How To Do A Bearing Service

Blue marks the spots that I press against when the hub is on press plates. I do it this way so that I don’t bend the brake caliper mounts.

Another view of those press points I use.

I have the upright supported by the three little pads. That is what the “box” of metal plates is doing, supporting the little pads. Those pads were the bolt hole locations of the plastic shield for the brake rotor.

Okay so I have a Craftsman one inch, short, half inch drive socket I use to press the hub out of the upright. I did not want to move the press bed up, so I have this long bar between the press and that socket. The basket, with cushy blue towels, is for the hub to fall into.

This is a little press. I have to support the upright a little differently so that I can press out the hub. The hub is bigger around than the space between the press support bars. The hub can’t fall down. I have two inch square tubing with press plates on top of that.

Hub fits between the press bed on this big press.

See how the hub on this little press won’t fall through. I have to use spacers to lift up the press plates when I use this little press.

Hub is out.

Good I hit the basket.

This is what a hub looks like after it is pressed out of the upright.

Here I am cutting off the plastic holder for the roller bearings. The bearings are in my way for the next step.

I am pointing to a groove at the top of the bearing race. This one is for ball bearings.

I am pointing to the groove in the bearing race. This is for roller bearings.

You put the bearing separator into that groove and tighten the bolts to about 30 to 40 foot pounds. Make sure this is decent to very good quality bearing splitter. Cheap ones just don’t get the job done.

I have weight plates in use here. Each plate is about one quarter inch thick. Please take note of the way the bearing splitter is sitting…. If you press on this now you will have trouble. Do not bend those bolts…. Turn the bearing splitter ninety degrees as you will see in the next photo.

Now I am happy about the direction of the set up. Hey I know better—I   bent the hell out of my first little bearing splitter. I am using the craftsman one inch socket again. This will press the hub out of the inner bearing race.

Here is the hub no races, but ready to checked and reinstalled with a new bearing.

This hub has a blemish on this part of the hub, I think in the past somebody used a chisel to get the inner race of the hub instead of a bearing splitter, I will have to file this down. They did not use the chisel to break or cut through the inner race. The chisel was used like a wedge to lift the race upwards enough to get a bearing splitter under the race. I use the groove at the top of the race instead because I just hate that “chisel booger” I have to clean up.

This is the part of the hub that takes a beating. I like to have this area in very good condition. But some people like them a little small so that the wheel is wobbly. The idea of the wobbly is to knock back the brake pads and reduce drag. Your call.   I am sticking with the “tight” idea until I can be convinced otherwise.  I measure this upper half in 8 places. Just the upper part. The hubs I have taken from fresh junk yard uprights measure 1.380 to 1.3795  inches  You can get wobbly wheels with 1.377 to 1.378 and the bearing race will push on with your hands at 1.376.  

I tried using calipers to check hubs… do not do it. Even the best calipers I have found have tolerance of measuring that is too large to do the job needed here. The micrometer I use reads down to .0001 inches.

Just to show you….

I am about to remove the wire snap ring that holds the bearing into the hub. You can see the end of the snap ring at about the two o’ clock position. I usually use a straight pick and a “s” pick.

Okay so now the snap ring is out. You can see the three little bolts I have in the upright. I used these three bolts as the contacts when I pressed out the hub.

Okay so now I put an old inner bearing race and bearings into the hub so that I can press out the outer race.

I have this round tube, I think it is an old case from a starter motor.  Anyways, the upright sits on the tube and then I put the press on that old inner race and press out the outer bearing race.

This is the old outer bearing race sitting inside that round tube you saw in the previous picture.

Here you see that old tube sitting on the hub. I am showing you this so that you get an idea of how all this works. You are looking the upright with out any bearing parts.

Yet another view of that tube sitting on the hub. From the side this time.

Here I am trying to show you an old farmers trick. To get the outer bearing race out of the upright, weld a bead on the inside of the race. The weld bead shrinks as it cools. Many times you can then turn the upright over and the race will fall out. Or use a small hammer and punch to knock it out. It usually does not take much force to get a welded race out of an upright.

Stop! Don’t do this. Press the bearing into the upright by the outer race only. Do not ever press the bearing into the upright like this. You will put dents in the races because you are transmitting the load through the ball bearings.

The upright is ready for a new bearing. I set the bearing into the bore by hand. I then set an old outer bearing race on top of the new outer bearing race.  I am using some scrap flat steel across the old bearing race to give me something to press on. Other wise the press goes inside the bearing race. Yes companies make tools that would take the place of the old race and the scrap flat steel you see here. The upright is just sitting on the press plates. The face of the upright is square enough as is to get away with this. Be sure to use some sort of lubricant on the outside of the bearing race and the inside of the hub. Oil, grease, anti-seize you get the idea.

Okay so here the bearing is already pressed into the hub and the snap ring installed. I have the hub sitting on my tube.   I saw a guy once do this and he sat the hub down on the wheel studs… he pressed out all four wheel studs at once. I thought that was pretty slick.  I have an old inner bearing race sitting on the new inner race. Put the press load on the inner races when putting on the hub.

Getting ready to press a hub into an upright.  Do that and you are done!