Home made wheel bearing press mk7. RWD.

[Bat135]

I don’t have a press to get a new bearing assembly onto the hub.

I have seen this done with M16 or greater sized threaded bar and two nuts/washers. Also using a suitably sized aocket to sit on the bearing.

Then tighten

As you tighten the bearing is pressed on.

If I do this what sized socket would sit where I need it to go? And should this sit on the inner race?

Basically a home made press/threaded bearing installer. ??

Any one tried this? Does it work? Anyone got any suggestion on how to get it on?

[metalworker0]

First off -- if you have the room and intend to do a lifetime of van fixes ..20 tonne floor mounted presses are about £120 on ebay
mines a 30 tonne one - new off ebay in 2009 .. £185 - see the prices of such are plus £500 now! .... others here will tell you if 20 tonne is enough

as regards pressing on, the rules are

if pressing onto a shaft you press on the inner race

if installing into a housing you press on the outer race

Socket size ......before you start .....you must get the thing off ......and if i know transits that are over 17 years old . its going to be well rusted, more than any car you'll come across - ive had a person bring me transit hubs, that were rusted so badly, they were almost welded together.

Your 16mm threaded bar idea isn't going to work.... if you cant get it apart! ........and for that you will need a press.

a "nice" garage will probably charge you £20 to remove and install, if you turn up with the hub and nothing goes wrong.

here's a non rusted one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwbC0EyWlMs

all the best.mark

[Bat135]

I have got the old one off already.

Using a beating puller.

The bearing had been replaced previously so wasn’t that old. Think it was a cheap Chinese eBay one that the mechanic installed for me. Hence replacing it as it has gone already.

So just need to get new one on.

I have seen people on here suggest the threaded bar idea previously. Never tried it myself but they say it works? Just wondered if anyone else had tried it?

[knobby1]

I have got the old one off already.

Using a beating puller.

The bearing had been replaced previously so wasn’t that old. Think it was a cheap Chinese eBay one that the mechanic installed for me. Hence replacing it as it has gone already.

So just need to get new one on.

I have seen people on here suggest the threaded bar idea previously. Never tried it myself but they say it works? Just wondered if anyone else had tried it?

Please don't run multiple threads with the same issue...you'll get multiple "different" answers and it just confuses everyone.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=234230

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=97392&start=15

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=234264

Lord Knobrot

[avromo]

To get a new bearing on just used the hub puller the other way i.e got a grip round back of hub put a flat piece of metal over top of bearing and pushed it on. thats what i did (i used a hydraulic 15 ton yellow hub puller off ebay)

[Bat135]

Hi

Thanks for you suggestion re: using the bearing puller used to remove the bearing in order to install the new one.

I might put the job in the freezer over night to shrink it a bit.

At the moment I have the bearing and hub joined but off the van ready to remove the bearing using the puller.

This is the puller I have. Pic below. Are you suggesting to use this to install the new one? If so how exactly. Do I use a washer over the inner race or whole bearing face??

Thanks fkr you help so far. If you can elaborate and if my puller is suitable to reinstall then great…. Alternatively I have thick m16 strong threaded rod with two strong nuts and washers. Seen it done this way before. Here is my puller. (If not will ask a garage to use thier press and bung them few quid). I do like to attempt these things myself. My dad was a mechanic but he is no longer with us. He taught me a bit.

[Bat135]

IMG_0841.png

[metalworker0]

Not with that !

1. buy a bearing press
2 take it to a garage
3. buy the whole hub with it installed

or struggle with your 16mm threaded bar ..... you'll need spacers and washers of close dimensions of what you're pushing or pulling on... so that force acts on center of bearing or outside of bearing not both.

A. - to install on a shaft .... bearing is pushed on the inner edges

B. - to install in a hole / recess - bearing is pushed on its outer edges


The type of bearings you are using will be destroyed if you get: A mixed up with B, as the bearings are made up of two halves separated by shims ... they are pre-loaded ... the join you can see inside i think is glued together with the shim in place .. press wrong and it comes apart .. and then is useless.


construction - sectional drawing
https://cdn.autodoc.de/thumb?id=8054520 ... v=94077915


PRO BEARING INSTALLER KIT to give you the idea what you are aiming for

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155785999013?

and even with a proper press like i have, you need to make spacers and what nots to press things home, then you need a lathe ... this is me pressing in bottom ball joint

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=227668&p=1847420&hilit=press+ball+joint#p1847420


all the best.mark

[knobby1]

IMG_0841.png

You'll struggle to get the bearing off the hub with that puller....often 10 or more tons is required, if it does move it, the inner race will probably stay on the hub. And there's no way you'll get the bearing back on the hub with that puller either.

So much easier and often cheaper in the long run to buy a complete hub and bearing assembly.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/28668294589 ... R4SBkbeKZg

Lord Knobrot

[Bat135]

I agree.

I should have got the complete kit myself with the bearing puller.

I have a huge vice and I might aswell attempt it given the bearing is going in the bin anyway.

Worst case scenario is I buy a complete hub assembly if it fails.

What I will do is post if my method works ok, for reference to other forum users. The least I can do given advice and help.

The reason I am going to attempt it is I have seen it in a video being done successfully (I know, an online video…. How easily can that be different from reality). But I am taking your advice seriously and although I accept responsibility for my work and do in fact want to die peacefully in my sleep and not in a ball of flames like my grandads passangers.

I always attempt to do repairs myself as and when I can. It usually costs me more but I learn something.

My last bill was well over 1200 pounds for what should have been half that for the work done:

Injector seals
New tyre
Bearing
Disc
Oil leak (not an expensive part replaced).

And 80pc of that bill was labour as the injectors wouldn’t budge. Sounds very odd but as I say my dad was a mechanic so I get it and understand how difficult it can get.

And guess what? The bearing has already gone and it still leaks. So this is one of the the reason why I attempt things myself first. But I am conscious of safety.

I was considering using my log splitter. But decided against that.

Overall I save money and learn something. It also means I can pay 1200 inflated bills as a result. As a gardener my van is crucial to my income. Which is why I value the advice and try to share my experience with others to help them if necessary. But the main thing is safety. 110pc. Saving a few quid is not worth it where brakes and bearings are concerned.

This one I am going to try.

[Bat135]

And I will be honest with the results. The first headache was the caliper carrier bolts. Boy did they take shifting. I could only get them off with heat on the carrier mount after removing carrier. The threads in the mount heat not the carrier as carrier wasn’t threaded. Think smaller bolts used previously. Then hit the mounts with hammer to agitate threads. Got hex bolts out with heat. But broke a t50 long ratchet attachment in the process.

You need a decent breaker bar and sonebody to hold it in whilst you turn if they are tight.

At the moment caliper is fully removed and hex bolts loosened

It’s on my drive waiting for weekend. I have long bolts to use against hex heads to split hub. Then I have bearing and disc and hub off in one piece.

Then I try the puller or grind off but probably take this unit to garage to get off and new on. Updates to follow including what was tried and failed/succeeded.

[Bat135]

It also brings me closer to my dead father. I used to watch him doing privates on Sundays in the snow. Throwing tools in the air and shouting every expletive under the sun.

Often for very little money as he was too kind.

Holding his old tools is a tangible thing that although upsets me also makes me smile. He was only 63. Smoked like a train… understandable being a mechanic. But he was also a very decent bloke. He ended up doing PDI inspections later in life as cars changed a lot after he got his city and guilds/apprentice and with three kids and getting older he couldn’t retrain. But he would still know with my modern cars ehat was wrong.. even by listening which he very rarely did with me. Be carefull as one of the things I believe contributed to his lung disease and heart was (along with three kids and smoking) was the chemicals from his work…. He always had a fav on the go covered in oil/grease and his knows what else. Never wire safety equipment and worked on asbestos brakes. A lesson for us all.

[Bat135]

**** UPDATE ****

Bearing completed.

You were correct. It was not possible to get the bearing off with the puller. But if this helps others…. Just take it all off untill you just have the bearing and hub it’s attached to then pop to the garage locally. Mine cut the old one off with an angle grinder and pressed the new one on for next to nothing.

So it’s worth doing all the disassembly and reassembly yourself and just get the garage to do the hard part.

Next to nothing vs 190 quid cost for garage to do the whole job. And anyone with a bit of mechanical knowledge can do the disassembly and reassembly after old bearing removed and new one presses on by garage. I took it round there on my bike in a bag.

I also learnt a few things. Happy days.

Below are some pictures. A hint is to use two bolts and nuts through the caliper mounting bolt holes after removing caliper. Thighten these against disc carefully to split hub assembly and dusc away from the knuckle to remove. There is a bud online that shows you this. Whilst using a hammer to tap it off the other side and a chisel to open the gap up between knuckle and hub assembly.

Thanks for advice. Turns out you were correct. The puller nearly did it. An 8inch three legged pulled from screwfix using socket that fit onto hub stub inside bearing race. I reakon it’s possible. But was easier to take it to the garage.

[Bat135]

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