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Thread: Changed Rear Bearings in 1 hr! Write up!

  1. #76
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    Wow, I heard the M3 was different, but not that different!

    I just R&R'd my balljoints and I was able to unbolt the dust shield and let it just hang loose (it can come all the way off with the hub removed) while I did the job, then bolted it back in place. I've heard people removing them for race applications or just because, but I chose to keep mine on just b/c I don't want brake dust getting into all the bearings and such back inside there.

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  2. #77
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    Thank you.... however I was not able to open the links for pics/ well it has been 3 years since posted and I dont expect much. thanks guys

  3. #78
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    Exclamation Still no pics?

    I need to do my bearings soon. Im a mechanic and work in a shop so i have all the basic tools/air tools and everything seems to be fairly straight forward till you get to the part where u press the hub back into the inner bearing. Ive seen where some people hammered it in but i know thats not a good idea..and i read someone that used a threaded rod and some nuts/washers. any idea what size rod/nuts washers were? From reading about this job this is the only part that confuses me. Anyone??

  4. #79
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    Question

    Quote Originally Posted by dls729 View Post
    Ok, so following the advice of this thread I changed my rw bearings and I have to say, anyone who can do this job in one hour is either a professional BMW mechanic or a professional bullshitter.

    Notes from my experience:
    1. If you have a car with high mileage don't expect to get the hub off easily... It took me about 45 minutes a hub with an oversized slide hammer. (note that my car has ~150k miles and it was obviously the first time these had been removed)
    2. If you think a dremel will cut a bearing race effortlessly you are mistaken. I ended up using a bearing puller and a press to get the inner race off of the hub, which is a better way to do it anyway.
    3. Hammering or tapping your hub back in is risky and potentially fatal for your new bearing, easier method: Purchase threaded rod, 4 nuts, and several washers (one washer with the same OD as the inner race of the bearing, and one with an OD larger than the ID of the hub. Make tool to press hub into bearing using bearing inner race. Return rod, washers, and nuts to store.

    Good luck guys!
    So im about to do this job this saturday and Im trying to avoid taking off the trailing arm if i can. I just wanna make sure i understand how to press the hub back in the bearing using the threaded rod/nuts. Im trying to visualize how its going to be set up. ANd im guessing ill put the rod thru having a waher on the back to rest against the inner race w/ a nut. and the front side ill have a washer/nut to press against the hub? is that it?

  5. #80
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    Quote Originally Posted by andycapps View Post
    So im about to do this job this saturday and Im trying to avoid taking off the trailing arm if i can. I just wanna make sure i understand how to press the hub back in the bearing using the threaded rod/nuts. Im trying to visualize how its going to be set up. ANd im guessing ill put the rod thru having a waher on the back to rest against the inner race w/ a nut. and the front side ill have a washer/nut to press against the hub? is that it?
    You need to press the bearing into the arm first, only pressing on the outer race, then once the bearing is set, you need to press the hub in, only putting pressure on the inner race.

    The trick is to never exert force that pushes the races in opposite directions; this ends up destroying your bearing.

    Use whatever combination of washers/pipe caps/whatever you can find that's strong enough to handle the force.
    Be forwarned it's a tricky job even with the proper tools; I bent all sorts of washers and threaded rods doing my bushings.
    Just make sure to put lots of axle grease on the threaded pieces you use to compress the bearing/hub. This will help keep
    them from binding and breaking.

    It may help to lube the parts up with some dish soap to help them install easier.
    Dish soap will evaporate and not leave any residual lubrication that you would get with oil.
    Last edited by m2pc; 12-17-2008 at 06:16 PM.

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  6. #81
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    Since you've already tackled this job, you think itd be easier if i just remove the trailing arm from the car and use the shop press or try to do it on the car first?

  7. #82
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    Quote Originally Posted by andycapps View Post
    Since you've already tackled this job, you think itd be easier if i just remove the trailing arm from the car and use the shop press or try to do it on the car first?
    Well it depends, if you leave the arm in the car, you'll have better leverage for not using a press, but the job is more difficult.

    On the other hand, if you remove the arm from the car, you can use a shop press which is much better IMHO for this task (that's what presses are for, you know), but you will need to have the suspension aligned afterwards which adds to the cost of the job.

    My advice (time/money permitting): Remove the arm and do the RTAB at the same time, and use the press for the bearing.
    You might as well do the other side as well, since you'll already be using time/money/tools to do the bad side, and chances are the other side isn't far behind.
    Last edited by m2pc; 12-18-2008 at 06:11 PM.

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  8. #83
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    ok thanks. Yeah ill probably do the other side in a few weeks but i work in a busy shop and it just depends it the time permits or not. The drivers side has been rumbling for a while now and it has some play so that is my priority. I did get 2 bearings tho incase i blow one apart. lol I think Ill go the route of taking the trailing arm off and doing it that way. Not worried about alignmet right as i can do that myself. I thought about doing the RTAB at the same time, but i dont have them and I looked over the process and it looks like those are another P.i.t.a and take special tools to do them too.

  9. #84
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    Yeah, I'm with m2pc. I could not get one bushing out, nor the inner races of the old bearings. Was afraid I was gonna hurt the hub, so I removed the arms (mark where the RTAB plates are in relationship to the bolts so you can put it back together somewhat close...then get it aligned!) and took them to my shop....they put in the new bearings, all 4 balljoints, and rtab bushings. I also run shims with mine when I reassemble.

    If I'd had the extra $$ (I get OEM near cost) I would have gotten the RRT bearings, they repack them with a quality Synth Grease, research in the track forums shows they seem to last a lot longer......

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    thanks

  11. #86
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    WHOOOO!! I got r dun!! I ran into a snag with the axle being "frozen" in the hub on saturday and idk why i didnt think of it then but i went at it today with an air hammer/round chisel and 3-4 blows BAM!! it came out!! It took me around 4 1/2-5hrs to do the drivers side wheel bearing alone, but i did kinda take my time as i didnt want to break anything or round off any bolts, etc. I went the route of removing the trailing arm and took it over to the 20 Ton Press. That part was a Piece of cake..seriously.. But the other snags i ran into..some people claimed that a dremel tool worked great to cut the inner race off the hub...haha right not for me..it woulda taken me an hr to cut thru with that thing. I just used a air cut off wheel carefullly- worked in about 2 mins flat...cut a slit took a chisel, cracked right in half. ANd the other thing i got frustrated putting all the parking brake hardware together. I hate springs and drum brakes, etc. but i got it done. I shoulda put it all together before i pressed the hub back in, but i forgot so i had to do it on the car. Anyways it wasnt too bad at all. Just time consuming.

  12. #87
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    Glad to hear you got it done! A press definitely helps for those who have access to one.

    Quote Originally Posted by andycapps View Post
    ..some people claimed that a dremel tool worked great to cut the inner race off the hub...haha right not for me..it woulda taken me an hr to cut thru with that thing. I just used a air cut off wheel carefullly- worked in about 2 mins flat...cut a slit took a chisel, cracked right in half.
    I used a dremel and it only took 90 seconds!
    Seriously, it will work, but you just need to get the right kind of cutoff wheel. Not those brown wheels that come with the tool, but the reinforced fiber ones.

    Quote Originally Posted by andycapps View Post
    I hate springs and drum brakes, etc. but i got it done. I shoulda put it all together before i pressed the hub back in, but i forgot so i had to do it on the car. Anyways it wasnt too bad at all. Just time consuming.
    Can you do it with the hub off?
    I thought the e-brake cable had to sit tight in the trailing arm with no slack for all that difficult hardware to go together...

    Anyway, congrats!

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  13. #88
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    Yeah well i tried using the brown ones that came with the kit. Didnt think about getting better ones..h/e if u have access to air and a cut off wheel that worked great for me u just have to be alot more careful to control it cause they have alot of whiz to them. lol Yeah im so glad i got it done. The sense of accomplishment im feeling right now..its awesome. Yeah when i got the car done and got it home i realized that i forgot to adjust the parking brake..lol I did it today very easy to do. THats one thing i definately give BMW props for..they made adjusting the parking brake really easy to do. Now i just need to do rear shocks(couldnt afford them or i woulda done them at the same time) and front control arm bushings and it should be good for a while

  14. #89
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  15. #90
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    Thanks for the write up.

  16. #91
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    Thanks for the writeup...you should join a pit crew or something (1 hour!).

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  18. #93
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    When i did mine (m3) i removed everything from the car because i was doing every bushing. i used dies to pound out the hub from behind then i took out the snap ring (pita without BIG snap ring pliers) then i pounded out the bearings. I installed the new bearings with another die that was the right size to sit completely on the outer race of the bearing.. pounded it in then pounded the hub in.
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  19. #94
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    I have done many, many bearings in my life and this was by far the most difficult to remove. I have always removed the spindle or control arm aand pressed out/in. It took a tremendous amount of force to get the old outer race out.

    I froze the new bearing for about eight hours and set the hub in dry ice for 15-20 minutes before putting it all back together. One hour to take apart, ten minutes to put back together.
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  20. #95
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sandlot View Post
    I have done many, many bearings in my life and this was by far the most difficult to remove. I have always removed the spindle or control arm aand pressed out/in. It took a tremendous amount of force to get the old outer race out.

    I froze the new bearing for about eight hours and set the hub in dry ice for 15-20 minutes before putting it all back together. One hour to take apart, ten minutes to put back together.
    Sandlot, I'm doing the driver side. Is it necessary to remove the drive shaft from the differential if I am going to take the control arm completely off?
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  21. #96
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    Question axles

    hey i just got the new bearing for the driver rear and i put it all back together after having the bearing proffessional pressed in the hub and arm and i got a new axle and it broke as soon as i hit the gas it broke in the universal joing by the hub so i got another one and now this one broke by the flange on the differential in the joint as well and im not even punching it or anything and it is happening like as soon as i drive the car for the first time? do u have any ideas wat it could be?

  22. #97
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    whoa, this thread is still going around?

    axles. are you overtightening the axles?

  23. #98
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    im tightening them to 184ftlbs thats wat the bently manual calls for?

  24. #99
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    can you post a pic? I had an axle break at the hub before on my x5

  25. #100
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    do u want me to post a pic of the axle in or with it removed? i mean the axle looks fine its just inside the joint in the boot is where its all messed up

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