URGENT HELP PLEASE...Wheel bearings

[Arif110]

Hi there,

Honda Jazz, 53-plate. Rear n/s wheel bearing going - please take that as given - as it happened on the other side.

How difficult is it to do oneself? I'd rate myself as pretty competent - look after my Landrover myself.

Visually, being FWD, the rear wheel assembly (drum brake) looks really simple.

There seem to be four bolts holding the wheel bearing unit to the car itself, as it were - but I'm sure that Ill have to delve into changing the bearing itself properly - rather than cheat and try to change the whole unit there.

So - I'm imagining that on these Jap cars the assemblies are pretty generic.

What's the procedure - will I need a hub-puller?

I imagine it goes without saying I'll have to remove all the drum brake parts first.

Thanks in advance - the car's critical for us handling the logistics of baby, nursery, and going to work.

Arif

[GreenV8S]

Get a Haynes comic for the vehicle and it should answer all these questions.

[shouldbworking]

Youll need a press to put the new bearing into place. i think. enjoy being at the mercy of a garage

[Arif110]

Hmmm... I never did get on with Haynes' manuals, with their text completely unmatched with the images - with far too few of the latter.

I was wondering whether or not the job'd be on a par with say changing calipers, correct bleeding afterwards notwithstanding.

Given that the wear isn't of the 'wobble' type, with no play found under the usual test - how dangerous is it to use the car on the motorway with a 'grumbling' bearing? It still feels 'smooth' and greased when turning by hand (wheel and drum off) - but you can feel 'clicks' in the movement - it's not smooth in that sense.

With the wheel in place - you can't tell at all that there's anything wrong. However, it grumbles at speed.

What are the risks?

I do have a great garage (Autocraft in Houghton Regis - even turned business away when they diagnosed that the other side's bearing had gone - I was asking them to fix it, but they said that I should try my luck with the main dealer, as it was just then about in warranty) - but it's a question of being able to get to them, with work and everything.



Thanks for help so far...


Arif

[GreenV8S]

Arif110 said:

Hmmm... I never did get on with Haynes' manuals, with their text completely unmatched with the images - with far too few of the latter.

I was wondering whether or not the job'd be on a par with say changing calipers, correct bleeding afterwards notwithstanding.

You may not like their style but they tend to be accurate as far as they go, and they'd certainly be adequate for you to work out what's involved in changing the bearings. If you're used to spannering and have the comic to confirm you're tackling it from the right direction (and give you torques etc) I don't see why you shouldn't tackle it yourself. A grumbling wheel bearing will probably be fine up to the point it breaks up and the wheel falls off. Without seeing it, it's impossible to say what the risk of that is.

[Arif110]

I'll be getting the manual then! They did indeed used to help me get by, for my 2-Series Volvo.

Wheel falling off?! Wow - is that really possible?

I mean - no-one apart from me would ever know that the bearing was grumbling - the vibration/noise appears so gradually, most would think it's all part of the noise an older car makes. My Mrs has no idea what noise I'm on about. So an undetectably-dodgy bearing can mean the wheel falls off? I only know what the sound is cos the garage guy said for me to look out for it when he spotted the first dodgy bearing - which I'd felt by hand that time too. I forgot that the Honda normally went along in complete silence.

Wouldn't it start to do something else beforehand - e.g. squeeling or making some really obvious noises?

[GreenV8S]

I'd expect it to get very noticeable before it was in real danger of falling off but yes, if it gets bad enough the bearing can break up and in some circumstances you can literally lose the wheel. I wouldn't care to say how close yours is to that, but by the time it gets that bad the noise should be painfully obvious. I personally wouldn't be particularly alarmed by a gently murmuring wheel bearing but that's my judgement based on how it sounds to me.

[K13 WJD]

hmmmmmm......if you can do bearings on a 2 series volvo.....then this will be easy.....


Correct me if im wrong......but isnt it a pair of tapered roller bearings...in which case you wont need a press......at the most a small bearing puller, and a soft faced mallet.

did my rears on my prelude like this !

[Arif110]

Hey thanks guys.

Peter - I certainly won't hold you to any of what you've said! But your opinion has helped me with arriving at my own risk-assessment of the situation. So I'm not grounding the car. I just needed someone with more knowledge to lend their opinion.

K13 - thanks for your reply. Bearings on a 2-Series Volvo? Contradiction in terms! Never had new bearings in all its 220,000 miles. It was hard enough trying to change the UV-joints after drive-train started vibrating - broke two vices trying to press the cups out. Machine Mart took one back, though. They were lovely to work on.

Okay - I can stop panicking and book the car in for the work asap at least. That's just gonna be quicker than me trying to find the spare time.

Interestingly - it also passed the MOT just a day ago - so obviously they don't check for worn bearings in that sense.

Thanks again.


Arif

[K13 WJD]

Bearings on a 2-Series Volvo

i did wonder.


saw one last week. 265,000 mile volvo 240 estate, with "dicky" seats.

only thing it had changed from orig was a clutch and a timing bel ( one of each !)

amazing

[Arif110]

I absolutely loved those cars - loved the fact that it could last enough to see through 'generations' - well, almost. There was a family photograph of us holidaying in Ireland, with me sat on the bonnet as a 6 year-old - and then I go on to drive it from age 17 to 27 or so.

Only thing that could tick the same boxes for me once it came to replacing it - was a Landrover Defender - which I plan on keeping forever for the same reason.

Those Volvos - never any mollycoddling needed - they were built so well underneath. Control-arms these days even on big saloons look like chocolate compared to on those things! And the rear was indestructible live-beam.