Front wheel bearing replacement

[justinchristie]

Hello,

My 2012 i-Miev (65,000kms) front wheel bearing(s) are going - it makes the jet engine (roar) sound as speed increases. I am going to repair both at the same time for peace of mind, and while I have all the tools out. I'll be using the slide hammer kit to remove the hub from bearing, and the bearing press kit to remove and re-install the bearing and hub.

Is there anything I should know? I have the service manual from mmc-manuals.ru, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips/tricks - I did a few forum searches and found no info on anyone else performing this repair.

 

[Don]

I did a few forum searches and found no info on anyone else performing this repair.

I think you're probably the first one here to change a wheel bearing - You'll be adding to our knowledge base for sure! The front spindles and bearings are different on out iMiEV's than just about any other car I can think of, so your experience and tips will be invaluable!

Don

 

[justinchristie]

I think you're probably the first one here to change a wheel bearing - You'll be adding to our knowledge base for sure! The front spindles and bearings are different on out iMiEV's than just about any other car I can think of, so your experience and tips will be invaluable!

Don

Ok. this is both exciting and scary at the same time. I have done a little more research on YouTube and found a few videos that are similar to how I would approach this without a shop press. I'll try posting the process in the next week or so, just waiting on the parts and tools to arrive this week.

 

[ketiljo]

How did this go? I suspect I have a bad bearing front right as there's a swooshing/knocking sound at hard left turns. Will do the break disks first and inspect the bearing at the same time.

 

[JoeS]

I sent a PM to justinchristie asking just that.

 

[justinchristie]

Sorry, i haven't been on here in quite a while. I replaced the driver's side earlier on this year (Jan 2020). Getting the hub and bearing out is straight-forward - follow the instructions from the service manual on mmc-manuals.ru.

The issue is getting the new bearing back on - you will need a shop press, or take the entire assembly to a local shop to have them press it back on. I tried doing it with a slide hammer, took my time, and was as gentle as possible. I tried the oven heat and frozen bearing trick, and that didn't really help. Unfortunately, during the slide hammering process, it separated the new bearing slightly when adding the hub back on. Noticed it when I was almost done getting it back on

Also, don't cheap out on a bearing. I bought MOOG, and I think the part number is 1970535.

I have the bearing installed, but after driving about 2500-3000kms, it's starting to roar a bit again - looks like I damaged it. I bought two bearings, so it's just a matter of me finding time to replace it, again. I'll wait until it gets worse. Due to COVID-19, I'm working from home now. We don't drive as much, so I can put off that repair for now.

So my advice - take it out yourself, and use a local repair shop with a shop press to install the hub into the new bearing/assembly. If you have a shop press at home, just make sure it has the height to get the entire assembly under the press.

 

[justinchristie]

How did this go? I suspect I have a bad bearing front right as there's a swooshing/knocking sound at hard left turns. Will do the break disks first and inspect the bearing at the same time.

What your describing sounds like a steering linkage/joint, or maybe a worn ball-joint. Bearings will sound like you have a jet engine under the hood - it will roar/hum louder the faster you drive.

Mine started getting audible around the 50KM mark, and got worse the faster I went - there was no knocking or whooshing when turning.

 

[JoeS]

justinchristie, thank you very much for the update describing your experience and for your insightful suggestions. I'm sure this thread will come in handy in the coming years.