When we took apart/removed the front wheel hub/knuckle/bearing to take it to the shop to get the old bearing pressed out and the new one pressed in, it doesnt look like there was a snap ring in it. I looked at an online diagram and it shows there should be one. The new stuff doesn't seem to have one in the box either. Does this seem normal? My son had a hasty repair done on this same piece two years ago in canada. Do you think its possible it was a shoddy repair job and they just didnt put it in? When i was buying the new parts, they didnt mention i might need one, not that its incumbent on them to do so but....

someone will probably know but, could you inspect the other side easily?

since the bearing is pressed in, there is no need for a snap ring.

 

could it be a seal you see in the diagram?

For what it is worth.........years back, I and a buddy, pressed out a front wheel bearing, and pressed in a new one. We couldn't get the snap ring back on, so we went without it. I drove the car for another 10 years with no issues. So, don't think a snap ring is a necessity.

yes i suppose that could be

i've never seen a snap ring on a Subaru wheel bearing so i don't even know what you're talking about. must be an artifact of some other time period or manufacturer, Subaru doesn't use them on wheel bearings.

good to know...thanks

on my '95 wagon the snap ring is visible in the knuckle only when the hub is pressed out, it sits behind the outer wb seal against the outer wb race.

to press the wb out of the knuckle the snap ring has to come out first.

since it takes tons of force to remove the bearing, perhaps the snap ring is an extra measure of safety but i wouldn't leave it out. if the new wb isn't pressed in far enough, the snap ring slot may be partially covered up.