local shop quoted me over 400 to get the job done... not the worst I've heard but I know I can do it dirt cheap if I do it myself.

 

how hard is it? and will i need any special tools beyond wrenches and sockets?

 

for ref its an 87 ea81 4wd.

Well first off are we talking rear bearings or front bearings? 2wd or 4wd. Either way you wont need specialty tools. Just a drift and normal hand tools. Your going to want to take the knuckle off the car to drift out the bearings (at least i would want to). Rears for 2wd are even easier with no drift required. For 4wd im going to assume its just about as easy as 2wd but no clue (im probably the only board member who has never owned a 4wd or awd subaru lol).

I give it 3 out of 5 stars for difficulty. If you look through the USRM, you will find a good picture documentary on how to remove and replace the front bearings.

 

You are looking at about $70 in parts for each side.

 

Special tools include:

36mm socket

Big Hammer

Some kind of solid bar at least 18" long to drive the bearings out.

 

Here is the Photo Essay I was speaking of:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=77491

It's a good way to get to know the front end. You also might get into doing your brakes too.

Got the wheel assembly's all apart today to replace the bearings and overlooked the fact that each side has TWO bearings. as well the parts guy didn't give me the right inner(or outers?) grease seals. Two of the 4 fit, the other two did not. That left me with enough parts to assembly one side before getting parts tomorrow.

 

I used the press at the shop but it seems like the outer side bearing didn't press in all the way. the seal sticks out about 1/16'th of an inch. Will this be okay to install like that if that is indeed the case?

 

P.S. anyone know the correct part number for the seals? are they the same for inner and outer?

 

For ref: 87 Gl hatch 4wd.

EA81's use the same seal on both sides of the knuckle.

 

EA82's use one with a smaller ID on the inside..... but you claim it's an EA81 vehicle so.....

 

It is not ok for the bearing to not be shouldered up inside the knuckle. The fit of the cone washer, etc are dependant on the bearings being properly in place.

 

GD

got it all done tonight. Had a lot of little issues and basically redid the same side like 3 times. Lol.. its a learning curve that's for sure.

 

We ended up removing the axles from the car so it was easier to work with. then used the castle nut to pull the axle through the bearings. Re-pressed the outside bearing cause it had moved, and made sure things weren't super tight (they were once).

 

Bolted it all up and drove 15km back home with no more howling front end! yay!