|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| http://www.4x4wire.com/rover/maintenance/front_axle/wheel_bearings/ | Short Cuts | ||||
|
|
| ||||
By: Joe Micciche - November 2003
| Tools required for front wheel bearing service |
Common hand tools are needed for this job, along with a 2 1/16" or 52mm socket.
| Disassembly |
Start by chocking the opposite rear wheel of the front wheel you're working on, then loosen the lug nuts and lift the vehicle with a jack. Place one jackstand under the frame to secure the vehicle, then remove the tire.
Use the 13mm 12-point socket to remove the two caliper bolts. They are recessed under the caliper, but are easy to access even with a breaker bar instead of a ratchet. Once both bolts are removed, use strong wire or zip ties to carefully secure the caliper out of the way of the rotor. I used wire to hang mine from the spring. Be very careful to not break the hard brake line!
 |
 |
| The caliper is secured with two 13mm 12-point bolts. Accessing the bolts is no trouble. | Remove the five 17mm drive flange bolts, pull the flange, and you have access to the hub. |
Pry the rubber dust cap off the hub. You'll then have access to the snap ring, which retains the axle outboard of the drive flange. Use the snap ring pliers to remove, then pull the two shims under the snap ring. Clean and set aside.
Using the 17mm socket, remove the 5 drive flange bolts. Pull the flange and set aside. If it does not pull right off, carefully use the screwdriver as a lever to start it, until you can remove it by hand.
 |
| Once the flange was off, I got immediate confirmation of the scope of the problem. |
Once the drive flange is off, you have access to the spindle nuts. Bend the tab of the lock washer straight up off the outer locknut so you can access the nut. Use the large (2 1/16" or 52mm) socket to remove the outer lucknut, then remove the lock washer. Then use the large socket again to remove the inner nut. Once this has been removed, all that remains is a spacing washer.
If you can't easily pull the spacing washer off, don't worry. Pull off the rotor, and the washer and outer bearing will fall into your hand. Set the bearing and washer aside. Use the brass drift (from the front side) or a seal puller (from the back side) to remove the wheel bearing seal from the backside of the rotor, and the inner bearing will fall out.
The bearing races have to be driven out with the drift. Place the rotor on something so neither it nor the lug nut studs get damaged - I use wood blocks covered with towels. For the outer bearing, place the drift on the lip of the race and hammer around it - the brass drift will deform and the race will not, so don't be afraid to hit it. Flip the rotor over and drive out the inner bearing race in the same manner.
At this point, the teardown is complete, unless...........
| Outer bearing welded to the spindle! |
I started this servicing after hearing some horrible noise while driving. I diagnosed a bad wheel bearing by spinning the tire while the front end was on stands, and by the excessive play of the wheel. When I pulled the drive flange off, I was greeted by a metallic paste and deformed wheel bearing. Over time, the destroyed bearing welded itself onto the spindle, which made the book process of doing this service unrealistic.
 |
 |
 |
| The outer bearing cage was destroyed, several rollers were ground up, and other rollers turned in the bearing. | By grinding a half-moon into the outer bearing lip, I used needle-nose pliers to pull the rollers out. | Well, the hub and rotor came off - but left the inner cage, inner bearing, and seal. |
I received an excellent suggestion from Brent Fox via DiscoWeb.org, who had experienced the same problem. I purchased some silicone carbide grinding bits for a Dremel, ground a groove in the outer bearing lip, then used needle-nose pliers to pull the remaining rollers out of the bearing. Once all of the rollers were removed, I was able to pull the rotor off - but the remains of the outer bearing prevented the inner bearing and seal from coming off with the rotor.
With a hammer and chisel on the bearing remains, I was able to drive the inner cage of the bearing off the spindle, then pull off the inner bearing and seal. The spindle had some marks from the bearing, but I was able to smooth it out using light grinding and polishing bits on the Dremel.
| Clean, inspect, reassemble |
Clean and thoroughly dry the wheel bearings and their races and check their condition. Slight discoloration is acceptable, the bearing should spin freely, and there should be no pitting. New bearings are inexpensive, so it may be wise to have new ones on hand before starting the job. Thoroughly clean the spindle and check for unusual wear. Finally, clean the gasket material from the drive flange and hub, clean the inside of the hub, clean the spindle nuts, and remove any traces of Loctite from the threads of the drive flange and caliper bolts.
The old races can be driven back in - again, the brass drift will not deform them, so don't be afraid to hit them. Once the races are in, pack the inner bearing with grease. If you're not using a grease packer, gather a large glob of grease in one hand and thoroughly work it into the bearing, so the grease completely penetrates the bearing - the rollers and cage should be packed. Keep working the bearing around in your hand until no more grease can be packed. Then liberally coat the rollers, top, and bottom with grease, and drop the bearing into its seated race.
 |
 |
 |
| A sturdy brass drift is needed to drive the races in (and out). | The new bearing fully greased and seated in its race. | Grease the hub-seal surface, then seat the seal and drive it in. |
The wheel bearing seal needs to be installed. I found an old race wrapped in a rag made a perfect driver. Coat the hub surface for the seal with grease, and smear some grease around the outer seal. Set it in place, drape your driver over it, and carefully tap it into place. The seal should sit flush with the hub body. Smear grease around the seal lip.
Pack the outer bearing and drop it into place. At this point, the rotor can be reinstalled to the spindle. Do so, and reinstall the spacing washer, pushing it in as far as possible by hand.
Install the retaining nut and torque to 61Nm. Spin the hub and rotor several times in each direction to help seat the bearings, then back the retaining nut off 90*. Barely tighten the retaining nut beyond hand tight, give the assembly as good shake (if the assembly wobbles on the bearing, reset preload) and install the lock washer, bending a tab over the retaining nut. Install the lock nut and torque to 61Nm, and bend a tab back over this nut. Be sure to get your tabs over flats of the nuts, you do want these nuts backing off!
 |
 |
 |
| The bearing preload has to be set to ensure proper hub and wheel spin. | After setting and checking preload, install the lockwasher and locknut. | Install the drive flange and torque the five bolts. |
Use either a new paper gasket or Hylomar between the drive flange and hub, and reinstall the flange. Torque the five flange bolts to 65Nm - Rover recommends Blue Loctite on them as well. The two shims can be reinstalled to the outer stub shaft, then the snap ring should be installed to the groove in the splines. Once it is fully engaged, install the dust cap and give both sides of the rotor a thorough cleaning.
 |
| Complete job, with everything cleaned up and ready to drive. |
Place the caliper over the rotor - you may need to carefully lever the pads away from the rotor to make it fit. Use Blue Loctite on the caliper bolts and torque to 82Nm, and the job is complete! Put the wheel back on, torque the lug nuts to 96 ft. lbs., drop the vehicle, and enjoy until the next deep water crossing or annual service!
| Related Links: | Contacts: |
|
| Please support 4x4Wire by visiting our featured sponsors | ||||||
|
||||||
|
| 4X4Wire Portal | About 4x4Wire | Search 4x4Wire | TrailTalk Forums | Advertiser's Guide | |
