Have You Ever Had To Replace Your Wheel Bearings?
04-09-2004, 01:41 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 331
i replaced all 4 on my gxl with 106k miles.
The rear driver side was making a real nice hum at 60mph.
Unfortunately i didnt narrow it down to the rear until after i replaced both fronts.
The front ones are a bitch to replace. Mazda tries to sell you a whole new hub, but you can get just the bearings. if you have a press, i suppose you can press them out, but what i had to do was grind through the race with a die grinder, being very careful not to nick the hub. Then i pounded em out with a hammer and chisel. It took forever and it sucked bad.
The rear ones are super easy, just in and out.
The rear driver side was making a real nice hum at 60mph.
Unfortunately i didnt narrow it down to the rear until after i replaced both fronts.
The front ones are a bitch to replace. Mazda tries to sell you a whole new hub, but you can get just the bearings. if you have a press, i suppose you can press them out, but what i had to do was grind through the race with a die grinder, being very careful not to nick the hub. Then i pounded em out with a hammer and chisel. It took forever and it sucked bad.
The rear ones are super easy, just in and out.
04-09-2004, 02:08 PM
#3
Super Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 5,425
When I did my 5-lug swap, I discovered the rear hubs hummed, more like roared the faster I got. I had no idea what the mileage on those parts was. I didn't know which side it was, or both, so I just got both done. After doing a little research, I just paid a shop to do it for me. 
04-09-2004, 03:26 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Peoria, AZ
Posts: 10,906
Originally Posted by Lionheart240' date='Apr 9 2004, 03:10 PM
Eep! My FC has 173k on the body! Should I be scared? @_@
Some of the bushings are lookin pretty bad, so I'll need to get those replaced some time soon.
Some of the bushings are lookin pretty bad, so I'll need to get those replaced some time soon.
04-09-2004, 03:33 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 331
Originally Posted by g_dripht-alex' date='Apr 9 2004, 03:05 PM
can you like feel it in the steering wheel?
The rear bearings probably took me about a half hour a piece, and the fronts were probably closer to 3 hours a piece, man those things sucked ***.
04-09-2004, 09:12 PM
#10
Super Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: VA
Posts: 2,532
Actually, there's a how-to floating around somewhere on the front bearings. If you take a dremel and make two notches in the hub 180 degrees apart such that you can get a drift behind the races, you can pound them out. Once you have the notches, the next time will be easy. The right front on my car was way bad when I got it with 99k on the clock. It's not an easy procedure, but quite do-able.