Project RS

[ScottyB]

"But what I do have are a very particular set of tools; tools I have acquired through a very fast internet connection. Tools that make me a nightmare for bearings like you."

not many pictures here due to me concentrating on not f'ing the job up, but i'll probably be doing the other rear at some point soon, and will take more time to document it then and add the shots at that time.

the verdict is still out on whether my work causes this new bearing to explode or if my wheel falls off at 80mph, but so far its all holding together and quiet. prior to this, the most mechanically complex thing i've done is changed out the struts. so, the good news is its really not a difficult job. the bad news is you can't do it without getting a hold of some required tools, and the job itself takes some time. if you're lucky, you can find the tools at your nearest parts store and return them when you're done. if you aren't, you'll be buying them over the internet because nobody local carries what you need (in my case), but you can at least consider it sort of an investment...because once 1 goes, others are probably not too far behind unless its really low mileage.

I was able to take advantage of sales from nearly every vendor i bought tools from, but in the end it adds up to about $350, not including your car parts. and of course i had some necessary tools to start, like a torque wrench and sockets. it still beats paying $600+ at the shop.

i'm not going to reinvent the wheel too much since this NASIOC guide exists and it works great, but there are a few additional tools and notes I'd make to it that will probably help you out.
How to change your rear wheel bearing

notes along the way:
Parts/Vendors I chose (only applies to WRX/RS/early STi, 05+ STi's are too cool for school
- i used a new hub instead of re-using the old. i used a Dorman and thought it was worth the great price of 40 bucks. if you re-use the old, be sure not to scratch it when removing the old bearing race that stays attached when you yank the hub out.
- 42Autosports sells a bangin' bearing kit. You get all 3 OEM seals, a new OEM axle nut, an upgraded taper roller KOYO bearing (stock is a radial bearing design) and a tube of LiquiMoly Long-Life Grease to repack the bearing, for a great price. This particular shop does not like the stock grease at all and by their recommendation I cleaned and repacked the bearing with the LiquiMoly. Time will tell if i packed it properly, but its important to note that (as i understand it) you can overpack them. If you stuff the bearing to the tits with grease it can create a lot of drag which equals heat, and you could run the risk of blowing seals out from the grease expansion as it heats up. i put a fair amount in, but tried to visualize how much space it was taking up as i went and stopped at what i thought was pretty good coverage.

Prep
- drink water, a lot. and beer. in hindsight, do both equally but save the beer for after.
- don't forget to lube the bearing puller bolt threads or they could gall. whatever random motor oil you have lying around is probably fine.
- get some kind of penetrant to free up the lateral link bolt and spray it over and over a few days in advance. i used PB Blaster, its an old stand-by. my car has literally never seen salt and is only 7 years old, but the lateral link was still a bitch to free up. buy a new OEM nut and bolt and plan to cut or snap the old off if you know its corroded really bad.
- if you don't want to buy seal drivers, get a square block of wood and a mallet instead to drive the seals in evenly. you can't push them in by hand.

Tools
- leverage is king. get at least 2, 2 foot breaker bars, and then buy a 1" x 48" steel pipe from the plumbing section of Lowe's. You'll need the bars for the lateral link bolt, hub puller, and will need to combine with the pipe for the axle nut.
- get some nice mechanics gloves. nitriles will rip way too easy on this job. or just be a bear-fighting lumberjack stud and use your bare hands, like a real man.

Technique
- raise up the whole rear end with a jack via the rear diff and use a good jack stand on the chassis rails. you will need to free up the jack to use it on the suspension later.
- don't forget to chock the front wheels so you don't kill yourself when it rolls forward
- don't forget to release the e-brake, or have a fun time trying to get the rotor off. i had a fun time!
- you'll need to put the lateral link bolt back through the link-ends and knuckle to keep the suspension together when you use the slide hammer to remove the hub. you will hit a certain point where the link ends and knuckle match up perfectly and the bolt will go back through with little effort. it takes a bunch of tries to get it lined up, but it will work. As the strut compresses it will try to swing outward, stuff a rag under the jack wheel to keep it compressing straight upward and not rolling back.
- don't try to pull the seals out from the outside, push the seals out from the inside using pliers or something.
- be nice to the bearing housing in the knuckle. don't scratch it and clean it out nice.
- once the bearing is in the knuckle, you can pull the plastic insert out with the bolt head of the bearing puller.
- don't forget to stake the new axle nut once its on and torqued properly.

that's about it. the rest is all mentioned in the NASIOC thread.

here's a shot of the old bearing. at 105k miles, the grease was the consistency of candle wax. my bearing did not exhibit some of the hallmark sound signatures of a bearing going out - like a rhythmic humming or increasing in volume under side load. it was just a constant rumbling that got louder with speed. i was afraid it could be something in the transmission or diff but the way to 100% confirm was to jack the car up, grab opposite sides of the tire at the same time and try to wiggle it as much as possible. it had play which was the nail in the coffin that the bearing was toast.



again, i'll update better with pics next time i get the chance.