rear wheel bearing job w pics

[Grackle]

I went ahead and bought the HF FWD bearing install tool (had a 20% off coupon). I figure the mandrels can be useful later on with my press. I didn't want to damage my new bearing and have the car sit on jack stands for another 4-5 days while I waiting for another replacement. Took me all of ten minutes combined to get the new bearing and old hub back together.

Update: Got the car all back together this afternoon. Wow, the car is so much nicer to drive now then what it was before. I am kind of shocked at how much noise that bad bearing was making. I knew it was bad, but once I replaced it I could really tell the difference.

[Grackle]

Many aftermarket parts vendors will give bad info regarding cutoffs and compatible models. I would go by RealOEM as a source to double check you are getting the right part.

Yeah I used realoem to verify what I was seeing.

[reelizmpro]

OK, apparently there are different bearing sizes. The ones I received for an 86 325es are much smaller then what is on the car. Best as I can tell my car has had the driver's side trailing arm replaced with a later model trailing arm that takes a bigger bearing. I don't know about the passenger side as I have not taken it apart yet. I likely will just put the passenger side back together since it wasn't making any noise anyway.

This is the measurements/type of part I bought:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...eyword=513113+

This is what I pulled out of the car:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...keyword=513106

So a 39mm ID, 72mm OD bearing is listed as what is supposed to fit my car. But it actually takes a 42mm ID, 75mm OD bearing.

ETA: According to realoem the cutoff date is 09/85 for the smaller bearing, so the vendor I got my bearings from is wrong (my car's build date is 05/86).

Many aftermarket parts vendors will give bad info regarding cutoffs and compatible models. I would go by RealOEM as a source to double check you are getting the right part.

when driving the wheel hub in, it became difficult mid way through and it stopped turning as I using the ratchet, then it went in. However now the hub kind of sags, and I can see the inner race has some play. If I tighten it all the way it wont sag but the minute I go to undo the driver (HF OTC HUB PULLER EQUIV) it will become loose and sag again. Did I fuck it up, also can I just put the axle in and once I tighten the axle nut it should all be good though right?

Did you make sure the hub was pressing in evenly? IIRC, you were supposed to use the right diameter cylinder to keep the inner bearing race from moving while pressing the hub in.

From the original post...

"Installing hub. Same concept as before. Plate over hub to draw it into the wheel bearing, except this time the plate on the OPPOSITE side is only bigger than the INNER diameter of the wheel bearing."

I would make sure there is no play or sagging at all before installing the axle. You may even have to replace the bearing again at this point.

[RondoAcapriccio]

when driving the wheel hub in, it became difficult mid way through and it stopped turning as I using the ratchet, then it went in. However now the hub kind of sags, and I can see the inner race has some play. If I tighten it all the way it wont sag but the minute I go to undo the driver (HF OTC HUB PULLER EQUIV) it will become loose and sag again. Did I fuck it up, also can I just put the axle in and once I tighten the axle nut it should all be good though right?

[Grackle]

OK, apparently there are different bearing sizes. The ones I received for an 86 325es are much smaller then what is on the car. Best as I can tell my car has had the driver's side trailing arm replaced with a later model trailing arm that takes a bigger bearing. I don't know about the passenger side as I have not taken it apart yet. I likely will just put the passenger side back together since it wasn't making any noise anyway.

This is the measurements/type of part I bought:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...eyword=513113+

This is what I pulled out of the car:
http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...keyword=513106

So a 39mm ID, 72mm OD bearing is listed as what is supposed to fit my car. But it actually takes a 42mm ID, 75mm OD bearing.

ETA: According to realoem the cutoff date is 09/85 for the smaller bearing, so the vendor I got my bearings from is wrong (my car's build date is 05/86).

[Grackle]

Cheers bro... how'd you make out?

Got the driver's side apart. The passenger bearing is OK, but the driver's side was hosed. Was able to make this tool out of some scrap aluminum from work, some all-thread I already had, and about $3 in washers. These are not fun to remove.

[estoguy]

Cheers bro... how'd you make out?

[Grackle]

145-155 ft lbs according to Bentley.

Cool, thanks!

[estoguy]

145-155 ft lbs according to Bentley.

[Grackle]

What is the torque spec on the axle nut? Anyone know?

[jeffnhiscars]

grease does not compress which is why it's used to drive out pilot bearings so it will lend nothing to the installation or life expectancy of a bearing.

neither Bentley nor the factory service manual recommends it but it's your car so do as you see fit

[mr.]

Thank you both for your responses, now which one to trust? Haha

What about a thin layer of anti-sieze in the TA housing and around the inner race?

[b*saint]

Grease will harden and be a pita later...if there is a later. Avoid it

Come on now, no it wont. Im pretty sure if a bearing puller can overcome the interference fit of the hub and a bearing thats been stuck in there for 30 years, it can overcome a hard dried FILM of grease (if it ever gets to that point.)

Like I said, I do these all the time.

[jeffnhiscars]

Grease will harden and be a pita later...if there is a later. Avoid it

[b*saint]

Awesome, no grease needed at all though?

Greasing the outside will help it slide in. And before someone chimes in, this will never cause the outer race to spin.

I do these types of bearings in hubs all the time from BMW to Fords.