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DIY Front wheel bearing, helpfull front rotor/pads replacement.

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107K views 82 replies 46 participants last post by  BigKaiser  
#1 · (Edited)
I AM NO WAY RESPONSABLE IF YOU MESS SOMETHING UP. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

I have seen a bunch of DIY wheel front wheel bearings, but none with pics. This should be very thorough, and you can also use this to replace your front rotors/pads. If your bearings are making noise, this should show you how to save mucho dinero from the dealership. I was quoted $160 from an indy for the labor, and the bearing cost me $75 ($400 from and indy!!!!). The process took me just under 2 hours.

Step 1. Remove your wheel cap, and loosen this big nut. You need a 1.25in socket, a breaker bar, and a strong friggin back.
Image


2. Remove your wheel, and jack up the car. USE JACKSTANDS!

3. Spray the carp out of the spline, and all the e-torx bolts behind it with penetrating lube. If you think you sprayed enough, spray some more.
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4. Pry this silly spring clip off the calipers
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5. Pop the hood and take the cover off the brake fluid resevoir. Let it just sit on top of the hole so no dirt gets blown in the resevoir. Stick a screwdriver in between the brake piston and rotor and retract it slightly. Go behind the piston assembly and find these plastic caps. There are 2 of them, and they cover the caliper slide pins. pop them off.
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6. Stick a 7mm hex hex in the hole you just exposed, and remove the caliper slide pins. Righty tighty, lefty loosy.

7. You should be able to remove the piston assembly now. Hang it from the spring with a coat hanger or something. Don't let it dangle on the brake line!!!
Image


8. I hope you have got a good back, and some strong arms because you will need them for this step. Grab your E20 torx socket, breaker bar and remove the 2 caliper carrier bolts. This is what they look like. Turn the wheel to make your life a little easier
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continued below:
 
#2 · (Edited)
9. Remove the bolt holding the rotor on. I believe it was a 5mm hex. Now remove the rotor. It may take some whacking with a hammer. I like to hit the face, NOT the area where the brake pads ride on. If you are ONLY doing new pads/rotors, skip to step 14.
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10. Remove the 3 E18 torx that are holding the bearing/hub on. The one at 12 o'clock is a PITA, the one at 7 and 4 are straight forward. You can see the contraption I used to get the 12 o'clock one out. I found it helpfull to jack-up the control arm slightly. Just be patient and you'll get it.
7 o'clock one
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Thingy I had to use for the 12 o'clock one
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11. Got it off? Excellent, that was the hardest part. Disconnect your speed sensor
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12. Make sure you have a 3-prong bearing puller. I got mine at harbor freight for $10. Set that bisch up, and pull that loud bearing off
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See all the penetrating lube. That made your life really easy, TRUST ME. Clean the splines while your in there.
Image


13. Installation is the opposite of removal. I put mine on and tightened the large nut down so it was on the spline well, and wasn't rattling around. Make sure the dust shield is on there. Use the supplied bolts if your bearing came with it (66ftlbs). Here is what it should look like.
Image


continued below
 
B
#67 · (Edited)
robhurlburt said:
9. Remove the bolt holding the rotor on. I believe it was a 5mm hex. Now remove the rotor. It may take some whacking with a hammer. I like to hit the face, NOT the area where the brake pads ride on. If you are ONLY doing new pads/rotors, skip to step 14.

10. Remove the 3 E18 torx that are holding the bearing/hub on. The one at 12 o'clock is a PITA, the one at 7 and 4 are straight forward. You can see the contraption I used to get the 12 o'clock one out. I found it helpfull to jack-up the control arm slightly. Just be patient and you'll get it.
7 o'clock one


Thingy I had to use for the 12 o'clock one


11. Got it off? Excellent, that was the hardest part. Disconnect your speed sensor


12. Make sure you have a 3-prong bearing puller. I got mine at harbor freight for $10. Set that bisch up, and pull that loud bearing off
Image


See all the penetrating lube. That made your life really easy, TRUST ME. Clean the splines while your in there.
Image


13. Installation is the opposite of removal. I put mine on and tightened the large nut down so it was on the spline well, and wasn't rattling around. Make sure the dust shield is on there. Use the supplied bolts if your bearing came with it (66ftlbs). Here is what it should look like.


continued below
Click to expand...
I did this job a few weeks ago on my wife's car. I did both sides. Some notes for anyone else doing this job:

1) I got the Timken bearings from Rockauto. It was $310 CAD taxes-included shipped to my door from Rock Auto for 2 hub assemblies.

2) I could not access the top hub-to-knuckle bolt with the tools / extensions that I had. Instead, I took the pinch bolt off the lower control arm (LCA), then used a crowbar to separate the knuckle from LCA.

3) I used a big 3-jaw claw puller, similar to the picture above, to separate the driveshaft from the hub, not to pull the hub off. I had a buddy stick a long bar in between the claws to stop the hub from rotating, while I gradually tightened the puller using a 2-foot extension bar. It took many turns and made a big pop when it broke the rust. Quite satisfying! That sucker was on there tight.

4) By turning the steering wheel all the way to one side, I was able to access the driveshaft and pull it out of the hub. Then removing the three hub-to-knuckle bolts was very easy.

5) In my case the hub was totally corroded to the knuckle. Seemed like some sort of galvanic corrosion as there was a lot of white powder where the hub once sat. My friend and I tried many things, but what worked in the end was to remove a support from a jack stand and wedge it in between the hub and then knuckle. We put the support right behind a lug nut hole. Finally, we put a lug nut in and tightened it against the jack support. It pulled the hub off really easily.

6) Make sure you put your dust shield back on. It goes in between the hub and the knuckle. It was late and we forgot and then had to take everything apart.

I learned the power of the screw on this job and didn't use any air tools. Second side went a lot faster than the other when you know the procedure.
 
#3 · (Edited)
14. Put on your rotor, and don't forget that little bolt.
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15. Put the caliper carrier back on, and use some blue locktight on the bolts. Torque them bisches tight! (155 ftlbs + 30 degrees)

16. Put back on the piston. Lube the slide pins with caliper slide pin lube. found at autozone at the register. Add back those plastic caps you removed
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17. Put the spring clip back on.
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18. Put the center nut on, and tighten down taught. Put the wheel back on, and remember to use the star pattern when putting on the lugnuts. Tighten to 84ftlbs or so.

19. Lower the car, and tighten the center spline nut down all the way. You will feel it bottom out, then tight to 170ftlbs or so.

20. Replace the brake fluid resevoir cap, and PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL. Take it for a spin

21. Once you get back, crack open a fresh one, and pat yourself on the back. You just save $150+ dollars.
Image


Since I spent all this time doing this, who wants to send me a pair of front brake pads. Mine were worn to nothing! LOL :lol:
 
#5 ·
Great beer, bad jacks! (I've had those fail on me before. The seals eventually weaken and you'll need more effort to jack up the car, and you'll notice it won't hold the weight for very long......)

Sam's Octoberfest, however, has never let me down. :cheesy:
 
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#6 · (Edited)
he says:
I found it helpful to jack-up the control arm slightly beside the hole body jack points.
I thought in US about badwiser bier. :lol:
**************************************************
15. Put the caliper carrier back on, and use some blue locktight on the bolts. Torque them bisches tight! (need torque spec)
Click to expand...
torque spec.:

disk brake retaining screw --------------------7Nm (5lbf ft)
caliper bolts-------------------------------- 210Nm + 30ºNm (155lbf ft + 30º)

**************************************************
robhurlburt, congrats very good job and one of the best post for how to do it...., very helpful for all of us.

thanks
 
C
#7 ·
Nice write up.

I had my drivers side replaced under warranty a while back and I watched the tech. Only took him about 15 minutes but then again he's probably done many of them.
I wonder what the book rate is?
 
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#10 ·
M
#16 · (Edited)
Did mine today and I'd just add that on the Aero the Torx bolts for the brake caliper carrier are E22 not E20, also, detaching the control arm and removing the driveshaft from the hub made it easier to access the bolts holding the hub in place.


Image
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The downside is that you cannot use a puller to remove the hub, however, the application of a large hammer soon sorted that.

Thanks for the How To ;ol;

BTW: Got the hub from PFS
 
#19 ·
I need a favor. Those of you who have removed your OE hubs, can you give me a measurement of the hub protrusion? Also does anyone know if the protrusion is the same front and rear? I need to know how far out it sticks from the actual hub. Getting some new adapters made, and my car is about 400 miles away. Although, I am really loving what I'm driving in it's place.
 
T
#20 ·
RATS! Wish I'd seen this thread before I took mine in. Front brakes & rotors set me back $600. Would have been more but I recived a 20% discount in the mail.
I shied away because the Aero brakes vary in size. My luck is that I'd get the wrong ones and find out only after I had everything torn apart.

Really nice writeup, Rob.
 
S
#29 ·
E20 socket for the front brake carrier bolts (150 ft-lbs + 30 degrees) and E18 for the front hub bolts (66 ft-lbs). I believe E22 was/is used on some Euro models front brake carriers.

I just did both my front hubs. I went the really cheap route at first and bought some no name hubs (...KMM). Lots of wheel play! - worse than the bad oem hub I was trying to replace. Replaced with Timkens, going for $120 at RockAuto - perfect! In fact, the Timkens are actually the oem F-A-G brand (hope I don't get censored) hubs packaged in a Timken box. I therefore recommend anyone to get the Timkens since the actual F brand goes for over $200 - pretty expensive box you'd be paying for.
 
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