Thread: Burning through wheel bearings?

What's the 21, 17 and 16 for?

34/36 for the axle nut
19mm for the lug nuts
18mm wrench..pop BJ and you don't mess up the alignment
13mm for the bearing bolts
Hammer

^ This. Doesn't take to long personally I would never pay that to have someone else do it.

Oddly enough my bearing bolts on The Gxp Were that size 16mm and to be quick about I just pop the strut to knuckle bolts loose since my I have a lifetime alignment deal forgot my gtp had the 13 mm bolts

Tie rod?

Bill's method:
Jack and support the side in question
Remove tire
Loosen axle nut, leaving it just proud of the axle
Hit end of nut with BFH to free axle from bearing
Remove nut remainder of the way
Remove the caliper and bracket, support the caliper and remove the disc
Disconnect the ABS sensor wire at the hub
Sneak in to get the 3 13mm bolts that hold the bearing to the knuckle (if they seem questionable use a 1/2")
Smack rear of hub with BFH to break it free.
Wiggle it off and new one in place, ensure you put the backing plate on in the correct orientation for the sensor wire.
Bolt it all back together.

See...that was quick and nice, right?

Or use a universal and a 13mm shallow plus an extension. It's honestly not that tough and if you can break it free with 1/4" stuff, then you are better than me or your bolt was loose.

i used a shallow socket on the end of a 6 inch extension 3/8 ratchet. pop the tie rod so you can move the knuckle around, easy as pie.

Doesn't yoru steering wheel turn Scott? Pop the tie rod? .. I've never seen a need?

it does, but why crank the wheel and make the car move when its on a jack or stands, i never liked that feeling. plus its one nut and a hammer to pop it off.

then you also need to get up and turn it back and fourth, pop the tie rod, you can turn it at will sitting in front of it, safely.

Guess having the tie rod pop and spin is more of an issue. I've never really needed to mess with it that much. I'm there to do a bearing, straight on has less pressure on everything.

truth is, in all my years of changing tie rods, i NEVER had one spin on me. dumb luck i guess.

Wow, you did get lucky. I've changed hardly any and since I'm using air..it's usually all good. But I've seen a few ugly ones.

Aren't you older.. like Scott. I'd be willing to say it was your method before it was mine..lol

theres only so many ways to skin a wheel hub.

first one i ever did was a 3500 97 gmc 4x4 front hub, the rotor was pressed to the studs of the hub, 8 lug too. made changing the rotors so much fun.

before that, all my cars had real bearings, that you had to grease every 10 years. best part is, they hardly ever failed.

I never took off the tie rod to do a wheel bearing

I jack up the car so both front wheels are off the ground then place 2 jack stands under the subframe and turn the steering wheel to get at the 3 bolts.