C5 Mk. 1 rear wheel bearing change advice

[jamescarruthers]

Hello. I am tempted to try to change the rear wheel bearings on my 2001 C5, 2.2 diesel, Mk. 1 estate as. I have tried the search function on here but it maddeningly ignores two letter terms... like the car's name!

How hard is it? Any chance of the Citroen procedure and the right part numbers, please?

[CitroJim]

If it's anything like the Xantia James, the biggest problem will be in getting the brake caliper off...

The rest should be OK... I've done a few Xantias and needed a hub puller, a hydraulic press to pop the old bearing out of the hub and press the new one home and then a flat puller and/or careful use of an angle grinder to remove the half of the inner race that may get left behind on the stub axle...

That's for the Xantia... If the early C5 is totally different I apologise for leading you astray...

[GiveMeABreak]

These use a complete hub assembly that must be totally replaced after removal Jim.

I shall put something up for you shortly James in the member's section, with a link here when I've completed it.

[GiveMeABreak]

James, procedure here:

viewtopic.php?p=758640#p758640

Parts

(3) OEM Original Rear Hub Bearing, part: 374870, £222.91
Citroen cheaper alternative, part: 1681931080, £88.99

All direct from Citroen inc. VAT

[Hell Razor5543]

Based on a story I heard from a recommended garage, make sure not to drop the replacement wheel hub. They spent ages tracking down an ABS fault on a Xsara Picasso, and it was down to a tiny crack in the magnetic ring in the hub (which had recently been replaced).

[Stickyfinger]

C5 Mk1 is just a big Xantia Jim

[jamescarruthers]

Thanks all!

[CitroJim]

That's for the Xantia... If the early C5 is totally different I apologise for leading you astray...

Sorry James, I did! I'm good at that

[Kristian27]

i see bearing are sold sepperately aswell, is there anything stopping me from using a press to force out the old bearing on press in a new one ?

[Jay-Bruce]

i see bearing are sold sepperately aswell, is there anything stopping me from using a press to force out the old bearing on press in a new one ?

The are two things stopping you doing that, the first is your own intelligence, I mean, who, bar an absolute fool, would put themself through the ballache of pressing out old bearings and pressing in new one, while trying to NOT damage the magnetic markers in the new bearing that are the ABS trigger "teeth", for the sakes of saving about £10 / 70NOK saved buying a new bearing vs a bearing hub assembly? The second thing is that the rear bearings are pressed into essentially a blind hole in the hub, so you can't readily get an arbor from the press onto the bearing

Also, what CitroJim said about using a grinder to remove the old bearings inner race from the stub axle is great advice. As you pull the hub off, the inboard inner race often pops out the bearing, and remains snug on the stub axle, and it's difficult to get a grip with a puller on the back of it. However, if you put a grinder with a grinding or flap disk onto it and GRIND rather than cut the bearing off, grinding the inner race from O shape to C shape, as you get near the stub axle, the combination of heat and vibration in the inner race crack the thin section of metal you are grinding and it comes off really easy after that. Even if it doesn't crack the thin metal, the heat and vibration free it off.

Don't try and slit through the bearing with a cutting/slitting disc, as you will almost certainly catch and damage the stub axle.

[Kristian27]

i see bearing are sold sepperately aswell, is there anything stopping me from using a press to force out the old bearing on press in a new one ?

The are two things stopping you doing that, the first is your own intelligence, I mean, who, bar an absolute fool, would put themself through the ballache of pressing out old bearings and pressing in new one, while trying to NOT damage the magnetic markers in the new bearing that are the ABS trigger "teeth", for the sakes of saving about £10 / 70NOK saved buying a new bearing vs a bearing hub assembly? The second thing is that the rear bearings are pressed into essentially a blind hole in the hub, so you can't readily get an arbor from the press onto the bearing

Also, what CitroJim said about using a grinder to remove the old bearings inner race from the stub axle is great advice. As you pull the hub off, the inboard inner race often pops out the bearing, and remains snug on the stub axle, and it's difficult to get a grip with a puller on the back of it. However, if you put a grinder with a grinding or flap disk onto it and GRIND rather than cut the bearing off, grinding the inner race from O shape to C shape, as you get near the stub axle, the combination of heat and vibration in the inner race crack the thin section of metal you are grinding and it comes off really easy after that. Even if it doesn't crack the thin metal, the heat and vibration free it off.

Don't try and slit through the bearing with a cutting/slitting disc, as you will almost certainly catch and damage the stub axle.

hmm, the price difference is around 32£ if going for a premium bearing (FAG) but I see your point.. pressing out the bearing on the front axles was pretty straightforward but the rear might be a bit trickier?
I see there are complete assemblies for around 50£ vs 80£ for the premium ones but the cheap ones are probably crap.

[xantia_v6]

On a Xantia, I managed to get the inner race off of the axle by hammering (carefully) a Stanley knife blade behind the race, moving it enough that a more conventional puller plate could be used.

[Jay-Bruce]

On the rear hub, the outer race is vitrually inaccessable for pressing out:



So, in much the same way as pulling the hub off the stub axle risks leaving the inboard inner race on the axle as we spoke about previously, trying to press the bearing out of the rear hub risks leaving the outer race inside the hub, which would be a [insert expletives of choice] to get out of there, but when you get the bearing out, pressing in the new one should be dead easy.

[Kristian27]

In that case I think i will just buy the complete assembly and overhaul the old one to replace the other side when needed save myself some pain.
Does anyone have any budget brand recomandation or is it safer to stick with Fag,Skf,nsk..

[aspire_helen]

How are things going with replacing the rear hub?