M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: sheepdog on February 26, 2008, 06:40:55 PM

Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 26, 2008, 06:40:55 PM
I need to do my bearings, and cannot locate the tool to borrow, so time to buy I guess.

Pelican wants $220 for the tool, no problem, but I will BE DAMNED if I will pay $50 to ship the thing ground and $155 to ship 3 day!


Anyone know of a cheaper route.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: 1991 E30 M42 on February 26, 2008, 06:56:26 PM
If your trying to do the front hubs I made a tool for about $20 with things that can be purchased from your local Home Depot
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 26, 2008, 07:44:45 PM
I need to do front and rear actually.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: kowalski on February 26, 2008, 07:53:05 PM
pictures of tool? are you talking about a puller?
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 27, 2008, 12:17:14 PM
There are 2 types,  one is arbors, the other does install and removal.
One is supposed to be good, the other junk (not sure which is which).

Left side and right side...
http://www.technictool.com/bmwtools.htm

Pelican wants $50 to ship the one on the left ground.
I found it for about $20 less total on Ebay.

Overpaying on shipping just burns me.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: kowalski on February 27, 2008, 12:54:20 PM
have you checked local stores? perhaps even the dealership?
Title: Poor Man Bearing Tools
Post by: keflaman on February 27, 2008, 04:18:08 PM
You'll have to excuse the lack of pictures from me right now as my internet connections sucks and I can't download at the moment.

With the first four tool sets, misc sockets, washers, etc, I was able to remove and replace my rear and front wheel bearings. It wasn't necessarily pretty and the first rear bearing took me eight hours of trial and error. The second bearing took me about three hours.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=8856
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46389
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93980

I've ordered this set as well, although I'm not sure if the sleeve ID is in there that I need for future jobs.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45210

Hopefully my internet connection will be repaired soon and I'll post pictures of my debacle.

Keith
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: FredK on February 27, 2008, 05:52:06 PM
The Sir Tools B90 is heavy as heck!

Anyway, it makes bearing replacement take around an hour a side. A breeze, if you will.

EDIT: I borrowed mine from a local guy. I wish I had one to lend to a fellow 318is'er, but I don't! :(
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: Wizard on February 27, 2008, 07:01:12 PM
Looks like the one set that keflaman posted might work for our cars.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45210

Check out the manual for the tool set:
http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/45000-45999/45210.pdf
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 27, 2008, 08:29:50 PM
Quote from: keflaman;43753
It wasn't necessarily pretty and the first rear bearing took me eight hours of trial and error. The second bearing took me about three hours.


That alone worries me. Not so much the fiddling, but I have all 4 to do.
The thought of spending all weekend messing with this just seems like it is not worth it. I am not sure if that much of my time is worth saving $100

Quote from: FredK;43761
The Sir Tools B90 is heavy as heck!

Anyway, it makes bearing replacement take around an hour a side. A breeze, if you will.


Heavy is one thing, but when I can get it shipped from Ebay for half the price, a place known for outrageous shipping charges, I have to wonder. I have have heard and seen pelican be high on shipping but that is rediculous.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 27, 2008, 08:36:30 PM
Quote from: kowalski;43740
have you checked local stores? perhaps even the dealership?


We have Harbor Frieght and other generic tool stores. The dealer is almost an hour away and I only use them when absolutely necessary, terrible place. I would almost rather pay Pelicans outrageous shipping just to avoid them.

So tempted to do just pay someone to do it, but I don't trust anyone to do it.
Title: Some Pictures May Help
Post by: keflaman on February 28, 2008, 11:59:13 PM
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPusher.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPusher1.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPusher2.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPusher3.jpg
Title: More Links To Pictures
Post by: keflaman on February 29, 2008, 12:07:49 AM
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPressPrep.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPressPrep1.jpg
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd172/keflaman/BearingPressPrep2.jpg

My bearings were shot so badly the hubs were frozen in them and the bearings were frozen in the trailing arms. After using the puller to remove the hub, I used the bearing press to break the bearings out of position and get them moving.

After the bearings broke free I switched back to the three legged puller to finish removing the bearings.

HTH. Keflaman
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: bmwman91 on February 29, 2008, 10:40:15 AM
Zoso has a good writeup on his site for the fronts.  I don't think he had any special tools to do it.

The rears...they are a bitch.  The bearing sleeves like to come off and be stuck onto the hub.  I paid a local shop $40 to swap out the old ones and put on the new ones.  Just go that route for the rears.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: sheepdog on February 29, 2008, 12:29:31 PM
Quote from: bmwman91;43873
Zoso has a good writeup on his site for the fronts.  I don't think he had any special tools to do it.

The rears...they are a bitch.  The bearing sleeves like to come off and be stuck onto the hub.  I paid a local shop $40 to swap out the old ones and put on the new ones.  Just go that route for the rears.

That is actually the part I am least concerned about doing.
Title: Wheel bearing tool
Post by: D. Clay on February 29, 2008, 01:40:18 PM
I've done both front and rear. It's obvious which part of the bearing should be used for each part. I used a wheel puller from harbor freight to pull the front off. The inner race that stays on the spindle can be nudged with a chisel. The spindle nut will pull in the fronts by applying pressure to the inner race only. I used all thread for the rears. You can tap the rear into the trailing arm hitting the outer race only. When it's as far as it will go you can use the old outer race as a drift to go the rest of the way. I used the rear nut in the socket to pull the hub into the inner race and the old inner race on the inside. The only way to go wrong is to stress the inner and outer races at the same time. This damages the bearing.
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