I'm gonna replace my front axle and need a new bearing too. I would like to do it all at once, so do you have a bearing suggestion. As in manufacturer, I can get one from a local place for $35, the dealer one costs $100, internet $50. I had the names all written down, lost the piece of paper though....
Any suggestions on manufacturer and place where to get/order would be greatly appreciated!!
front wheel bearing suggestion??
Moderators: Helpinators, Moderators
front wheel bearing suggestion??
Stock 1991 Legacy L+ AWD 5MT wagon 191k+ mi
I have the same problem as Manarius, except my front wheel is loose.
Should I get a new bearing or a whole new hub? I haven't taken it off because my soobster is my daily driver??
My wheel doesn't make a noise it's just loose when grabbing the wheel and wiggling it...
Should I get a new bearing or a whole new hub? I haven't taken it off because my soobster is my daily driver??
My wheel doesn't make a noise it's just loose when grabbing the wheel and wiggling it...
Stock 1991 Legacy L+ AWD 5MT wagon 191k+ mi
$100 for a bearing ? damn, I wouldn't pay that
busdriver look to see what is loose. If the wheel and knuckle moves up and down, likely worn balljoint, if it moves in and out at the front, likely worn inner tie rod end (and ripped boot - look when you have the wheel turned right which will stretch that boot). if the wheel moves but the knuckle is solid, then you have a bearing problem, but its probably one of the first two things or both. A bearing bad enough to let the wheel wiggle would probably drone a lot while driving
busdriver look to see what is loose. If the wheel and knuckle moves up and down, likely worn balljoint, if it moves in and out at the front, likely worn inner tie rod end (and ripped boot - look when you have the wheel turned right which will stretch that boot). if the wheel moves but the knuckle is solid, then you have a bearing problem, but its probably one of the first two things or both. A bearing bad enough to let the wheel wiggle would probably drone a lot while driving
That beer you are drinking cost more than my car
-
Manarius
- Fourth Gear
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:53 pm
- Location: USA, PA, Grantham (near Harrisburg)
- Contact:
How hard is it to replace a balljoint? And what do you mean by the knuckle? (Is that the chrome colored thing under the disc?professor wrote:$100 for a bearing ? damn, I wouldn't pay that
busdriver look to see what is loose. If the wheel and knuckle moves up and down, likely worn balljoint, if it moves in and out at the front, likely worn inner tie rod end (and ripped boot - look when you have the wheel turned right which will stretch that boot). if the wheel moves but the knuckle is solid, then you have a bearing problem, but its probably one of the first two things or both. A bearing bad enough to let the wheel wiggle would probably drone a lot while driving
1995 Polo Green Subaru SVX (189k miles - 08/2007-Present)Manarius wrote:The Neo-Cons would call me a defeatist. I'd call me a realist. I'm realistically saying that a snowball has better chances in the blazes of hell than democracy has in Iraq.
the steering knuckle is the large cast item that the wheel bearing fits into, the lug studs stick out of (behind the brake disk), and the balljoint body fits into, and the outer tie rod end mounts to
the knuckle is located by three things: the tie rod in front, the balljoint, and the bottom of the strut housing. When turning, the strut turns on the strut mount bearing at the top mount, rotates on the balljoint, and is pulled / pushed by the tie rod.
if the knuckle moves freely, then you have a problem with one of the three mounts mentioned above. If it wiggles up and down, then the balljoint is trashed. In and out (like steering, only without turnig the wheel), the the tie rod end or ends are worn or there is steering rack play. I suppose you could totally trash a strut mount bearing but I've never seen that. I practice, above 150k the Legacy will have worn balljoints and suspect inner tie rod ends.
A bad CV joint / half shaft will NOT make the wheel or knuckle wiggle !!!!! it turns the wheel but does not locate the knuckle. It has nothing to do with the solid mounting of the wheel, at all.
If the knuckle is rock solid but the wheel wiggles, and your lugnuts are tight, then the wheel bearing is gone. if so you should hear bad droning at that corner, which gets louder if you turn the opposite way.
In practice the balljoints are the place to start, they are cheap and take 20 minutes to change, you can use a flat bar and pry the old one out if not reusing, and fit new ones very easily. Tie rods are expensive once you figure in boots the part cost goes way over $150, I elected to change the whole rack (good decision), 180K on a rack and its getting worn for sure
the knuckle is located by three things: the tie rod in front, the balljoint, and the bottom of the strut housing. When turning, the strut turns on the strut mount bearing at the top mount, rotates on the balljoint, and is pulled / pushed by the tie rod.
if the knuckle moves freely, then you have a problem with one of the three mounts mentioned above. If it wiggles up and down, then the balljoint is trashed. In and out (like steering, only without turnig the wheel), the the tie rod end or ends are worn or there is steering rack play. I suppose you could totally trash a strut mount bearing but I've never seen that. I practice, above 150k the Legacy will have worn balljoints and suspect inner tie rod ends.
A bad CV joint / half shaft will NOT make the wheel or knuckle wiggle !!!!! it turns the wheel but does not locate the knuckle. It has nothing to do with the solid mounting of the wheel, at all.
If the knuckle is rock solid but the wheel wiggles, and your lugnuts are tight, then the wheel bearing is gone. if so you should hear bad droning at that corner, which gets louder if you turn the opposite way.
In practice the balljoints are the place to start, they are cheap and take 20 minutes to change, you can use a flat bar and pry the old one out if not reusing, and fit new ones very easily. Tie rods are expensive once you figure in boots the part cost goes way over $150, I elected to change the whole rack (good decision), 180K on a rack and its getting worn for sure
That beer you are drinking cost more than my car
-
Manarius
- Fourth Gear
- Posts: 1755
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:53 pm
- Location: USA, PA, Grantham (near Harrisburg)
- Contact:
Professor, I have this video of the sound I hear then I'm driving around..does it sound like wheel bearing? (I think I have ball joint problems...the hub is loose..and that bearing is brand new.
http://media.putfile.com/Really-a-bearing
http://media.putfile.com/Really-a-bearing
1995 Polo Green Subaru SVX (189k miles - 08/2007-Present)Manarius wrote:The Neo-Cons would call me a defeatist. I'd call me a realist. I'm realistically saying that a snowball has better chances in the blazes of hell than democracy has in Iraq.
So I checked the looseness out after work tonight...
None of the three fixtures move at all, the boot on the ball joint has a small hole in it, so when I take the hub off can I replace that boot??
The only thing moving is the wheel/hub. By looking from inside (motor to wheel) I can see the hub wiggling around the CV. So I imagine this will be the bearing. I'm going to work on it this weekend, so I don't have time to order a "good" bearing, so I will pick up one for $35. Any thoughts or comments on this? Hopefully I can rent a pickle fork from autozone to release the balljoint. Can I attach a new boot when putting the balljoint back together with a bottlejack? Should I pry apart the tie rod or mark it and screw it off the rod? possible??
Do you guys have issues getting your jack out of the spot in the trunk? I always have to take out the screws holding the plastic cover around the little door and pry the jack out without breaking anything, quite an act, it seems like the jack is a little too long...?
Cheers!!
None of the three fixtures move at all, the boot on the ball joint has a small hole in it, so when I take the hub off can I replace that boot??
The only thing moving is the wheel/hub. By looking from inside (motor to wheel) I can see the hub wiggling around the CV. So I imagine this will be the bearing. I'm going to work on it this weekend, so I don't have time to order a "good" bearing, so I will pick up one for $35. Any thoughts or comments on this? Hopefully I can rent a pickle fork from autozone to release the balljoint. Can I attach a new boot when putting the balljoint back together with a bottlejack? Should I pry apart the tie rod or mark it and screw it off the rod? possible??
Do you guys have issues getting your jack out of the spot in the trunk? I always have to take out the screws holding the plastic cover around the little door and pry the jack out without breaking anything, quite an act, it seems like the jack is a little too long...?
Cheers!!
Stock 1991 Legacy L+ AWD 5MT wagon 191k+ mi
I would remove the steering knuckle from the car completely and bring it into a mechanic and throw yourself on the mercy of the court, to have the bearing removed and pressed in
If your balljoint has a hole in the boot I would replace it, although in theory you can get a new boot only. the new balljoint will come with a new boot. It is a lot easier to remove if you don't give a crap about saving the boot. Then you can replace the other side with the other balljoint you bought, since pairs is the only way to go. I've never used a pickle fork, btw.
The tie rod end and balljoint have a taper, the best way to release tapers is to loosen the nut half way, put some light pryng pressure on (such as with a flat bar), and strike the housing holding the taper with a hammer. One good shot almost always releases the taper. Its like magic compared to prying with a pickle fork.
there are numerous threads on here about removing the half shaft. Don't agle the joints too much or you may rip and otherwise intact boot
of course the two large strut bolts need to be removed last, mark the camber bolt (bottom) for clock position so you put it back in the same
you will not mess up your alignment if you don't rotate the tie rod, and put the camber bolt back in the same position. You'll need 19mm socket, and open end wrench and a breaker bar on those strut bolts
If your balljoint has a hole in the boot I would replace it, although in theory you can get a new boot only. the new balljoint will come with a new boot. It is a lot easier to remove if you don't give a crap about saving the boot. Then you can replace the other side with the other balljoint you bought, since pairs is the only way to go. I've never used a pickle fork, btw.
The tie rod end and balljoint have a taper, the best way to release tapers is to loosen the nut half way, put some light pryng pressure on (such as with a flat bar), and strike the housing holding the taper with a hammer. One good shot almost always releases the taper. Its like magic compared to prying with a pickle fork.
there are numerous threads on here about removing the half shaft. Don't agle the joints too much or you may rip and otherwise intact boot
of course the two large strut bolts need to be removed last, mark the camber bolt (bottom) for clock position so you put it back in the same
you will not mess up your alignment if you don't rotate the tie rod, and put the camber bolt back in the same position. You'll need 19mm socket, and open end wrench and a breaker bar on those strut bolts
That beer you are drinking cost more than my car
So I took it all apart today and the bearing was bad, it hadn't started to make a humming sound yet, but on the freeway I could feel the steering wheel wobble about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch side to side...
when I took the steering knuckle off I could wiggle the hub around. I believe because of this wobbling my cv boots got way shredded.
Initially I wanted to just change the axle shaft to see if that makes a difference, but decided to go all the way since these boots would see the same fate as the ones before. Along the way I tore the ball joint boot so I had to replace this too. The camber bolt and nut sheared three nipples off, one ratchet, two conversion sockets... I had problems getting the tie rod and ball joints undone by prying and hammering, so I got pullers from autozone, and voila!!
My axle was stuck in the hub soo well that the mechanic who pressed in the bearing worked for about 15 minutes with air tools!! It took him about two hours to get the old bearing out and the new one in...
I worked all day 3.5 hours to take it apart, 2 hours cleaning all the splatters grease (I'm kinda compulsive with cleaning all the stuff that I'm repairing), and 2 hours putting it all back together.
I'm glad the mechanic took care of getting the axle unstuck and the bearing out and in!!
Took it for a test drive and it's AWESOME, no more clicking and no more steering wheel wobble, and it runs straight as an arrow, it really is important to mark the strut bolts!!
Thank you guys for your help and previous threads!!!
This job was a great success with only minor hick-ups!! I got done a day earlier than expected!!
Oops sorry for the lenght...
when I took the steering knuckle off I could wiggle the hub around. I believe because of this wobbling my cv boots got way shredded.
Initially I wanted to just change the axle shaft to see if that makes a difference, but decided to go all the way since these boots would see the same fate as the ones before. Along the way I tore the ball joint boot so I had to replace this too. The camber bolt and nut sheared three nipples off, one ratchet, two conversion sockets... I had problems getting the tie rod and ball joints undone by prying and hammering, so I got pullers from autozone, and voila!!
My axle was stuck in the hub soo well that the mechanic who pressed in the bearing worked for about 15 minutes with air tools!! It took him about two hours to get the old bearing out and the new one in...
I worked all day 3.5 hours to take it apart, 2 hours cleaning all the splatters grease (I'm kinda compulsive with cleaning all the stuff that I'm repairing), and 2 hours putting it all back together.
I'm glad the mechanic took care of getting the axle unstuck and the bearing out and in!!
Took it for a test drive and it's AWESOME, no more clicking and no more steering wheel wobble, and it runs straight as an arrow, it really is important to mark the strut bolts!!
Thank you guys for your help and previous threads!!!
This job was a great success with only minor hick-ups!! I got done a day earlier than expected!!
Oops sorry for the lenght...
Stock 1991 Legacy L+ AWD 5MT wagon 191k+ mi
Glad it worked out. Considering stuck fasteners and such, you total time really isn't that bad.
I once spent 2.5 days on and off getting a wheel bearing out of the back of a 325is BMW. I would take the control arm off in a hearbeat if I ever do that again.
I once spent 2.5 days on and off getting a wheel bearing out of the back of a 325is BMW. I would take the control arm off in a hearbeat if I ever do that again.
That beer you are drinking cost more than my car