Late model rear wheel bearing saga!
06-08-2002, 02:40 AM
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Late model rear wheel bearing saga!
Well, I have learned something valuable today. I hope that my little misfortune helps some of you out in the future. As some of you know I wrote the procedure on Paragon's website for rear wheel bearing removal with "the tool". Today I was replacing my left wheel bearing and I installed the hub but got distracted helping another guy in the shop and forgot to put on the interal snap ring first! 
If you have tackled this job you know that was a NO NO. Anyway, my only choice was to remove the hub. However, when you do that the outboard inner race comes off on the hub. This where it gets interesting...I did that and then I removed the inner race from the hub's neck using a pulley puller. Thinking that the bearing was now destroyed I went ahead and pulled the seal out of the outer race and the outboard bearing carrier (that part the holds the ball bearings, it's plastic by the way).
I started playing with the parts and I was able to snap the inner race back into the barring carrier. I took the assembly and pushed in back into the outer race and replaced the seal. It all snapped back together very neatly.
You see, the reason that the bearing appears to self destruct when you pull the hub is due to the fact the the hub and stub axle are what holds this bearing together. I know that this is probably very difficult to follow without pictures (I really need to get a digital camera).
My point is, that if you mess around with a new bearing and the inner race comes out (they will very easily if you are not careful)the bearing is not ruined.
Someone on the BBS did this last week and we all told him to through it away and get another one. As long as nothing is damaged you CAN put it back together. This is obviously the way they are assembled. The inner-race and bearing carrier and seal all just snap back in to the outer race. I would have trusted this bearing and continued with the installation but due to further lapses in intelligence I had already given up on the bearing and damaged the plastic bearing carrier. Okay, I admit it...I was very mad
at myself.
Anyway, my car is still sitting on the lift and Chuck at Paragon has overnighted my new bearing that should arrive here tomorrow morning before noon (I have to be in Sea Girt, NJ tomorrow night by 7:00PM). I have basically become as close to an authority on late model wheel bearing R&R as I ever wanted to be. If any of you guys ever have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. I don't know it all but I have encountered most if not all of the major problems associated with this procedure.
Even though this was simply caused by inattention to detail and not following my OWN procedure <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> . I want to thank all of you on this BBS that have provided me with help and info either directly or indirectly.
I will be back on the road by tomorrow afternoon.
<img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />
Regards,
Max
If you have tackled this job you know that was a NO NO. Anyway, my only choice was to remove the hub. However, when you do that the outboard inner race comes off on the hub. This where it gets interesting...I did that and then I removed the inner race from the hub's neck using a pulley puller. Thinking that the bearing was now destroyed I went ahead and pulled the seal out of the outer race and the outboard bearing carrier (that part the holds the ball bearings, it's plastic by the way). I started playing with the parts and I was able to snap the inner race back into the barring carrier. I took the assembly and pushed in back into the outer race and replaced the seal. It all snapped back together very neatly.
You see, the reason that the bearing appears to self destruct when you pull the hub is due to the fact the the hub and stub axle are what holds this bearing together. I know that this is probably very difficult to follow without pictures (I really need to get a digital camera).
My point is, that if you mess around with a new bearing and the inner race comes out (they will very easily if you are not careful)the bearing is not ruined.
Someone on the BBS did this last week and we all told him to through it away and get another one. As long as nothing is damaged you CAN put it back together. This is obviously the way they are assembled. The inner-race and bearing carrier and seal all just snap back in to the outer race. I would have trusted this bearing and continued with the installation but due to further lapses in intelligence I had already given up on the bearing and damaged the plastic bearing carrier. Okay, I admit it...I was very mad
at myself. Anyway, my car is still sitting on the lift and Chuck at Paragon has overnighted my new bearing that should arrive here tomorrow morning before noon (I have to be in Sea Girt, NJ tomorrow night by 7:00PM). I have basically become as close to an authority on late model wheel bearing R&R as I ever wanted to be. If any of you guys ever have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. I don't know it all but I have encountered most if not all of the major problems associated with this procedure.
Even though this was simply caused by inattention to detail and not following my OWN procedure <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> . I want to thank all of you on this BBS that have provided me with help and info either directly or indirectly.
I will be back on the road by tomorrow afternoon.
<img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />
Regards,
Max
