My '01 SE needs at least a new front passenger wheel bearing, and maybe a hub assembly too. Please help me determine if my hub assembly needs to be replaced as well.

I have searched in and out of the forums, and also on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet. A very short description of the problem is a metallic noise when turning right at slower speeds. The wheel moves considerably when the car is jacked up.

I am about to pull the knuckle off tonight and look at everything. When I get the bearing pressed out at a machine shop, how will I be able to tell if the hub assembly needs to be replaced as well?

 

I replaced the rear pass. wheel bearing on mine, and had to go with the hub with bearing setup. but if your getting the bearing pressed out, i dont see the need to get a new hub also.

 

From what I understand, which is a limited amount, the bearing could have damaged the hub if I drove too long before fixing it. When I get the bearing pressed off, I think I will be able to inspect the hub for wear, but I'm not sure. That's what I need help with. Writing from my phone--sorry if this is messy.

 

Look for cracking. Some cracks can't be seen by the naked eye, so they do dye tests or eddy current testing.

 

I doubt that you'll find a shop or dealer that has the knowledge or capabilites or the equipment to do eddy current, ultrasonic, or mag. particle (Magnaflux) or even the old out of date and unreliable aerosol dye penetrant inspections or any other NDT testing that I can think of. You'll be lucky to get a good visual inspection. If it's the front that you are talking about........if the axleshaft/wheel bearing locknut has lost it's torque then you may find wear issues with the hub and/or driveaxle. Even if the bearing/axleshaft nut is still torqued you should still check for the following items. The front hub with the outside split inner race is driven out of the knuckle and bearing first. If the outer split inner race is "loose" on the hub or it shows signs of "spinning" on the hub journal then replace the hub. Also, for the same reason look for signs of wear of the axleshaft shoulder face that mates with the inner race. It is critical that there is no wear of the hub or axleshaft areas that mate with the bearing inner races. Check the axleshaft and hub for obvious damage, cracking, and worn splines. If the bearing outer race is not tight in the knuckle bore when it's pressed out of the knuckle then the knuckle bore may be worn. Check the knuckle for damage including the snap rings and snap ring grooves. Again, the new bearing outer race must have a tight fit in the knuckle bore and the hub must have a tight fit in the bearing inner races, which is why a 5 or 10 ton press is required. When the new bearing is pressed into the knuckle make sure that the pusher/mandrel only pushes against the OUTER race (NOT the inner race) and when the hub is pressed into the bearing that a backup tool is supporting the INNER race. Technically a 5 ton axial load should be applied to the hub (flange end) with the knuckle supported at the inner race and the knuckle should rotate smoothly.

 

OK, I'm stuck. I can't get the tie-rod separated from the knuckle. The ESM shows a picture of a tool that I definitely do not have. Help!

 

Jeez......you pretty much need the tools to pop the tire rod, and the ball joint, which could be worse. Doesn't help you tonight but rent them (preferably not a pickle fork) tomorrow, or buy a kit of front end suspension tools if you plan on doing this kind of work work in the future. Are you planning to carefully and accurately mark the strut bolts and try to get away without an alignment or were you just going to whip it over somewhere for the alignment afterwards? A few years ago I bought an OTC kit (made in Taiwan & good quality) of front end suspension pullers etc., which have saved my butt. I think I paid about $180 cdn. I'm sure that an equivalent kit down there would be less expensive. Was the axle/bearing locknut still torqued?

 

We have a store here called AutoZone that rents tools for free. That's where I got the puller, slide hammer, torque wrench, and axle nut socket from. Do you see anything on their loan-a-tool site that would help me get the knuckle separated from the tie rod? I think I see that thing you called a pickle fork.
http://www.autozone.com/in_our_store...oan_a_tool.htm

I'm going to get it aligned afterward.

No! That was scary. It wasn't even hand tight. What does this tell you?

 

I did mine about a year ago. I rented the tools from autozone, and bought a 12ton press from harbor freight. I was not able to get the bearing out with the press and the tools I had. I'm sure if I had the right tools, braces and such I would have been able to get it out. I eventually just took knuckle/hub/bearing up to Pep Boys, and they popped the old ones out and put the new ones in for 50$. My bearings were so bad that they did chew up the inside of the hub. So I replaced both.
I took the press back to Harbor Freight for a refund, and returned the tools to Autozone. So I was only out 50$ for labor over the cost of hub/bearing from Dave B.

Also, if you haven't checked out this page http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/704 its a pretty good how to. I just wasnt able to get that damn bearing out of there by myself.

 

What you need is a BFH. Tie rod will pop right out.

 

The nut being loose is not good. You may have damage/wear to the hub, axleshaft (CV joint), so they will have to be carefully inspected. Also, check that the ABS wheel speed sensor has not been damaged by being "ticked" by the wheel speed sensor toothed ring on the axleshaft. I believe that you are going to need that tie-rod and ball joint tool shown in the manual, or the equivalent. I didn't see it on the Autozone website. I had one in that kit that I mentioned. I don't think a pickle fork will do the job and it may just cause damage. The specified tool is actually a "pusher" as you may have noticed. Take the pic of the one in the manual to Autozone......they may in fact have one. OTC makes one and I believe Lisle Tools makes one, among others. BFH?, ever try getting the ball joint disconnected with one on the Maxi?

 

I'm not smart enough to know if you're joking or not. Can I really hit that bolt pretty hard? I already banged on it a little last night.

 

Don't hit the stud, that'll just screw up the threads on it.

Smack the side of the hub where the tie rod goes in.

 

the longer you drive on the bad bearing and the worse the hub will get,,so better off replacing both,,,i replaced my bearing as soon as the tire had play,,,whew no damage to hub and costed me 125 dollars...worth it..

 

I had a strange womp womp womp noise I could hear while driving and my car would vibrate when I went over 50mph. I thought I had a bubble in my tire and checked all of them but no bubble. I took it to a shop and a soon as they got my car on the lift my front driver wheel was wobbling left to right like crazy. They said I was lucky my wheel did not fall off. They replaced my wheel bearing that I got from Pep Boys ($59). When they replaced the bearing they noticed that the hub was damaged by the bad bearing. I did not have a hub so they put the new bearing in the hub hoping that the pressure would keep the bearing tight in the hub. After they were done the noise was not as bad and the vibration was still lightly there. I got a hub from the junkyard ($100) an dwent back to the shop to have them replace it. The only problem was that the ABS sensors did not match up on my car and the used hub. After the install my brakes make a weird noise and my brake pedal shakes when I push my brakes lightly, I guess I gotta take it back to the shop again!!!

 

OK, big update. This is quickly turning into The Idiot's Guide to DIY Wheel Bearings. Tonight I was able to separate the tie-rod from the knuckle. I used a pickle fork from AutoZone, and in the process I broke the grease-filled rubber gasket. No big deal, I hope. We'll see how much a new one is at AutoZone tomorrow. Picture below:



When using a puller to separate the drive shaft from the knuckle, the puller ended up pulling the hub and wheel bearing straight off the knuckle. Obviously, the bearing was in bad shape if it came out that easy. Picture:


Loosening the lower ball joint tightening nut was the hardest part. Damn was it on there tight. I had to get my roommate to provide counter pressure on the knuckle by inserting a thick broomstick through it before I could torque it off. Once again, I punctured the grease filled rubber gasket on the lower ball joint. Those pickle forks are not the best way to go:


So I have the knuckle off, and will be taking it into a shop tomorrow to get the rest of the bearing pressed out, and the new bearing pressed onto the new hub. My old hub looks completely destroyed, although I'm no expert. See a comparison:


And a close up of the old:

 

That's why pickle fork == fail, BFH == win

 

Miscellaneous: What do you think of my ABS sensor? It looks a little messed up to me, but I'm afraid to touch it:


I'm not sure I'm completely out of the woods yet, but I want to go ahead and thank everyone that replied to my questions. Y'all gave this Texas boy the courage to try this on his own instead of paying a mechanic to do it. Bless you!

 

Wipe it down to get all of the crap off of it, you'll be able to see any possible damage easier that way. I wouldn't spray it down with brake parts cleaner though, just wipe it.

 

Well, it's all fixed. I finished the install on Friday, and have been driving all weekend. Everything feels great. Now on to the next project: my very unpredictable Bose stereo!