Quick question. Does anyone have a how-to or a link to some info on pressing bearings into a hub. What pressure does it need to be pressed too? How does it need to be supported? I have searched, but found limited info on the subject. By the way, the car is a '02 auto gle with ABS. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

You have a press in your garage?

Just take the damn thing to a local garage and have them do it.

 

My Dad has a press, and I don't really want to have to pay $50 per side to get someone else to do it. I just read the FSM, and this seems a little more involved than I originally expected. From the FSM, I gather that you have to press the hub out of the knuckle. I am replacing both of the hubs and bearings so i don't have to press the bearing out of the hub. Next, press the new bearing into the new hub with a snap ring on both sides of the bearing. Finally press the bearing and hub assembly into the knuckle. Does this all sound correct? What should i use to support the hub when pressing in the bearing?

 

The press should have jigs to allow the hub to sit in and allow the bearing to be pushout out.

 

I worked as a engineer in merchant ships, and i have changed a lot of bearings. I never once used a press to remove or install bearings in their housings. Just take a short iron pipe and rest one end of the pipe on the inner race (inner ring) and bang on the other end with a hammer. It is best if the pipe diameter is the same as the diameter of the inner race of the bearing. If the pipe diameter is smaller than the inner circle of the bearing,(Assuming the existing bearing will not need to be re-used) the position to hit the inner race should be 180 degrees apart for each blow. Take care not to hit on the inner side of the hub housing at any point.

For installing the bearing, it is preferred to heat the hub, and chill the bearing, Apply a generous amount of lube oil or grease on the outer surface of the outer race of the bearing and in the inner surface of the hub. Again, it is best / preferred to have a pipe with diameter equal to the diameter of the outer race of the bearing. Never hit on the inner race of the bearing when installing. If the pipe diameter is smaller than the outer race diameter, every blow should be 180 degrees apart. Once the bearing sits flush on the hub seat, you will hear a solid sound.

I have never damaged a bearing installing this way. Good luck.

 

When I tackled this job last year I purchased a 12ton press from harbor freight to do the job. Without the proper jigs, its nearly impossible to do it with a press. (At least for me, with the other tools and stuff I had sitting around). I finally gave up and just took the knuckle to pep boys and had them do it. Returned the press afterward for full refund.

There is a how-to do it without a press here at http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/704 . I couldn't get it done this way either.

Good Luck

 

you press the bearings until they are seated, it takes as much pressure as is needed to make sure they are in there and sitting flush. I doubt there is a set number. I have pressed lots of bearings in and out at work and you just take your time and go very slowly until it is seated flush and true.

 

While I agree with this, I still recommend to use a press whenever practical. A few reasons:
- Striking tools fling dirt. Dirt inside the pipe (learned from experience) and on the hammer will be thrown onto the bearing. Dirt and bearings do not mix. So if driving with a pipe, make sure your parts don't get dirty.

- Impact is inferior to press force, all other things held equal. It is also faster and generally safer. Make sure that whatever is touching/driving the bearing, it's a softer material than the bearing itself.

- In situations where you have are fitting a bearing that is press fit onto a solid shaft (transmission work), and the bearing has seals, you cannot heat it, and cooling the shaft tends to cause condensation and flash rust. Press these.

To the original question, wheel bearings tend to take a lot of force. 5t DIY presses often have a hard time. The amount of force is never known, you simply use a large enough press to make it move, and you stop when the bearing is *fully* seated against the shoulder.

Always press on the part of the bearing that is resisting you. So for a wheel bearing that means you need to press on the outer race because the outside of the race is the tight fit to the hub. It's ok to pull apart a bearing across the inner/outer race but only if you're going to throw it away.

Dave

 

Thanks for all of the replies. unfortunately, I started the job yesterday about 30 minutes before the posts started coming in. The installation went very easy. I used the 12 ton press from Harbor freight. In conjunction with that I used two sockets. One socket was the same size as the inner race to push the bearing out. The other socket was just slightly smaller than the outer race to push the bearings in. I also used some hardened steal printing plates to help hold the hub in place.

The total job took me about 8 hours. This include replacing the lower control arms, both sets of tie rod ends, bearings, hubs, sway bar bushings/end links, and to top it off, a front caliper rebuild.