Front Wheel Bearings
 

Okay... so my new SVX has a problem with wheel bearings already. That's okay... I suspected that when I picked her up. I heard the noise, but Halistan felt that it was tire noise. Well... it's not; I rotated the tires and the noise stayed at the front. I'm PRETTY sure it's the drivers side wheel bearing starting to get noisy (it's not overpowering... just irritating).

Anyway... I am going to have to replace the front wheel bearing(s) and want to see if anyone has any input on the job at hand;

1. I realize from the exploded diagrams of the suspension that the bearings are on the inside of the housing. How bad are these to replace? Should I give up now and have a shop do it? Any input related to this I should know?

2. I went to subaruparts.com and almost had a coronary at the $77 bearing! Plus seals... ack! Anyway... I went to Autozone, and they have a Timken bearing part 517007 that is supposed to be a "front inner bearing" for the SVX. That sounds right to me since as I mentioned above the bearing is inside the housing. This bearing is half the price! Anyone any input here? I'd love to save $40 if I can.

3. Since I now own an SVX again... a car not renowned for longevity of wheel bearings... would it be worth my while to invest in a Hub Tamer? I've done a bit of research on this, and if I can get it for a good price (which you can if you shop around) then it might not be a bad investment. Of course, the docs I have found lead me to say I'll have to invest in an impact wrench as well... but that was something I was considering anyway. Of course... if it works with hand tools... ;)

Any feedback and input greatly appreciated. This is just one of the few remaining niggly things I have left with this car before I can say I'm truly happy with my investment. On the flip side, even after these niggles are sorted out, the car still would have been worth it.

Oh... FYI... Subaru want to charge me $500 to replace the front wheel bearing... if I can get the tools I need for less than that, then do future bearing repairs myself I'd rather spend the money that way!

you can get the tools for less than 500 - don't mean to insult, but hopefully you know how to use them and just don't have them lying about?

300 (list?) or below for the hub tamer.

pick up an electric impact at Sears if you don't already have a compressor. It does over 100 ft lbs (I think around 125 or 150). You'll need it for getting off the axle nuts if nothing else. I did a rear bearing using the hub tamer and never put an impact on it as I wanted to be able to "feel" anything going wrong.

can't say about the bearing - haven't done front yet (fingers crossed).

Cool.

Well... I've never replaced a wheel bearing on an SVX before, but I know how it all pieces together. I've also replaced wheel bearings before on a Pontiac Fiero... figure the SVX can't be THAT different. So yes, I know the basics and I'm sure I can figure out the specifics as I go along :)

Yeah, I probably will pick up that electric impact. Looks like a trip to Sears tonight :)

Actually yes I figured that I would rather spend that $500 on the tools to do the job rather than give it to someone else! Besides, since I drive an SVX I just KNOW that sooner or later a bearing's going to fail!

Thanks for the input... anyone else out there with pearls of wisdom?