Wheel Bearings (again)

[PobodY]

I had come to the conclusion that the reason I kept having trouble with the front near-side hub nut was that the bearing was on the way out, and as a result the crown cap wasn't making contact with the nut and holding it tight. - So I thought I'd have a bash at putting a new one in.

This was my first clue that I may have underestimated the problem:

I don't think I should be able to have that in my hand whilst the knuckle looks like this:

Whilst I was jacking the car up, I noticed this floating about:

...so that means I'll need to get this out too now :doh:

Anyway, what I'd really like is some advice on how to get these bolts free:

I've been trying "Shock and Unlock" with no joy. - I've had a blow torch on them, but that's a tricky thing with the ABS sensor not budging and a lot of grease to melt (and burn) nearby.

I bought a set of hubs with the idea of swapping them over and changing the bearings at my leasure... but they're non-ABS, and you can clearly see that I've got ABS. :doh:
Plus I didn't like the new bearings he'd included; they're the "rebuild" type that you put back into the old race. - I bought some of the sealed kind in a kit that has new seals and snap rings.

We've got hydraulic presses at work. I was going to have a try at bashing the old bearing out (and the new one in), but if I can't I'll use a press (or take it to a garage and ask them to do it)... but I need to get the knuckle off the car first.

 

[Fast Guy]

Get some impact sockets or similar that is six sided and not bihex inside. What are you using to undo them? I usually use my torque wrench in left hand thread mode and cranked up to 150lbft. Not had a problem yet, but if you still are then possibly nip to a garage and get them to crack them off with a windy gun for you.

Your drive flange (or whatever the japs call it) might be too worn and you need a new one, unless somehow the bearing has worn on that surface, but can't see how as it shouldn't really move in relation to it.


How and to what figure are you tightening your hub nut upto?

 

[PobodY]

Fortunately I've got spare drive flanges (on teh interwebs people were calling that the "hub" and what I'd call the hub the "knuckle"; that's why I was using those terms) from the other set of hubs I bought. - I can't use the body because there's no hole for my ABS sensor, but I've also got new wheel bolts from that time I snapped one.
I might measure them with my micrometer and see how different they are; does anyone know what the acceptable diameter is (I'm just being lazy, I'll look in the service manual shortly)?

Currently I'm just putting an offset ring spanner on the nut and hitting it with a mallet. - I figured that might crack it and I'd be able to use a ratchet drive after that.
I've got a feeling the last time those bolts were out was when we changed the clutch, so I think Geoff used an impact gun to tighten them.

As for tightening the hub nut, I did what Shaun showed me to do; put a 32mm socket on a breaker bar, then stood on the breaker bar. - You think I've over-tightened it in the past?

This wheel/hub has always been a problem; it's the same one that had the bent wishbone that a garage told me was a bent chassis. - It has never rattled or rumbled like I'd expect failed bearings to do, but that hub nut works loose and it makes scraping noises and the tyre wobbles (which wears the tread really quickly). Maybe someone put the wrong bearings in at some point; they haven't technically failed, but they're not doing the job?

 

[Greygtir]

Get some pocket rocket on them bolts

 

[Fast Guy]

You'll struggle with a ring spanner I think. They're not that long for applying the torque plus they're bihex, so if you have a tight nut you can end up screwing the nut as it rounds the corners off.

Hub nut - that'll do for the final tightening. I assume you're doing that with the wheel on and on the ground unless you have a mate on the brakes. If so are you tightening it at all before you do that? I normally nip it up as much as you can with no wheel and it in the air to take up as much as the slack before doing it up proper tight, that way it should be going on square and tightening up properly. The way I imagine it (could be wrong though) is if you just slap the wheel and nut on, then drop it on the ground, it might be sitting slightly off square, then when you tightenen it the nut doesn't actually go as tight as it should and over time it has the freedom to work loose.

 

[Gtirchris]

To get the strut to knuckle bolts out get a 6 sided short socket, halfrauds sell them for a few quid and use a breaker bar on the nuts, I put a spanner on the bolts and wedge it against something, then you can put full pressure on the breaker bar and crack the nuts off, hope this helps mate.

 

[PobodY]

Torque wrench on maximum torque FTW! :-D
(I did also dig-out a six-sided socket as the one I'd been trying was bihex.)

I'm still struggling to get the ABS sensor out, but that's the only thing still attached. - Any tips seeing as the last ones have been so good?
I started to apply heat, but it looked like I was melting it.

One thing I've noticed is that I don't think there are any snap rings in this hub. There are front and rear grease seals, but I can find a groove at both sides without a ring in it. - Maybe that's actually the problem; as I tighten the nut, I'm just forcing the bearing back (until it contacts the CV joint?) because there's nothing to hold it in place.

 

[Fast Guy]

The driveshaft should slide on the inner cv joint abit (to compensate for suspension movement) so the bearing shouldn't be moving as the driveshaft should pull onto the bearing, not vice-versa.

 

[PobodY]

Good point! - Plus, now that I've got it all apart; there are snap rings in there.

 

[Johnny nofear]

So I am looking 4 anyone who's replace their wheel hub Assembly before and if The Sentra hub assembly will work ?


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[geoff pine]

bloody hell George your going back to when you lived in wales! my memory is that we where just assisting Bob the builder who was using his works van kit and doing most of the work .Bob may have used a gun on them the one he used for his hydraulic work ? mine is a clarks battery one . Order some new bolts three wetabix large breaker bar and good quality socket

 

[PobodY]

The wheel bears where changed a couple of years ago now. - I bought a decent breaker bar in the end, just so that I didn't knacker my torque wrench with this kind of thing.

I also bought a cheap impact driver, which I don't think would have cracked those bolts, but it means I don't need to sit there turning them by hand in the future.