Wheel bearing tool

[RichardW]

Might have to do a wheel bearing.... anyone got or used a kit like this? Seems like a good idea (as long as it will give enough pull to shift the bearing initially ) - says you can do it with the hub carrier on the car, but how you get out the rusty ring that used to be the circlip when it's behind the hub on the car is anyone's guess

Any gotchas to watch out for with the modern bearing types with the mag track on for speed pick up?

[Stewart(oily)]

I am struggling a bit to see how it would work, even after the big circlip was out of the way.
I would like to see it demonstrated.

[RichardW]

Quite a lot of percussive adjustment is used in the second one to get the bearing moving!!!

[Stewart(oily)]

I rather like that, I am paying around £20 for getting one pressed in by my local engineering place, the kit might pay for itself pretty quickly if there was a rash of failures. or it could sit on the shelf like a lot of the other stuff
That kit is very cheap, interesting to see how good it is.

[sparksie]

That looks like a seriously useful piece of kit.
I've accumulated a selection of old bearings to use as drifts with the press, but they get stuck if you're not careful.
I've also made a selection of drifts from scaffold tube, gun-barrel, cast piping and whatever else came to hand over the years.
But that kit has them all, in the correct sizes to avoid sticking.
The puller bolt will have a finite life, of course, but can easily be replaced.
For me, the bolt would probably never be used, as the press is so much less hernia inducing, but the spacers/drifts would be a Godsend, all neatly presented in a handy case...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Richard

Its some time since I did a wheel bearing, and I just took the hub off, gave it to Les along the street, and he pressed out and installed the new bearing for me at his workshop. On an economic scale for one bearing this would be the cheapest option, although you would have to find an equivalent of Les in your area!

The tool kit, seems reasonable enough if the sizes are appropriate and much easier, and probably just as economic as possibly trying to make up a homemade tool along the lines below:-

There is a firm in Cornwall called Lasermaster who custom cut washers of varying thicknesses/ hole size and diameters. inc stainless steel. So for around £5 you can get a meaty stainless steel washer cut to the exact dimensions of the bearing, and manufacture a pressing tool with an appropriate size and strength bolt. You would need to replicate the "receiving cup/tube into which the bearing is drawn like those included in the kit, maybe even a large diameter deep socket would do.

regards Neil

[CitroJim]

My experience of Xantia and XM wheel bearings is that they need a serious pressing. 7 or 8 tons at least. I can't see this kit being fully effective.

[addo]

That's been my observation, too.

Should work for the lateral stabiliser mount at the bottom rear of the block, though.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes as stated above this is for amusement/entertainment only!



What happens when you put the new bearing in the deep freeze

and the hub in the oven for half an hour?

A little bit of spontaneous laughter



(Extracted from full video posted by Michaelovitch rear bearing Renault 21)

regards Neil

[RichardW]

I 'cooked' the engine casing of my mate's motorbike engine when we overhauled it to get the main bearings in

I had a look in the C5 Haynes, and it appears that the ABS speed sensor, where it uses a mag track on the bearing, is actually over the back of the bearing, so will have to be removed in order to remove the bearing (at least it's just surface mount, and not in a deep (rusty!) hole). This means that the hub carrier will be amenable to having some heat applied to help the bearing out if necessary

Pretty sure that it is the bearing away, but need to jack up to confirm (it's actually on the 307....), so will get one of these kits, but cambelt on the C4 Picasso to come first in a couple of weeks - it's got pretty noisy now, even though it has only done 73k. Hopefully it is the NS, as it looks like it needs a new drive shaft oil seal on that side as well whilst it is adrift.

For a laugh I looked up the bearing price from PSA - £110

[RichardW]

Bagged an SKF bearing from mister-auto for just over £40. Surprised at how big it is - not changed a front one before... Ordered the tool from Amazon, just waiting on its arrival. Plan of action is to pull the hub while it is still on the car (kit comes with elongated bolts to allow that to be pulled off using the wheel nut holes), remove the carrier from the car, then apply the tool, If it won't budge then some gentle persuasion with a 'small' hammer whilst the tension is on, followed by a bigger hammer, followed by heat, followed by lots of heat, followed by driving out the inner-inner race and then applying some MIG bead, followed by more tension, more heat and more hammers, followed by buying a 12T press from the bay (seem to be available for <£100). We'll see how far along the road we need to go before it relents Oh, need some circlip pliers too I think. More tools

[CitroJim]

We'll see how far along the road we need to go before it relents

With numerous XM, 106, 205 and Xantia front wheel bearings under my belt and a bent press to prove it my money is on you going the whole distance and having to use a press Richard

[wheeler]

Any gotchas to watch out for with the modern bearing types with the mag track on for speed pick up?

yep, make sure you put the bearing in round the right way .
Many have actually been caught out with this & only realise when the ABS light comes on afterwards.

[addo]

Oh yes, or - don't damage the pulse generator if you tap the bearing in to initially seat and square it, or don't order/fit the blank one by mistake when there are two possibilities for the car in question...

[RichardW]

Foiled Got it stripped back ready to get the hub carrier off, then thought I would pull the drive flange off first - oh no I won't! Bolts in kit are M12x1.5, PSA use M12x1.25 Couldn't think of any easy way to get it out otherwise, so I put it back together (with new brake pads that were desperately needed!). Will need to source some high tensile M12 fine bolts to grind down and use as a puller to have another go. Unless anyone knows if there is plenty of thickness on the back edge of the drive hub that could be driven out from the back? What is the normal way of getting these out with a press?

I just had a thought....there are some BX TD head bolts lying on the bench (they've only been there 12.5 years ), but no those are M12x1.5 as well....