Just changed my wheel bearings..

XR6_4EVA · 21-10-2009, 11:38 AM

Well, my rear end has been sounding like a freight train for the last 2 months and i finally decided to change them over in my workshop.

My AU has an IRS rear end...

Ive heard stories about people bending press's trying to fit bearings but figured it cant be that hard.

Once i got to the stage of getting the drive shaft out, i hit a brick wall.

I fitted the extractor to the hub and after an hour or so we had 2 guys hanging off a metre long breaker bar, the drive shaft was siezed inside that hub so unbelievable tight it was ridiculous. An hour later and alot of CRC we got slow movement untill it eventually popped out.

Once that was done, i stuck the hub on the press, hit my second brick wall, we bent the press while trying to knock the old bearing out (We have a 20 ton press, i work for VW). So i sent the hub to a place called Straight Torque to do it for me, hit my third brick wall, they bent their press too. I ended up taking the hub to ford and they managed to get the bearing out but said they never want to see me again :p (more or less)

So now its all back together and its nice and quiet, has everyone had this much trouble with rear wheel bearings on IRS?

KR1STO · 21-10-2009, 11:51 AM

i tried doing one once and found it was easier to change the whole hub...

Had another one fail recently and found it was cheaper to get a complete cradle with an LSD and change it over...

killed two birds with the one stone..
LSD and no noisy bearings..

Even a diff place told me they hate doing them...

RG · 21-10-2009, 01:57 PM

I found it was cheaper and easier to replace the whole half shaft / hub unit at the same time with some good second hand units.

Stuffed if I'll ever attempt to replace the bearings in the bloody thing lol.

XR6_4EVA · 21-10-2009, 02:04 PM

Ive learnt my lesson. Even just changing the hubs would of been a to do, drive shafts were so siezed...

BIGJB · 21-10-2009, 02:51 PM

Oh thanks heaps guys..... This was on my next to do list when I get the diff rebuilt
and the 4.11's put in. Hmmmm thinking the diff shop can do it now.

TheSly1 · 21-10-2009, 03:07 PM

Im about to do mine but ive got a live axle, I have lined up a place to press the bearing off the axles, I hope I dont have as much trouble as you are having..

Goodluck and Thanks

mik · 21-10-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSly1

Im about to do mine but ive got a live axle, I have lined up a place to press the bearing off the axles, I hope I dont have as much trouble as you are having..

Goodluck and Thanks

live axle should be a breeze compared to the irs.

Erich · 21-10-2009, 05:17 PM

what sort of bearings and how are they located on the shaft? Anyone got pics?

RG · 21-10-2009, 05:39 PM

I don't think you live axle guys have to worry. Pretty sure this issue only afflicts IRS equipped models.

Beer Baron · 21-10-2009, 06:08 PM

Live axle is easy. They can be done in about an hour both sides.

BuckTooth · 21-10-2009, 06:37 PM

Sounds like i was lucky, just did the bearings in my car a month ago, but all i needed was a 20 ton press. The whole lot came apart real easily.

mik · 21-10-2009, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuckTooth

Sounds like i was lucky, just did the bearings in my car a month ago, but all i needed was a 20 ton press. The whole lot came apart real easily.

do you think it could have been done before?
a mate with a well equipped workshop tried to do mine with a 30 ton press, he even machined up a proper pressing tool, but gave up due to the press bending also, ended up takeing it to a diff place with a big press....they still had a hard time.

RG · 22-10-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mik

do you think it could have been done before?
a mate with a well equipped workshop tried to do mine with a 30 ton press, he even machined up a proper pressing tool, but gave up due to the press bending also, ended up takeing it to a diff place with a big press....they still had a hard time.

Not necessarily, for some reason some come off really easy. Others bend presses. Same as some can be taken out with a 20t press and some bend 50t presses.

Then you have the ones that fail and eat into the hub rendering it useless too, like mine. Same thing goes for the half shafts, some are really difficult and people have broken the ABS ring off trying to lever them out of the centre. others, like mine, popped out no problem and are only a 1 hour job to do.

grandpa_spec_F6 · 21-10-2009, 08:58 PM

What RG said, by the time I finally got mine out and the new axle and hub in the fellows on here were sick I'd say =P

XR6_4EVA · 22-10-2009, 12:55 PM

glad im not alone :p

MGGT RAA · 23-10-2009, 03:08 PM

ive got this issue right now.... lookin into the whole thing now. damn...

ronwest · 23-10-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGGT RAA

ive got this issue right now.... lookin into the whole thing now. damn...

I haven't got it but want to replace rear wheel bearings before our jaunt to Perth next year.

I'm not liking what I'm reading, lol.

Cobravan · 22-05-2011, 09:33 PM

I have just done the Bearings on my AU XR8 ex cop this week. I will tell you what I learned.

If you remove the Assemblies yourself, take them to an Engineering company because they have huge presses and most have done this job many times.

Don't let your rear bearings get really bad, as I did because you will stuff your hubs, this is really common. There aren't many second hand ones around and new they're about $440 from Ford. In Adelaide Falcon Spares And repairs are the guys for this job, they have a huge press and the knowledge to do the job and have great prices for second units if you need one.