ZX wheel bearing

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rossd
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ZX wheel bearing

Post by rossd »

Changing the wheel bearing on a friends ZX.... Its not going too well.
Got the hub off the car, put it in the press. Pressed out the hub itself, now still got the bearing inside the carrier. Put it in the press, and will it budge? Will it heck!! Im trying to press it out the 'back' of the hub, there look sto be a lip the other side preventing the bearing coming out that way (The back is: Imagine the hub on the car, Im pressing the bearing towards the gearbox, in a manner of speaking.)
Is there a trick to this? Been pressing so hard the 20 ton press was starting to leak at its seals, (though they were leaky anyway!) Got to go back to it tommorrow, got to go find a workshop with a bigger press methinks!
Ross
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

This may sound a bit obvious, but is there a circlip, a.k.a. "bearing retaining clip" or the remains of one, on the gearbox side? I don't know about the ZX, but there is on the BX, and on many other cars, too, and they are not always easy to see.
rossd
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Post by rossd »

Yes, I made sure we got rid of the circlip! Off to go and have another attempt! I've seen a picture of a tool that the main dealers use, looks like I could make one out of some big bolts and sockets. If not its off to somebody with a very big press!
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Post by RichardW »

The bearing is ****ged anyway, so just get some heat on it with the blow lamp. If you apply much more pressure you are likely just to bend the hub.
I have not done one, but... If the bearing were to come out in the direction you are pressing it (towards the 'box) then is there not a risk that as you press the hub back in (which HAS to go in from the the outside) it may push the bearing back out of the carrier, and therefore it would make sense for the bearing to be fitted from the outside also? Having said that I would imagine it should be pressed out in the direction of the (now removed) circlip.
Why is it jobs for mates always turn out to be the worst? (7 hours to change the cambelt on my mate's Xantia TD with 2 of us working on it - had done mine (my first) on my own the day before in about 4 hours - and his was the alledgedly easier early type with clip on covers!)
Hope you get it out!
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

It sounds like hell on earth!!!!
If 20 tons won't shift it then I don't know what will.
It could be that the hub/housing was distorted when the bearing was originally fitted-as its an interference fit a very slight distortion would cause this, and the bearing will never come out!
You could try welding a plate to the back of the bearing, the intense heat may loosen it enough to budge it, and you get something to bash against- I have never done it this way but it apparently does work well.
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Kowalski
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Post by Kowalski »

Have you got the bearing out of square so that its cock-eyed and jamming?
rossd
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Post by rossd »

Eventually we did it! We visited a local agricultural workshop to use their press, but their answer was to weld a ring aroung the inside of the outer race and it should just pop out (We had removed the inner and ball races by this point) Sure enough, after welding, it simply fell out. The logic is that as the weld cools, it contracts, contracting the bearing ring with it. Thats certainly one for the memory banks, and the handy hints and tips section too!
The new bearing went in with no trouble and all and the car was back together within a hour.
Thanks for all your help on here guys!
Ross
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