Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Rear wheel bearing replacement cost


Recommended Posts

I have a 98 Leggy OBW that needs a rear wheel bearing replacement. A local repair shop that I have done biz with many times before, that will let me bring in a replacement bearing for installation. The shop owner looked up the labor rate in his book. The book quoted 3 hours of labor ($204), if the car has rear disk brakes, which it does have. Both the shop owner and I think 3 hours is a high quote time rate. The shop owner said he would charge me less, if the job required less time. The shop owner has always been honest with me, and his work excellent. Does anyone have experience doing this job to tell me if it takes 3 hours to do the work, or have a receipt handy showing labor rate that you paid a shop for bearing replacement?

 

Thanks for the help and advise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours and $204 sounds extremely reasonable for this job. i think you both are getting a fair shake...with you getting the better end of the deal.

 

if you search the forums here you'll find quotes up in the $500-$700 range for a rear wheel bearing, of course that includes the cost of the bearing and seals which you're providing.

 

- i guess you gave him or he has the necessary seals as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a deal. I just ordered a used stub today for 65.00 from a place that I was already getting an engine from. My 10" bolt is siezed so I'll end up needing that hardware from the dealer.

 

I'll end up with 100.00 in this job with used parts and was willing to make that compromise versus buying a hub tamer or paying the same labor for removal of the stub and then buying the bearing(and seals) and labor for the removal and installation of the new bearing.

 

I'm working on a 97 Impreza OBW - the bearing parts alone are like 80 or so.

 

It's not looking like a very fun job either.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours and $204 sounds extremely reasonable for this job. i think you both are getting a fair shake...with you getting the better end of the deal.

 

if you search the forums here you'll find quotes up in the $500-$700 range for a rear wheel bearing, of course that includes the cost of the bearing and seals which you're providing.

 

- i guess you gave him or he has the necessary seals as well?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply and advise. I forgot about the needed seals. I ordered, and will pick them up later today. I guess if the labor charge comes to $204, that it is a heck of a deal. Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

update.............I took my car in for the wheel bearing replacement. The mechanic called me back later this morning to say that he couldn't loosen up the nut on the long bolt with spray penetrating oil. Since their shop is located in a strip shopping mall, they are prohibited from using a torch to heat up the bolt to "break it loose." Bottom line, he couldn't replace the bearing.

 

However..........the mechanic didn't think that the rear wheel bearing may not be a problem. All the suspension links were tight (no looseness), and no "play" when moving the road wheel.

 

I now can barely hear the original scrapping noise. The brake pads are plenty good from what I could see when I took off the road wheel. I guess my next step is to pull the caliper off the rotor to really get a good look if anything is scraping.

 

Again, thanks for everyone's help..................Rooster2 (Larry)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yep - check your rear brake calipers. be sure to complete clean and grease all of the caliper slide pin hardware. my bet is one of those is gummed up.

 

i had what i thought was rear bearing noise. the rear caliper pins had zero grease and very sticky. completed the brake job two days ago and the noise is now gone. i'm glad it wasn't the wheel bearing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yep - check your rear brake calipers. be sure to complete clean and grease all of the caliper slide pin hardware. my bet is one of those is gummed up.

 

i had what i thought was rear bearing noise. the rear caliper pins had zero grease and very sticky. completed the brake job two days ago and the noise is now gone. i'm glad it wasn't the wheel bearing!

 

 

Thanks grossgary for your post. I will focus special attention on the caliper pins. I will clean them up and regrease. I hope that solves the noise problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dude. My old mechanic charged me 60 bucks for wheel bearing replacement. It took him an hour to do a rear wheel bearing. I don't know what you guys are talking about needing 3! hours to do a rear wheel bearing.

 

As for not being able to break loose the axle nut...does the guy have an impact wrench? It should have been easily taken off with an impact wrench.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not the axle nut, it's the nut on the long bolt that goes through the two lateral links. If he can't get the nut off, then he certainly won't be able to get the lateral link bolt out of the bushings. Rear wheel bearings on an older EJ platform can be hell if they're rusty. The bearings aren't that hard to do once you get the rear axle out, it's getting the hub out far enough to pull the axle out that's the hard part. Easily a clusterfck job that can balloon into an afternoon of torches and frustration.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone see a procedure for cutting that bolt? Like sawzall or torches? Any how-to's that I can't find?

 

If not possibly I'll take some pics when I do mine probably next week.

 

An impact doesn't seem to want to touch it. Convenient place for the parking brake cable too.

 

Air impact, electric impact, seen lots of PB and Liquid wrench(I like it better for soaking PB seems to 'dry up'). Got nut loose and tried BFH on the not/bolt to try and knock it free. This is over a several day span. Dealer says often folks cut the bolt. Sounds like the dealer had the hub tamer toolset partly so they don't need to mess with this bolt.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like the dealer had the hub tamer toolset partly so they don't need to mess with this bolt.

The bolt has to come off even with the Hub Tamer because the half shaft has to come out of the knuckle in order to gain access to the bearing. You could detach the lateral links at the differential end, but then you would also be messing with the rear alignment.

 

The bolt is most likely seized inside the bushing collars. If you can't get the bolt out, order two new bushings and a new pinch bolt along with your bearing and seals.

 

As for the long pinch bolt, mine was corrosion welded into the bushing collars, and man, I hit it with everything I had over the course of several days: PB Blaster, impact gun, punch and 3-lb hammer, torch, impact hammer.....

 

In the end, I had to cut off the head of the bolt with a grinder fitted with a cutting wheel. Then I separated the bushing from the rear lateral link with a two-jaw puller, cut that end of the bolt off, separated the bushing from the front lateral link with the puller, and finally tapped what was left of the bolt out of the knuckle. There will be enough play in the lateral links to do things this way. It was a real bear, and by far, the most time consuming part of the job

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the end, I had to cut off the head of the bolt with a grinder fitted with a cutting wheel. Then I separated the bushing from the rear lateral link with a two-jaw puller, cut that end of the bolt off, separated the bushing from the front lateral link with the puller, and finally tapped what was left of the bolt out of the knuckle. There will be enough play in the lateral links to do things this way. It was a real bear, and by far, the most time consuming part of the job

 

dude, that sounds horrific. guaranteed PITA with no end in sight...not looking forward to it....

 

i have an impreza OBS to swap to rear discs this summer so i'll be needing to do this at some point. being the wife's car i'd rather minimize down time....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dude, that sounds horrific. guaranteed PITA with no end in sight...not looking forward to it....

 

The worst and most frustrating part was stubbornly soaking and pounding away at that bolt for days to no avail.

 

Once you decide that you need to trash the bushings and bolt in order to do the job, which adds around $100 in parts from the local dealer, it's not so bad. That bolt is made of some really high grade steel so you'll need to just patiently cut away.

 

I would suggest trying to get that lateral link bolt out before purchasing your bearing(s) and seals. This way, you'll know whether you need the bushings and bolt as well.

 

Rest assured that I really lathered some antiseized onto the new bolt before reassembly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done this twice now, and I'm not looking forward to the next time. I've found pulling the forward link off, the E-brake cable off, the brake caliper(or hose) off, and taking the strut bolts out and the axle nut off lets you crank the hub assembly down. This lets you get a puddle of PB (or Aerokroil in my case) to sit around the middle portion of the bolt. Spray both ends and sit with the impact gun on it for minutes. Switch gun directions every now and then. Use the torch as needed to warm up the center portion of the bolt, but be carefull not to get it glowing orange and try to turn it as it will twist and jam.

 

You usually can't take out the lateral link bolts on the crossmember because the gas tank sits right next to where you need to get a torch in to heat the nuts. Plus the heads are usually rusted off.

 

Or bust out the sawzall and buy new bolt and busings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 years later...

I've replaced a few wheel bearings in the last few years. If the cars seen more than a few winters in a rust belt your in for a nightmare. Bolts seize and break. You need torches and a bearing press for starters. As for the guy who did it in one hour, I call b.s. on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Show me how the hub grappler does the job without getting the axle out of the center of the bearing? That's where the nightmare comes in because the lateral links need to be disconnected to get the clearance to pull the axle out of the hub. Not the actual pressing of the bearing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strut bolts are easier. Even if you have to fight with them some they still come out easier than lateral link bolts.

 

The real fight comes in if the axle is seized in the hub, but at that point you may have to replace the whole shebang anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...