just a transition of one pavement to another turned out to be a bad rear wheel bearing, I'm kinda sure. I can grab the wheel, pull towards me and there is a lot of play. After hearing the noise go from a rushed air kinda sound, to a sqeak to a noticeable rumble, I chose not to drive any further. The car is on my trailer right now. I'm trying to decide whether or not to tackle this job or deliver to my mechanic down the road. The time I spend might be better on other responsibilities that could bring in some money. Do I have to remove brake line? Go thru the bleading process? I sound like a wimp (but i'm rj btch )....but I know how a 2hr repair can turn into 5 or more with runs back and forth to parts store etc. Should both rear bearings be done at this time assuming same mileage? I did find the following thread http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=51696&highlight=loyale+rear+wheel+bearings but who wants to hold my hand further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yosemitescooby Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 Hi Rick, I'm new too. I would advise you to change bearings on both sides as that is a wise thing to do since you will be using all of the same tools on both sides. This will give you peace of mind to know that all is fresh. Make sure you pack the bearings well with axle grease. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 I personally learned to use other than oem bearings and high temp grease. Very good and even quieter than original. My local advance auto dished out "federal mogul" brand. They even *look* steel unlike my ol subes original.I was surprised to see the quality of original packing and material of bearings by Subaru. Shamefully:mad: Even the hub/brakes stayed cooler after I redid them a bit different than oem.I have yet to mess around with the tire pressures going from cold weather to hot or vice versa. It is stable all the way to the tire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 Hey Rick: I'm assuming your car is 4WD. If not, it's even easier than what I describe... I always take the control arm off, and have them pressed. I just feel better about the job having them done professionally. Most of the bearing job is labor, so the machine work is very cost effective. If you do the dissasembly yourself, you are talking the cost of parts and 1/2 - 1 hour of shop time. The problem with this kind of work is that those components take a lot of weathering and abuse, and disssaembly doesn't always go smoothly. You might get lucky, but maybe not. Stripped/broken bolts, stubborn axle pins, all those things can ruin your day. Ultimately, any problems you encounter can be overcome, but you need to think about your skills, tools, and outside resources anytime you tackle something like this. My advice is that you should not attempt this unless you have other transportation available. If you run into problems, you could be without wheels for 1-2 weeks - assuming that you have the means to pull it back together if things get rough. Not sayin' that this will necessarily happen, but unless you've been thru a "nightmare" before, you should always be prepared for the possibility of a worst case scenerio. They do happen with 15-20 year old cars on occasion... good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 rear wheel bearings were the first job i did on my car, and the previous post was right about one thing.. it can be difficult removing the old race (which is the ring that comes with the bearing to be pressed into the hub, the old one needs to go along with the old bearing.) However, with persistence i overcame my frustration and managed to get it done.. i did my bearings piecemeal (bad idea) but at no point spent over half a day working on them.. i discovered one bad bearing doing a rear brake job, and then gradually the other three went.. or were replaced. I was really broke at the time and 15 bucks a pop for the bearings was a bit much to float, heh.. good times.. but there are two on each wheel, remember, and so thats four bearings altogether. If you feel better doing the disassembly to take the housing to a shop to press the old races out and the new ones in, then do so.. and if the old races look really friggin fantastically wonderful.. then you MIGHT get away with leaving them in but it is SHAMEFULLY lazy and usually a bad idea. usually only an option if you have A resolved to NOT take the part to a shop and B cannot get the old race out, even though it looks so pristine.. or are in a stupid hurry and willing to do the job over again right later.. anyhow, it should NOT be beyond your scope as a job. just replace all of them at once to avoid a hassle later. and torque those puppies down, its something like 130 or 170 ft lbs spec, some people do more i think? but 130 is.. alot.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 what does the race look like? is it sorda like a spacer inbetween the bearings? and are the inner and outer bearings supposed to be different sizes?? and do I need to get any kinda seals?? i'm thinkin about doing the wheel bearings but I think i'm probably gonna pay somebody else to do it. any word of advice will be very appreciated. -Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 jordan: the race is the surface that the bearing rides on. you know what the wheel bearing looks like, right? if you look at it from above (as it will be mounted in the hub) the bearing takes on a trapezoidal shape... that trapezoid fits into a ring that gets pressed into the hub, the outside of the ring is perfectly round to match the hub, the inside of the ring is tapered to match the bearing. that ring is called a race. they make it a separate part so it can be replaced when it gets worn. (IE, when you relpace the bearing) The new race comes with the new bearing, so its not an extra part to buy or anything. there shouldnt be any seals that NEED to be replaced, but you may find you want to replace an o-ring or something, i cant recall.. but alot of the time whats still on the car is OK. it may be a corner i shouldnt cut but its one i frequently have with little thought. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RONAN Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Get a 1 7/16 deepwell socket and a torque wrench. Pull the cotter pin and check that the nut is at 140ftlbs before changing out the bearing. I`ve had them back off just enough to give you the false pretense of a bearing failure. This is for a 4wd Loyale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I bought an inner and outer bearing, but i got no race. do you think I could get one at a junkyard if it looks good off a low mileage car or should I go ahead and get a new one? thanks for the replies guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 nevermind... they came with the races. I thought it was a big cup or something but it just slips on the outside of the bearing. silly me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 dont you hate when you have to make that post that says "oh yah, after that last post i opened my eyes and, duh..."??? I know i have done it far too many times for my own comfort but yah, now you know what a race is. heh, good luck getting the old ones out. i hate to say that and not give you any tips but i think i may have blocked those memories....i did my rear bearings one at a time, as they were going out.. well, one side was one a ta time, then the other side died and i got both of them at once. i have been "getting back on my feet" too many times in the last two years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 an optimistic thing I noticed is how tough the race is. bearings could be pulverized and overheated to find not even a scratch on the race - even if there was a problem, the bearings are self contained to beat up on itself and not the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 i had the same impression of my races... but i battled to remove them and replace anyhow. i dont trust my judgment far enough to have bothered saving myself the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick James Posted September 4, 2006 Author Share Posted September 4, 2006 Well, just came back to say thanks for the info. I wish I had tackled this job but am glad I didn't. Even my mechanic had problems pressing the thing out but he still performed this job in little time and had my car back the same day. I didn't get the self satisfaction of doing my own work but I also didn't get the frustration and many extra hours this would have cause me....not that there's anything wrong with that.......if I wasn't making the pennies while this was being done...I'd be doing it myself also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 if it was difficult for him to remove, pat yourself on the back for a good decision. its not a headache worth it, if you arent already stubbornly set in your ways of fixing your own car. what im saying is, I had a time with one of the races. I wish I had just paid someone. somehow, though, that never seems to be an option for me.. other than something like an lignment, thats beyond my scope to do right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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