Any tips on getting the rear spindle out so that I can put new bearings in? Just banging on it with a hammer sounds a little brutal. Also steps on putting it back together would be apprecieated.

Try this (http://www.bmw320i.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=E21IGH&Number=8668&Forum=All_Forums&Words=rear%20bearing&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=7963&Search=true#Post8668)

Got this off the bimmer.org forum

Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement

Am thinking to replace the rear wheel bearing on both sides. Is this
easy task for DIY? Any special tools required?

• Just spent the weekend doing this. It can be done by a DIY’er. Only special tools you'll need are a big breaker bar and a couple of brass drifts. Read on.....
1) Spray castellated nuts with PB Blaster and let sit for a day.
2) Get a big breaker bar (I use a 3/4 drive socket and a 4 foot breaker bar)- these nuts were torqued to 210 when they went on. Have some one sit in the car with all four wheels on the ground and their foot on the brake. Remove the cotter pins and loosen the nuts. Jack up the car, put on jack stands, and remove wheels and brake drums.
3) Disconnect the half shafts and push them up above the axle housing.
4) Using a hammer, drive out the splined shaft. Keep a hand on the splinned outer disk.
5) Using a brass drift, drive out the two bearings from opposite sides. For example, drive the inside bearing out from the outside.
5) Clean up the axle carrier, the spaces and the ring.
6) Grease and install the inner bearing first. Use a brass drift to tap it into the seat. Then install the seal.
7) Insert the splined shaft and using a hammer tap it through.
8)Re-attach the half shaft to the splinned shaft.
9) Grease the spacer and insert it.
10) Insert the ring, grease the outer bearing and tap it in with a brass drift.
11) Install the outer seal.
12) Re-install the outer splinned disk and tighten as best you can. Buts the drums and wheels back on and lower the car
13) Lower the car, have some one sit in it with the foot on the brake and torque the nuts to 210 lbs. Wait a couple of hours and re-torque.
Insert new cotter pins.
Took 4 hours to do both sides.

Id recommend uing an impact wrench to remove the nut, and istall it with lock tite and use a breaker bar or tq wrench to re-install

Thanks! This is my project for tomarrow

Hummm... Wish I had seen this before... I just got done breaking my second 1/2" drive breaker bar trying to get that nut loose. 3/4" drive eh? I almost bought one today at Sears, but thought, nah, I won't break a Craftsman this time, and if I do I can just replace it for free. Well, another 1/2" breaker bar that's just going to break again won't do me much good now will it. I then spent 30 min heating it up with the torch & still couldn't bust it loose with the impact wrench.


http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd241/Jester323i/rear%20subframe/2008-03-24/d189400e.jpg

working on trucks FTW! i got a nice big impact gun and breaker bar....those nuts wern't that tight

I don't think it's as much about them being tight as is it about every single friggin' bolt on this car seems to be rusted. Therefore I must unscrew and clean each and every one.

When I broke that breaker bar, I had my 4' long floor jack handle over the end of it and slowly lowered all of my 170lbs on to the end of a 4' long handle. I guess I now know that 1/2" drive Craftsman breaker bars are only good up to 650 ftlbs or so. Gonna go buy a 3/4" drive slide bar, 3/4" drive socket and a length of thick walled steel tube today...

picked up the 3/4" drive slide bar & socket, still don't have the pipe, but tried the jack handle again, this time only half way on to the slide bar handle, so about a 4.5' lever, stod on the end of the handle, roughly 765 ftlbs of torque, & it still won't break loose... :mad

Its not reverse threaded, is it?:D

Im fattening up to 190+ now. Want me to stand on it?:stickoutt

I just went through this process last month. The directions provided are pretty much on the money. The only difference for me is instead of direct blows to the half shaft I used a solid chunck of rolled steel against the shaft and hit that with the hammer. That way a mis-hit would not damage the splines on the shaft.
I was able to spray the castle nut with break fee and use an impact wrench to break them loose. I had to use the impact on the half shaft allen bolts as well but only in short burst to break those loose.
Good luck, it is pretty easy work once you get things loosened up.

I just went through this process last month. The directions provided are pretty much on the money. The only difference for me is instead of direct blows to the half shaft I used a solid chunck of rolled steel against the shaft and hit that with the hammer. That way a mis-hit would not damage the splines on the shaft.
I was able to spray the castle nut with break fee and use an impact wrench to break them loose. I had to use the impact on the half shaft allen bolts as well but only in short burst to break those loose.
Good luck, it is pretty easy work once you get things loosened up.

What kind of impact wrench do you have? torque rating? Any chance you might be interested in swinging by and letting me borrow yours for a few minutes to see if it's got any more muscle than mine?

I will have to check on it. I have a buddy on the east side of Vancouver that does restoration work and my car is at his shop, using his tools.

Why not order one of those VW wrenches like Ken had and get a big sledgehammer?

Just seems like a sure fire way to end up with a big dent. A buddy of mine at work was telling about those (at least I think we are talking about the same thing...) that he used to use in the Navy. Big box end wrench with an anvil on the other end that you hit with a sledge? Just don't know where to find one.

Finally got them busted free tonight. I've been going out & soaking them with PB Blaster and standing on the end of a 4' cheater bar on the end of the 3/4" drive breaker bar. While I was standing on it tonight, I heard a little "CRACK", hopped off to see if I broke some thing, all looked good, so I hopped on again and heard a double "CRACK" and it was definately starting to move, so I bounced a couple of times and it finally broke free. Looks like there is some white colored corrosion in there, don't know if it's from salted roads or driving in salt water on a beach earlier in it's life, but that would explain all of the rust, but this looks like some kind of salt corrosion.

Here's the passenger side with the castle nut removed. (the passenger side was much easier than the driver's side)

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd241/Jester323i/rear%20subframe/2008-03-24/2008-03-29%20nuts%20loose/0909bdf3.jpg


Here's the driver's side with the drive flange removed:

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd241/Jester323i/rear%20subframe/2008-03-24/2008-03-29%20nuts%20loose/f440a787.jpg


Here's the driver's side with the parking brake assembly removed as well as the upper left bolt that holds the backing plate on. Notice all the white powder coming out of the bolt hole:

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd241/Jester323i/rear%20subframe/2008-03-24/2008-03-29%20nuts%20loose/c1e10820.jpg


And finally the bare drive shaft:

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd241/Jester323i/rear%20subframe/2008-03-24/2008-03-29%20nuts%20loose/37b1ac24.jpg


I've got everything soaking in a rust dissolving solution right now to see what parts I'll have to reaplace.

http://www.bfyobsoleteparts.com/files/master/thumbs/t_9530.jpg This is an Air Cooled VW ear engine rear axle tool (36 mm) .. the VW axle is also torqued to 210.

http://www.bfyobsoleteparts.com/files/master/thumbs/t_9530.jpg This is an Air Cooled VW ear engine rear axle tool (36 mm) .. the VW axle is also torqued to 210.

So are you supposed to put that on the castle nut & attach a breaker bar to it & hit the top of the tool with a hammer?

So are you supposed to put that on the castle nut & attach a breaker bar to it & hit the top of the tool with a hammer?

Yup, but hit it with a sledge hammer to free the axel nut. The car has to be assembled and on the ground, blocked and with a helper on the brakes to hold it.

On reassembly I tighten to spec. using a ½ inch drive torque wrench.