Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

[redhawks2]

Has anybody replaced their front wheel bearing(s) and how much of a job is it to do? Would love to see a tutorial on this.

Thanks for any info!

[dperren]

i had to do the same thing not to long ago. i replaced the whole hub, bought it used for 75 bucks, then about an hour of labor. my mechanic said that it was the cheapest way to do it.

[VBdenny]

Replacing wheel bearing may seem simple, at least the mechanics of it, but it requires very careful and proper adjustment of the tension. Too much (called pre-loading) and you will burn up the bearing quickly. It will also burn up the spindle. I've had that happen twice. Or if they are too loose, they will also be damaged but not as quickly.

Unless you have some specific reason why you think you need to replace them, I would leave them alone.

[glenmore]

I've cleaned and repacked the front bearings on my Mercedes. Replacing the bearings would be straightforward. The manual calls for an instrument to measure and adjust the play correctly. I just used the "thump" method of adjusting the bearings and so far so good :whistles: .

The "thump" method is tightening the nut to set the bearing, then backing off a bit, and then a sequence of tightening the nut and thumping the tire with a closed fist until there are no vibrations. When the locking nut is too loose, the vibrations from thumping are clearly felt, so scientifically "just tight enough, but not too tight".

If you are not comfortable with this, then you should take it in. Couldn't be too expensive.

glenmore

1990 LS400

1991 MBZ 300CE

[lex4me]

I replaced the bearings on my 91 LS with no issues. You'll need a press, the proper size press inserts (I used large sockets) and a relatively large lock ring plier to do this, but it is not difficult once the steering knuckle is off. Just make sure that you use grease designed for wheel bearings with disc brakes.

[jzz30]

i didnt have a press so i just took the hubs out and then took it no napa where they changed them out for 100 bucks

[K9crew]

This is something that I may have to do but I'll know for sure this weekend once I measure the end play and runout of the hubs and spindles (0.002in max). I read in the repair manual that a vibration in the steering wheel can be due to worn wheel bearings. I have 72k on my car now so I guess it's possible that the bearings are worn. All you need to measure bearing pre-load is a torque wrench ... preferably the beam type as opposed to the ratcheting type since they're easier to read when measuring drag force.

:)

[savannah_mike]

How much torque?

[JeffZ34]

How much torque?

Torque is 147 Ft/Lbs. No special procedure like some vehicles.

[Bronto]

Hi,

I couldn't get the hub off of my LS to replace just the bearing, so Im going to purchase a salvage spindle knuckle. Two questions.

I have a 94ls, will the spindle knuckles from 95-98 models work?

The reason for this is my right/front bearing is bad (bad vibrations), is this the correct name for the part?