Automotive Repair

Here is a tip for the home mechanic:

Notice a roaring noise coming from the car when you're on the highway? Maybe a new noise that doesn't quite sound like the tires? Recently my fathers' car starting doing just this. I hopped in with him and went for a drive. The noise was easily noticeable above 50mph and my diagnosis was easy- after making sure nothing was wrong with the tire, he had a bad wheel bearing.

No reason to worry, (I'm not suggesting you put off wheel bearing replacement if it goes bad) your wheel isn't going to fly off the car. The good news is that wheel bearing replacement is something I would recommend to the DIY mechanic. You've probably never done this at home but here's what I'd tell you to do.

*If your vehicle is front wheel drive, you can easily replace the rear wheel bearing and hub assembly. If your vehicle is rear wheel drive, you can easily replace the front wheel bearing and hub assembly. If you are changing the assembly on the 'drive' wheels it requires more effort but can still be done at home.

1. Go to an automotive parts website (preferably a discount website) or visit your local auto parts store
2. Enter your vehicle year, make, model and any other information needed
3. Search for the wheel bearing/hub assembly

Make sure you order the entire assembly- wheel bearing and hub together.

4. Break the lug nuts loose, don't take them off yet
5. Raise your vehicle (please be safe and always put a jack stand under the car)
6. Remove the loosened lug nuts and take the tire off
7. If you have disc brakes, remove the brake caliper (using a bent clothes hanger to support it is handy, be careful the pads don't drop out), then remove the disc. If you have drum brakes, remove the drum or hat as some like to call it- you'll want to make sure your parking brake is off in either case if you're replacing the rear assembly
8. Underneath the car, look at the back side of the hub. Most likely you'll see four (sometimes five) bolt heads. Remove these bolts. *Some vehicles will have holes in the front of the hub for bolt removal. If this is the case for you, turn the hub until the holes align with the bolt heads and remove them.
9. The hub assembly *should* come right out. If it doesn't come off easily, you may encourage it with a dead blow hammer (if you don't already have one, get one- they really are handy) by tapping it side to side. Do NOT do this on DRIVE assemblies, doing so can damage CV joints
10. Hold the new hub assembly flat against the upright, insert the bolts and tighten torque properly

*Replacing the drive wheel bearings requires a large socket that can fit the axle shaft nut. Many home mechanics may not have a socket this size. To remove this nut, place a large (at least 18") pry bar between the lugs to hold the hub, or just have somebody firmly hold the brake pedal. Obviously, you'll need all brake components installed if you do the brake method to remove the nut.

Please look at your vehicle before ordering parts to make sure you are ordering the right thing. Not all vehicles have a 'bolt-in' assembly- Porsches are a perfect example. I regularly serviced Porsche wheel bearings and they are NOT for the home mechanic. They require COMPLETE removal of the entire upright assembly and a shop press to install new bearings.

After reading you may wonder why I didn't tell you to just buy a wheel bearing and replace the bearing. Two reasons: Replacing the bearing alone is actually more work (if you've ever done this before you'll know why) and second, replacing the bearing alone actually requires more tools that a home mechanic may not have. Save yourself the hassle and buy the entire assembly or visit your trusted mechanic to have the work done, but as I've said before, don't let someone rip you off.

If have questions for a specific vehicle, feel free to contact me with questions, I'm always happy to help.

Next Post: Brake replacement