Wheel bearings or something worse?

[Jay]

Hi guys,

Just wanting your expert advise... I've just done the wheel bearing test and the wheel (rear left) does rock, and rocks quite a bit at that. If it were just a bearing would it only rock a little or a lot?

How much roughly do garages charge to fix the bearing? Is it easy enough for a noob to do?

[...joe]

piece of piss to do, but the bearing housings need pressing in and out and thats not something you'll be able to do on your own.
couldn't tell you how much, hours labour i'd have thought.

[ben44]

try tightening it first with new grease.remember ther not meant to be done up TIGHT just nipped up.

[JimR]

Fairly easy job, you can use a aluminium drift to tap/knock the old bearing housings out but its obviously better to take it to an engineering shop and ask them to press them out and new bearing in. Hardest bit for me was removing the rear brake pad carrier, incredibly tight bolts that will need renewing after removal.

[Jay]

Probably gonna take it to the garage, at least then it's done properly and will be sorted before the new year, don't wanna phone up on my first day of my new job and say "sorry car's fecked and have no way of getting to work" :embarassed: .

A mate has a wheel bearing from a rocco, should this fit or are all bearings standard? If not I blooming well hope the garage has them in stock! 

[Jay]

Spoke to my brother in law and he said to get a gear puller and it can be done with that. Is this true?
If so I think I can do it with his help.

[herbster]

 
Hey, bearings are all pretty standard so a rocco one would sufice, however as the hub is only held on by a split pin and locking nut, no puller should be needed, the bearings are taper, will fall out (or should!) once the hub nut is released, the cup for the cone only needs changing(knocking/pushing out) if serious wear is showing ie pitting, scoreing etc, to refit grease the new ones up liberally, with a new seal! And tighten nut tight, release nut spin hub, finger tighten, spin hub and then spanner tighten while spinning hub no more than quarter turn, if hub is making noise - too tight, should sound like the grease is doing its job, fit the lock ring and split pin, pack the hub cover with grease knock on and spin hub again, fit wheel and check for play, adjust with wheel on as nessesary, a very simple job for not a ot of cash or time, then you know how its done! Just be carefull with the caliper bolts (17mm) use an impact socket for a better grip on the bolt with lots of length on the bar to save knuckles, use threadlock to refit and they will be fine, have fun 

[Jay]

Just checked again, but this time took the wheel off... It's the DRUM thats wobbling!

Would this just need tightening up? If so thats easy enough and I'm guessing that I can only check if the bearings have gone once I have the drum tightened up?

[Dolly]

the drum is held on by the hub nut, which inturn determines how tight the bearing is... with the wheel off:

Pop the dust cover off, using a screwdriver, remove the split pin and nip it up as already mentioned, refit pin and dust cover. bit of new grease if you want to. obviously if you try and tighten and it gets no better or starts making noises its probably shot.

[Jay]

OMFG! the bearings were all LOOSE in the drum housing! I tried getting the new bearing in but, yea... defo need a press machine. So the drum and bearing are down at the garage hoping it gets done today, but latest is Monday. The mechanic also said the NEW bearings I have don't feel right.. WTF they're new! But he said maybe with the grease on they will be better.

Also he said to get the drum on is not just a case of tightening the nut, you have to do it a certain way... is this true? Because I just whacked the drum on and tightened it up like you would anything else, maybe thats what caused the bearings to go?