wheel bearings...

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  • E30_fiend
    R3V OG
    • Apr 2006
    • 7348

    #1

    wheel bearings...

    Everybody could use the help of a mexican or two.



    the POS just sittin so tighly and so agrivatingly still in its little POS housing



    the beautiful brand new bearing



    yes that is a mig welder sitting next to the car. hmmm what's it for??



    once again, the welder.




    Now for all the guys on the forums that say that the rear wheel bearings take forever to remove and replace, I dont know what you are talking about. I did mine in a cool relaxed three and a half hours.

    Now to explain the welder. If anyone is attempting to do the wheel bearings yourself, this may be a helpful little trick you can use if you have access to a mig welder.
    1. First take all the brake components off and pull the hub out of the bearing housing.
    2. You should be left with the bearing staring you in the face.
    3. Get a small chizel or screwdriver and hammer off the outer seal of the bearing. you should see the ball bearings underneath.
    4. Pry out the outside half of the inner race. You should now be left with the back half of the inner race and the rear seal.
    5. You should notice that you have a flat part on the inside of the outer race. This is where the welder comes in handy.
    6. Take the welder and weld about half way around the inside of the outer race. If you didnt already know, high heat on metal causes the metal to shrink.
    7. After you weld your bead, find a slide hammer(rent one or barrow one if you dont have one) with the correct sized attatchment and proceed to hammer the bearing out. It took me about 8 or 9 forcefull hits to pop that baby out.
    8. Then just put in the new bearing and remember to only tap on the outer race of the bearing. Tapping on the inner race will destroy the bearing.
    9. Reinstall hub and brake components and ofcourse the wheel.

    I really hope people on here decide to use this little trick. It cuts personal labor time in half and just makes things a whole lot easier.

    Oh yeah and sorry about the crappy camera phone pics.

    E30Fiend
    Last edited by E30_fiend; 04-27-2007, 10:19 PM. Reason: bad link
    Need a performance chip for you BMW? Shoot me a PM and I'll get you taken care of!!
    Taylor- Follow me on Instagram @e30_fiend


  • Mr Deagle
    E30 Enthusiast
    • Nov 2006
    • 1121

    #2
    Heat expands, not contracts

    Comment

    • E30_fiend
      R3V OG
      • Apr 2006
      • 7348

      #3
      Originally posted by Mr Deagle
      Heat expands, not contracts
      true but in this case we are super heating the metal and in order to create a weld that will penetrate enough into the metal to create an optimal bond, the metal is pulled toward the weld.
      If you dont believe me then next time you do your wheel bearings, if you do them yourself, try this trick and you will see how it speeds things up.

      E30Fiend
      Need a performance chip for you BMW? Shoot me a PM and I'll get you taken care of!!
      Taylor- Follow me on Instagram @e30_fiend


      Comment

      • thereisnoyun
        R3VLimited
        • Feb 2007
        • 2301

        #4
        wierd...

        Okay,... I just went to home depot and bought some bolts and washers. And cranked it out. Took me like 2 hours. from start to finish. No heat or nothing, it just cranks out. Welder!?

        Comment

        • E30_fiend
          R3V OG
          • Apr 2006
          • 7348

          #5
          Originally posted by thereisnoyun
          Okay,... I just went to home depot and bought some bolts and washers. And cranked it out. Took me like 2 hours. from start to finish. No heat or nothing, it just cranks out. Welder!?
          I know i thought the same thing when the guy I work with pulled the welder over to my car. Both of my bearings were really bad and really stuck in there, and the guy I owkr with said that he does this all the time for all kinds of wheel bearings. So I said why not and just let him have at it with the welder, but before that I told him that if her messes anything up, he has to pay for it and he agreed. So really I guess this just made the process a lot easier for me. Obviously everyone has their own ways and this was mine.

          E30Fiend
          Need a performance chip for you BMW? Shoot me a PM and I'll get you taken care of!!
          Taylor- Follow me on Instagram @e30_fiend


          Comment

          • redhatpat
            Mod Crazy
            • Aug 2005
            • 656

            #6
            Good to know. I've already done both my rear bearings, but pulling the old bearing out was by far the toughest part of the job.

            Comment

            • E30_fiend
              R3V OG
              • Apr 2006
              • 7348

              #7
              Originally posted by redhatpat
              Good to know. I've already done both my rear bearings, but pulling the old bearing out was by far the toughest part of the job.
              exactly. if getting the bearing out was as easy as getting it in, it woulb be like a one hour job for both sides combined

              E30Fiend
              Need a performance chip for you BMW? Shoot me a PM and I'll get you taken care of!!
              Taylor- Follow me on Instagram @e30_fiend


              Comment

              • Mr Deagle
                E30 Enthusiast
                • Nov 2006
                • 1121

                #8
                Originally posted by abigballafb76
                true but in this case we are super heating the metal and in order to create a weld that will penetrate enough into the metal to create an optimal bond, the metal is pulled toward the weld.
                If you dont believe me then next time you do your wheel bearings, if you do them yourself, try this trick and you will see how it speeds things up.

                E30Fiend
                I think you were just welding something to the bearing so you could pull it out easier, not making it smaller

                Comment

                • Jand3rson
                  Banned
                  • Oct 2003
                  • 37587

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Mr Deagle
                  I think you were just welding something to the bearing so you could pull it out easier, not making it smaller
                  It occurs to me that since THEY were the ones doing the job, and not you, they probably have a little bit better idea of what they were doing than you, seeing as how you ummm.... weren't there, smart guy.

                  Comment

                  • Mr Deagle
                    E30 Enthusiast
                    • Nov 2006
                    • 1121

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
                    It occurs to me that since THEY were the ones doing the job, and not you, they probably have a little bit better idea of what they were doing than you, seeing as how you ummm.... weren't there, smart guy.

                    nothing contracts when you heat it, so an explanation for the welding would be to attach something to the bearing so you can pull it out

                    Comment

                    • euroshark
                      No R3VLimiter
                      • Apr 2006
                      • 3491

                      #11
                      Maybe the welding wasn't for attaching anything at all, maybe it was just to get the thing hot enough to loosen up so it could be popped off? It's possible, since it would probably not be a good idea to be shooting a torch at everything in the vicinity and a welder would heat up the bearing without heating the other pieces nearly as much, unlike a torch.

                      Frozen water contracts when it is heated. It's the only natural compound that expands when it freezes.
                      '88 528e /// '88 M5 /// '89 951 /// '98 E430 /// '02 M5

                      Comment

                      • Mr Deagle
                        E30 Enthusiast
                        • Nov 2006
                        • 1121

                        #12
                        Originally posted by euroshark

                        Frozen water contracts when it is heated. It's the only natural compound that expands when it freezes.
                        i was hoping nobody would catch that, but you get an A+ in science, but when it turns to steam, it expands

                        Comment

                        • E30_fiend
                          R3V OG
                          • Apr 2006
                          • 7348

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
                          It occurs to me that since THEY were the ones doing the job, and not you, they probably have a little bit better idea of what they were doing than you, seeing as how you ummm.... weren't there, smart guy.
                          thank you!!
                          Need a performance chip for you BMW? Shoot me a PM and I'll get you taken care of!!
                          Taylor- Follow me on Instagram @e30_fiend


                          Comment

                          • fwappy
                            Grease Monkey
                            • Feb 2007
                            • 362

                            #14
                            I think I'm going to break down and buy the Sir Tools B-90. I have a few cars that I plan to keep for a while, and although only my e30 is in need of the change now, I'm sure I'll be doing it again. I hear you can do both in 45 minutes or less. For only $200, it's totally worth the ultimately repeated hassle. Anyone got a used one for sale? :)

                            "If I were filthy rich I'd still drive my E30."

                            Comment

                            • vr4boy
                              Wrencher
                              • Feb 2005
                              • 282

                              #15
                              yep,i bought the tool also as it has paid for itself in all the rear bearings i have done plus,it'll work with other cars too...

                              Comment

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