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Fitting new rear wheel bearings?
Northy - 24/3/05 at 07:48 PM

Hi all,

I'm planning on fitting new rear wheel bearings into my Sierra 4x4 (with ABS) rear bearing carriers tomorrow. Any tips? A mate did the last ones and i don't want to knacker them

Cheers

flak monkey - 24/3/05 at 08:38 PM

I dont know what type of bearings they are...but i am assuming they are normal ball races, rather than tapered row (timken) bearings due to the silly torque they are done up to....

If the old ones are knackered then just use a punch and hammer them out.

When you put the new ones in, only tap on the outer race (if they are going into a hub) or on the inner race (if they are going on a shaft), or you will knacker the races. (Basically never put any shock loads through the balls between the races)

Its best to make up a drift to use to install bearings, if you have acess to a lathe its easy, just make it to fit over the bearing and only contact the correct race. If not, try to find a piece of tube thats about the right size.

Hope thats at least some use

David

[Edited on 24/3/05 by flak monkey]

carlgeldard - 24/3/05 at 10:12 PM

I would fit the bearings after we've done the mod on the uprights and bearing carriers,because of the iron filings. Prevention better than the cure

Carl

NS Dev - 25/3/05 at 08:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
I dont know what type of bearings they are...but i am assuming they are normal ball races, rather than tapered row (timken) bearings due to the silly torque they are done up to....


They are NOT normal ball races, funnily enough! They are a pair of single taper bearings, and no, there's no real trick to fitting them. Just tap the old outer races out with a punch, drift the new ones in using one of the old outer races, plop the bearings in after thoroughly greasing them, tap the new seal in (forgot to mention ripping the old one out first of all!) put the outer flange stub back it, put the splined stub back through (soft hammer for both) then put the washer on, new nyloc on, then hold the flange still (I put mine in a vice as it wasn't on the car) and bo110ck the nut up as tight as you can!!!!!! (follow the torque settings from Haynes, but unless you have farm tools, it'll be as tight as you can get it!!!!!

[Edited on 25/3/05 by NS Dev]

flak monkey - 25/3/05 at 09:03 AM

Not having seen the set up i dont know... but why does the nut have to be done up so tight on tapered row bearings? They must be set up differently to normal, otherwise they would just lock up under that torque...!

NS Dev - 25/3/05 at 10:45 AM

Yes, you are quite right, they would, but Ford machine the step on the inner hub to just the right position to put the correct preload on the bearings when they are installed. Basically the hub nut clamps two halfs of the hub together tight, the bearings are irrelevant to that, they just sit at a given preload once the hub halfs are pulled solidly together.