New question:

 

I'm looking to do a front wheel bearing swap this weekend and curious about repacking the new bearings. Do the bearings need to be pulled apart (remove the inner race and bearing from the outer race) or is there a bearing packer for this type? The replacement bearing I have is similar to the one shown here:

 

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787070

 

Also, on first look, there is no indicator as to which way the new bearing goes on. Any leads here? Thanks for all your help.

 

Daniel

I use to get the spindle and hub from junk yards and swap them, then I picked up a press from harbor freight when they had them marked way down and started taking the old one apart and putting it back together if you are interested their is a good thread on the other board explaining the steps with pictures.

 

If you do a search here for "How to conquer the wheel bearing" I listed some steps that may help.

I'm looking to do a front wheel bearing swap this weekend and am wondering if anyone has recommendations for pressing the hub and bearings in and out. I live in the SF peninsula/south bay and would like to take it to a mechanic or machine shop that has experience with Subarus. I'll be doing all the wrenching myself. Thanks for your help.

 

Daniel

Here's a recent one someone did with a press with pics.

bump - I edited my post with some new questions. thanks for the links.

 

Daniel

These tapered roller bearings are symmetrical so they can go in to the housing either way. The inner races carry the caged rollers and press against each other at the center of the outer race. When you remove the plastic retainer (the yellow thing in your link), the inner races will just fall out -- be careful not to drop them-- hence, no special tools are required to repack them.

 

You will want to clean out the shipping grease and repack them with the appropriate grease of your choosing. Avoid putting too much grease in there. I chose Mobil 1 synthetic (the red stuff).

 

The following is pasted from an NTN link:

http://www.ntn.ca/faq.htm#hightempgrease

 

"How much grease is too much?

For general applications a grease fill of 30% of the free space in the bearing seems to be accepted as standard by most manufacturers. Slow speed applications in harsh environments (such as agricultural machinery) can sometimes require a larger fill. High speed applications (i.e. hand tools) can require a lesser fill."

 

 

I replaced a rear wheel bearing on my Forester with a Koyo bearing from RockAuto around 7k miles ago, and it has been nice and smooth. OEM wheel bearings are made by NTN.

Thanks for your help. I never cease to be impressed by the simplicity of working on Subies.

Just wanted to post the price I paid to get both rear wheel bearings replaced on my 2001 Forester 86k miles at an indie shop here in Boston. $691.70 tax included. Dealership around here quoted closer to $750. So, if you can do it yourself, you will save some good coin.

I bought Koyo bearings and Beck/Arnley seals for both rear wheels from RockAuto for $102.66 shipped to my door. Hubtamer for $190 off ebay, and with some of my own time, it's more than paid off.

 

It's a pretty simple job... but with the right tools, most things are.

Dang...So, I really like this indie shop, but.....

 

I took it to them to have both rear bearings replaced. This place has always done quality, fast work at a decent price on all my cars. Welllllllll, yesterday they tried to pull the ole, "your ABS wire must have been damaged cuz it broke, but don't worry we soldered it back together for you." Riiiiiiiiiight. Youbetcha! So, I asked him if they did a good job repairing the ABS wire? "Oh, yes, it's like new now." I said, great, "so you don't mind giving me a 5 yr replacement warranty on that ABS sensor? Since I examined all of my sensors and wires 2 months ago when I had to replace a front one(which a previous mechanic had broken and soldered back together, btw)...and the rear wires were in perfect condition." I had him write and sign on the service receipt that he would warranty/replace that ABS wire fix for 5 yrs. Sux, cuz I really like that shop....just goes to show, you are better off doing your own work if you can, you will be more careful than they are.

Dang...So, I really like this indie shop, but.....

 

I took it to them to have both rear bearings replaced. This place has always done quality, fast work at a decent price on all my cars. Welllllllll, yesterday they tried to pull the ole, "your ABS wire must have been damaged cuz it broke, but don't worry we soldered it back together for you." Riiiiiiiiiight. Youbetcha! So, I asked him if they did a good job repairing the ABS wire? "Oh, yes, it's like new now." I said, great, "so you don't mind giving me a 5 yr replacement warranty on that ABS sensor? Since I examined all of my sensors and wires 2 months ago when I had to replace a front one(which a previous mechanic had broken and soldered back together, btw)...and the rear wires were in perfect condition." I had him write and sign on the service receipt that he would warranty/replace that ABS wire fix for 5 yrs. Sux, cuz I really like that shop....just goes to show, you are better off doing your own work if you can, you will be more careful than they are.

Yes, I like breaking things myself.

I used to have to replace the front wheel bearings on my '73 Fiat about every 35,000 miles. They were pressed into the hub. I would take everything apart, take the hubs and the new bearings down to a machine shop and they would press the old ones out and press the new ones in for like $20 a hub. Of course that was 30 years ago so price would probably be higher now;).

 

Point is, don't shy away from trying this just because you don't have a press.