Wheel bearing tool

[RichardW]

Sorted (well nearly!). Got some bolts off the bay. Had a bit of trouble getting them to go through the back of the drive flange, one of the threads is a bit mashed at the back now... Struggled initially to find somewhere to pull against, but then found that the old worn brake pads were just the right size to fit behind and act as spacers Drive flange then pull out easily. Circlip was as expected just a rusty mess to start with. Persuaded it out eventually once one end got going and I was able to get a screwdriver in behind it. Then on to pulling the bearing. Got the puller on and wound it up tight - surprising how much torque you can apply with a side gate adjustable spanner but not enough to shift it. Got it on some blocks with the tension still on and welted it a few times, which shifted the bearing, and it was then easy enough to pull it out (well if you count using a 3ft pipe to turn it easy!). Inner race was then dispatched from the drive flange with the angle grinder and a cold chisel, and the new bearing was pulled in simply enough. Inevitably the ABS sensor bolt snapped as soon as I looked at it, so it had to be drilled out, and a through bolt fitted. Just got to put the hub back on the car tomorrow morning now.

So, I would recommend the tool - you do really need a good vice to hold it in though whilst you wind the puller up, and you need to check the drive flange bolts are the right size (and be careful how you wind them through the first time to avoid wrecking the thread). You also need a decent spanner to turn the puller - I will be buying a 30mm ring next time!

[CitroJim]

Delighted you've finally succeeded with what sounds a right dockyard job Richard

Well done!

[RichardW]

All back together now - nice and quiet

Didn't quite have the drive flange pulled right in to start with but it soon pulled up with the hub nut

[Mandrake]

All back together now - nice and quiet

Didn't quite have the drive flange pulled right in to start with but it soon pulled up with the hub nut

Excellent!

So which wheel was it then ? I remember we had some difficulty deciding which wheel the noise was actually coming from, so its good to hear that you had got the right one.

[davie206]

Citrojim what kind a press do you have? I have a 6 tonne press that managed the brake drum bearings no bother but not yet tried it on a front wheel bearing yet

[CitroJim]

Davie, I have a Clarke 10 ton press that's done so many Xantia/XM and other assorted wheel bearings I've now lost count. So far it's never failed and can be pumped well beyond 10 tons It's done some really tight ones that have been well corroded in their place.

My press has been so badly abused that the adjustable press-bed is now bowed. It h append once so I inverted it and now it's bowed again and won't unbow.. I need to crack out the welder and hacksaw and make a new one from meatier materials.

It's one piece of workshop equipment I'd not be without as it gets used for lots of various pressing jobs, not just wheel bearings...

The cheapish Clarke ones as I have are not of the most sturdy quality and not hugely robust but are not expensive and do the job far better than their price might suggest they might.

[RichardW]

So which wheel was it then ? I remember we had some difficulty deciding which wheel the noise was actually coming from, so its good to hear that you had got the right one.

Off side - it was eventually so noisy that it just had to be that one - I still couldn't really detect any significant roughness when rotating it by hand, but I decided it had to be.

[RichardW]

Wow it's quiet

[Mandrake]

Wow it's quiet

I take it that was your first long distance high speed trip since the repair ?

[RichardW]

Indeed, time only for a few hundred metres up the road and back on Sat to check it wasn't falling off, and the ABS was still working. It's amazing how noisy these things get before they get attention

[Mandrake]

I wonder what causes wheel bearings to go... they either seem to last forever or they go fairly quickly - is it triggered by a curb impact or similar ?

I've only had one wheel bearing go noisy in all the cars I've ever owned as far as I can remember - and that was a front wheel bearing that was in my GS which was already 17 years old when I bought it...

[CitroJim]

I wonder what causes wheel bearings to go....

Most I've seen recently have failed because the grease has dried out and gone hard Simon...

If only they could be re-greased as in the old days...

[jvwykes]

I thought i'd add my experiences of changing front wheel bearings without the need to use special tools.

Remove the hub flange by extracting with wedges between hub and hub carrier (heavy duty chisels work best). Remove circlip from hub carrier. Remove remains of ball bearings from bearing outer race. Keep the remainder of the inner race for later.
Clean the grease out then run a few welds inside the outer bearing race. The race can now be drifted out using a chisel with minimal effort.

Now the fun bit. Might be easier if you put the new bearing in the freezer for a couple of day. You will need a heavy duty vice for the next stage. Lightly oil the hub carrier then quickly position the new bearing (whilst still cold) to the hub carrier. Position the old outer bearing race to the outer race of the new bearing. Carefully align the assembly into the vice and squeeze together. Goes together easy peezy, even better with someone to help. Then replace circlip

Remove old bearing inner race from hub by carefully grinding with an angle grinder. Position the hub to the new bearing inside the hub carrier. then on reverse side position the other half of the inner race (you saved earlier) then squeeze together in the vice.

This method has worked well and i've never had any issues

all the best James

[CitroJim]

Excellent James...

It's amazing how the old bead of weld trick works... I find a proper arc (stick) welder rather than a MIG welder is the better tool for this.

You’re right, it's the getting the old one out that's the hard bit. Pressing in the new one, especially if it's been well chilled, is not too bad at all.

You still need a jolly big vice though!

[davie206]

So which wheel was it then ? I remember we had some difficulty deciding which wheel the noise was actually coming from, so its good to hear that you had got the right one.

Off side - it was eventually so noisy that it just had to be that one - I still couldn't really detect any significant roughness when rotating it by hand, but I decided it had to be.

Sounds good I have the 6 tonne tibertech press off ebay, seems like a good buy so far. Thinking about strengthening it by welding a bar along the top

Davie, I have a Clarke 10 ton press that's done so many Xantia/XM and other assorted wheel bearings I've now lost count. So far it's never failed and can be pumped well beyond 10 tons It's done some really tight ones that have been well corroded in their place.

My press has been so badly abused that the adjustable press-bed is now bowed. It h append once so I inverted it and now it's bowed again and won't unbow.. I need to crack out the welder and hacksaw and make a new one from meatier materials.

It's one piece of workshop equipment I'd not be without as it gets used for lots of various pressing jobs, not just wheel bearings...

The cheapish Clarke ones as I have are not of the most sturdy quality and not hugely robust but are not expensive and do the job far better than their price might suggest they might.