Rear Wheel bearing replacement
08-31-2013, 11:42 AM
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S55 AMG
Rear Wheel bearing replacement
I'm having an issue with the rear hub....I have the rotor off, but now I can't seem to figure out how to remove the hub to get at the wheel bearing......any suggestions? Any one that has done this before?
09-16-2013, 07:52 AM
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2003 S55
Hi Triman, I just finished this process over the weekend and the new found silence is wonderful. I followed the process outlined in a youtube video (with some minor modifications) which was performed on a BMW, but the steps were nearly identical for my car ('03 S55). You will need some particular tools in order to get everything out and back in but they can be had for less than $200 from Harbor Freight. When I get a chance later, I will write up the steps I took.
09-18-2013, 08:40 AM
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No problem. The part of the process which I did differently from the youtube video was rather than disconnecting the axle from the differential and pulling the axle inward in order to remove it from the hub, I chose to remove several of the carrier mounting bolts and pull/angle the carrier outward in order to get the axle out of the hub. I then remounted the carrier loosely in order to prevent it from moving while cranking on the bearing removal tool.
If you did purchase the bearing removal tool from Harbor Freight, remember to lube the main tension bolt and nut/washer contact surfaces with some grease as the loads are pretty high on these components and many people have reported stripping the bolt. During the bearing race removal, I put a fairly high amount of tension on the puller and then gave the carrier several pretty good whacks with a hammer radially around the out side. I then put some additional load on the puller and persuaded with the hammer again and got a pretty good "pop" sound which indicated that the race started to move. The next turns on the puller were significantly easier and then it would load up again, so a couple more whacks and it popped again. Proceed this way a couple dozen more times and eventually you won't need to smack the carrier with the hammer, the puller will just continue to pop it loose in steps until it falls out.
Replacement of the bearing, I didn't use the Harbor Freight bearing tool, and found it to be significantly easier using a couple simple tricks. First, take the replacement bearing and put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Then take some fine emory cloth or wet sand paper and smooth the bearing bore in the carrier. Apply a coating of anti seize on the freshly cleaned bearing bore surface. Then take a propane torch and very gently heat the carrier on the outside of the bearing bore, not to the point of being hot but rather warm to the touch. Now retrieve the frozen replacement bearing and place it in the bore and using a block of wood and hammer, gently tap until the bearing begins to seat within the bore.
Continue to whack away until the bearing is flush with the outside of the carrier, ie when the wood block won't be able to drive it in any further. Now take the outer race from the old bearing and place that against the new bearing outer race and continue to gently tap the new bearing into the carrier until it is completely seated. I then proceeded to install the hub using the HF bearing tool and the same technique as the youtube video.
One last bit of info. Remember to reinstall the drum parking brake assembly BEFORE reinstalling the hub into the new bearing/carrier. I forgot this step and it made reinstallation of the parking break much more difficult than it needed to be.
Hope this helps.
If you did purchase the bearing removal tool from Harbor Freight, remember to lube the main tension bolt and nut/washer contact surfaces with some grease as the loads are pretty high on these components and many people have reported stripping the bolt. During the bearing race removal, I put a fairly high amount of tension on the puller and then gave the carrier several pretty good whacks with a hammer radially around the out side. I then put some additional load on the puller and persuaded with the hammer again and got a pretty good "pop" sound which indicated that the race started to move. The next turns on the puller were significantly easier and then it would load up again, so a couple more whacks and it popped again. Proceed this way a couple dozen more times and eventually you won't need to smack the carrier with the hammer, the puller will just continue to pop it loose in steps until it falls out.
Replacement of the bearing, I didn't use the Harbor Freight bearing tool, and found it to be significantly easier using a couple simple tricks. First, take the replacement bearing and put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Then take some fine emory cloth or wet sand paper and smooth the bearing bore in the carrier. Apply a coating of anti seize on the freshly cleaned bearing bore surface. Then take a propane torch and very gently heat the carrier on the outside of the bearing bore, not to the point of being hot but rather warm to the touch. Now retrieve the frozen replacement bearing and place it in the bore and using a block of wood and hammer, gently tap until the bearing begins to seat within the bore.
Continue to whack away until the bearing is flush with the outside of the carrier, ie when the wood block won't be able to drive it in any further. Now take the outer race from the old bearing and place that against the new bearing outer race and continue to gently tap the new bearing into the carrier until it is completely seated. I then proceeded to install the hub using the HF bearing tool and the same technique as the youtube video.
One last bit of info. Remember to reinstall the drum parking brake assembly BEFORE reinstalling the hub into the new bearing/carrier. I forgot this step and it made reinstallation of the parking break much more difficult than it needed to be.
Hope this helps.
09-18-2013, 11:05 AM
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Awesome man, thank you very much for the write up. Very descriptive. I think I will take the same approach as you did with the install. Just seems a little easier in my book too. Thanks again.
09-18-2013, 07:13 PM
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Any time. The first time around took almost 2 weeks because I would get to a point where I needed to order a tool and then have to wait for it to come in, grrr. The next time I need to do it on the other side, it should probably just take an afternoon.
And one final tip. When you are done and so excited to see if it worked that you are dancing around like a kid on Christmas morning, don't forget to take the wheel lock key off of the lug before you drive away. Ask me how I know.
And one final tip. When you are done and so excited to see if it worked that you are dancing around like a kid on Christmas morning, don't forget to take the wheel lock key off of the lug before you drive away. Ask me how I know.
