At DCS 2014 in Dayton, OH, my front right wheel bearing started making groaning noises at high speeds.
I had to rent a puller set and spindle nut socket set from Advance Auto Parts (fully refundable).
Getting the spindle nuts off was easy. I used a breaker bar, and simply lowered the car near the floor, with the weight of the car pressing on the breaker bar:
Next, I use a pick tool to remove D Washer:
Then used a puller to pull off the bearing, hub and rotor:
The bearings came apart during removal, which is normal:
Then, unbolt the rotor from the hubs, and separate them. Sorry, no pictures.
Removing the old bearings and pressing the new bearings into the hubs was going to be a challenge. Instead of having my new bearings shipped, I visited the DMC Midwest shop with the hubs. I purchased the new bearings, and they were able to press them into my hubs.
DMC Midwest suggested I should have blasted and painted the hubs while the bearings were out. Well I didn’t have time for that, so instead I taped them up, and painted them with the new bearings in place:
I also wire brushed off the undercoating from the brake dust shields, and painted them with rustoleum metallic paint, then a coat of Krylon Metals Gold paint:
Doing this job in the winter time helps. My car is left in a cold garage, while I left the rotor and hub in my warm house. Installation is easier with the cold spindle slightly contracted. Mounted, spindle nut installed, and torqued:
I’ve driven a few hundred miles on them in 2015, and the groaning noises are gone.
Costs:
| Item | Vendor |
Quantity |
Unit Cost |
Cost |
| Wheel Bearing | DMC Midwest |
2 |
$ 19.94 |
$ 39.88 |
| Press in Wheel Bearings | DMC Midwest |
1 |
|
Withheld |
| Bulldog Adhesion Promoter |
On Hand |
|||
| Rustoleum Primer |
On Hand |
|||
| Rustoleum Metallic Paint |
On Hand |
|||
| Krylon Metals (Gold) Paint |
On Hand |