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Front Wheel Bearing Hub

matt0534

CEG'er
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
49
So after searching through the forums, I still haven't found a clear answer. If I buy a wheel hub assembly with the bearing already installed inside, so I still need a press to install the hub into the spindle?

Thanks for any help!
 
Yes. The hub goes INSIDE bearing not outside. Then bearing presses into knuckle. No spindle on front, the tip of axle technically serves as that.

Order of assembled parts from inside out: hub pressed into bearing, bearing pressed into knuckle, then axle goes in center of hub to tighten up the big nut. You MUST tighten the big nut to spec, simply getting it 'good and tight' will quickly fail the bearing. 175-200 ft.lbs. will work fine. You can reuse the big nut, but it must pull up to the full torque without acting like it's stripping.
 
The wheel hub assy with the bearing already installed sounds like the whole knuckle assy not just the bearing. A little more info would help. Is it a new part? if so from where. maybe they have a picture we could see. Is it a used part from a salvage vehicle?
 
The wheel hub assy with the bearing already installed sounds like the whole knuckle assy not just the bearing. A little more info would help. Is it a new part? if so from where. maybe they have a picture we could see. Is it a used part from a salvage vehicle?

Yeah its actually 2 separate parts. Or 3.. depending on if you count the retainer clip thingies (whatever you call em lol)

you have the bearing itself and the bearing hub.
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?searchType=global&N=0&Ntt=Wheel+Bearing+hub&submit=

This link should have both the bearing and hub. Dorman hub, timken bearing. The retaining clips I just re-used and it did fine.
 
The OP asked "So after searching through the forums, I still haven't found a clear answer. If I buy a wheel hub assembly with the bearing already installed inside, so I still need a press to install the hub into the spindle?"

The key here is "bearing already installed inside" That would imply the whole knuckle assy. Not asking how many parts are in a bearing assy. Lol
Trying to help the guy out.
 
oh shoot sorry i kinda went on a tangent. I know you can put the hub into the bearing without a press though. On some other post on CEG here there's something to do with putting the bearing/knuckle in the oven on very low heat to expand the ring, and then put the knuckle in the freezer to shrink the shaft/whatever you wanna call it... and then they just kinda fit together. Sorry i'm bad at explaining just look at the link.
 
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Uh, plenty of makers sell just hub and bearing pressed with no knuckle, I used to sell them.............some will go in more than one model of knuckle. The key phrase about bearing inside actually shows OP doesn't have a clue, not an intimation of being inside knuckle. You can only get the third part if it is a flange that bolts to knuckle, if no flange then just hub and bearing sold. Contour has no flange. Commonly 4WD, trucks, and SUV use the flange..........

Many pictures show two circlips, don't be surprised if you only have one. Use it in the position most favorable to your bearing pressjob into knuckle (let the guy doing it determine side to put it in).

I have many times used the hot/cold parts trick to 'press' parts with no press. BUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTT..........

'I know you can put the hub into the bearing without a press though.'

this open-ended statement can get you into trouble lickety-split. The bearing is actually two bearings with a common center race. The outsides are barely snapped in place, simply tapping on hub into bearing will commonly knock loose the opposite side of bearing to ruin it since you cannot get it back together. The inside hub press is far less pressfit than outside to knuckle, I use simply allthread and washers to positively keep the backside bearing half positively in place while pulling hub into bearing from other side. No need to use hot/cold trick on that one, it goes in easy enough.

215 ft.lbs will work fine, I simply quoted an average that almost all FWD cars use, the more important thing is to make damn sure you hit at LEAST the lower 175 number, that is the one that if not reached will cause problems. I use 200 since easier to remember, and have never had a problem.
 
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