Hubtamer and rear wheel bearing

[alia176]

Sorry guys, hate to bring this up yet again. Search produced messages from '02 and '03 so I just want to make sure that information is still up to date.

I was able to change the same wheel bearing on my wife's Legacy w/o any Hubtamer issues.

(rant on) how the hell do you mount the Hubtamer yoke tool on the backing plate? I've removed the parking brake parts, even cut (plasma) some of the metal from the tool. But the darn parking brake stud on top keeps getting in my way. (rant off) I thought about removing the backing plate but that won't take care of the parking brake stud issue as far as I can tell.

I'll be using a slidehammer to remove the hub out tonight. I just wanted to remove the hub using the hubtamer strictly for principle's sake! Is there a separate yoke (from OTC) for the rear wheels of a AWD car? I know it says for "front wheel drive" cars on the front of my Hubtamer box.

Is the consensus in this group to still take apart the bearings, remove the grease and repack with fresh grease? I ask 'cause there "seems" to be a seal of some sort and I'd hate to take everything apart. I see lots of grease in the bearing already but will be happy to take things apart if needed.

On another note, the link hardware came off w/o too many issues. Guess there wasn't as much corrosion as my wife's Legacy. Still, lots of PB went in a few hours before and during the project. I hope I didn't ruin my bushings in the process, as the center of them seems a bit loose. I don't feel like removing the lower arms to replace the bushings.


Thanks.

Ali
'92

[alia176]

btt

[JohnU]

It has been a few months since I did both rear wheel bearings with the Hub Tamer. Just to make sure, you are talking about getting the yoke on the hub to press out the old bearing correct?

I had some troubles with this as well. I had to try it a few times and never got the yoke perfectly straight, but I was able to get it on good enough to remove the bearings from both sides. I do rembember that the spot I got it into did not require me to remove any parking brake connections or the abs sensor. On both sides I was able to wedge the tool in from the rear side of the hub. I used a hammer to make sure it was on tight enough so it would stay in when pressing. I was then able to press the bearing out, even though the yoke was at a slight angle to the bearing.

Hope this helps.

John

[alia176]

John,

My issue is with removing the hub, not the bearing. I'm not that far yet! When I did the Legacy, I don't remember using the yoke for bearing removal or install. When I say yoke, I'm referring to the odd looking thing that resembles a C...sorta!

No matter, I'll just use a slidehammer to yank the hub out. I just wanted to see how in the world are others placing the yoke in this area!

Thanks for your reply.

Ali

[JohnU]

Sorry, when you said hub, I was thinking of the assembly (knuckle?). What I said previously was for the removig the hub, not the bearing. Sorry, but it has been about 6-8 months since I did this and my memory isn't so great.

Also to answer your question about regrease, I would recommend it. I remeber seeing post that state the WRX (or maybe just the STi) uses the same wheel bearings and they are now shipped with the proper grease, but the problem is, how do you know if you have a new one or one that was on the shelf for a while? I am not sure what seal you are referring to, I know there is a plastic holder in the center of the bearing just to hold things together, that will have to come out to install the bearings, so you may as well clean them and repack them too.

[lanciat]

You do not need to use the yoke supplied in the Hub Tamer kit (and it will not fit, as you've discovered).

Remove the hub using a slide hammer and three after-market lug nuts.

Note that the instructions in the Hub Tamer kit (more precisely, the drawings accompanying those instructions) have the removal and installation instructions REVERSED. The bearing can only be removed and installed from the "outboard" side of the hub housing, because there in a raised ring cast into the "inboard" side of the hub housing to limit lateral travel of the bearing assembly. So, the cast iron cylinder in the Hub Tamer kit (used to receive the old bearing when you remove it and hold the new bearing when you install it) is always placed on the "outboard" side of the hub housing. The only thing you need to place on the "inboard'" side of the hub housing is the appropriate circular press plate in the Hub Tamer kit.

Hope this helps.

Joe Fillip
'95 L AWD
Swarthmore, PA

[alia176]

Joe,

Thanks for the clarification. I thought something looked goofy on the Hubtamer manual!

I finally came to a temp halt due to what I think is corrosion between the bearing race and the hub body. For the life of me, I can't seem to "urge" the race to come out (outboard)! For a short while I was using a 2' breaker bar with a 3' cheater! It was getting dark last night so I left everything in tension over night. Let's see what happens today. I'll try heating the housing with a propane torch and if that doesn't work, then the Oxy-Acet comes out! And if THAT doesn't work, I'll just take the knuckle off and press the damn thing out somehow!

John,

Thanks for the grease clarification. I'll regrease just to cover my arse!

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears!

Regards,

Ali

[lanciat]

Ali, no need to take extreme measures to remove the outboard bearing race from the hub. In your Hub Tamer kit, you'll see an item that looks like a set of tongs, as well as a small solid circular disk. You place the disk over the opening at the narrow end of the hub, place the two arms of the tongs on either side of the outboard bearing race, and then use the long bolt in the Hub Tamer kit to pull the race off of the hub. The bolt is inserted through the "joint" of the tongs and buts against the solid circyular disc. As you tighten the bolt, the arms of the tongs pull the race off of the hub. You'll find detailed instructions in the first few pages of the Hub Tamer manual.

Hope this helps.

Joe

Joe Fillip
'95 L AWD
Swarthmore, PA

[alia176]

Joe,

thanks for the reply. I got the bearing out yesterday w/o much issues. But I was wondering what that tool was for and now I know! I'll try what you said tonight just to play with it a little bit. Hmm, my manual doesn't say anything about the tongs you mention, on the first few pages. But, I'll give the manual another once over anyway just to make sure.

The corrosion was pretty nasty on the inboard side. This is the same thing that happened to my wife's Legacy. I wonder why corrosion is more prevalent on the pass side.

Also, the disc # mentioned by the Hubtamer manual is incorrect. Perhaps it's the right size for a legacy or WRX but not for the SVX. You'll need to use a smaller disc that will get past the bearing race stop on the inboard side of the hub. This disc will end up wedging itself against the slimmer part of the race and won't come through when you crank on the forcing screw. When you crank on the forcing screw with an impact, this disc will force the bearing race to be pushed through the hub. Also, don't forget to remove the snap ring first, otherwise, nothing will move...no matter how much force is used. Just a tid bit of info.

I was checking the texture and the smell of the grease that came with the bearing. It didn't smell or behave like any wheel bearing grease that I have in the garage. It was more like wax and had no discerning smell that I could detect. So, REPACK YOUR BEARING! after you buy it. Don't worry about the plastic insert, it comes out anyway when the outer hub goes in. This is NOT a sealed bearing. The bearing is cage is black plastic, giving the appearance of a seal of some sort!

Also, apply antiseize on the axle splines for reassebly as well on every other piece on nuts and bolts in the area. My favorite kind is marine copper in a one lb container. It comes with a brush in the lid and I'm not shy about using it on everything!

Hope this thread helps out others.

Good day,

Ali
'92

[svx_commuter]

I think the corrosion is more on the passenger side of the cars because this is the side that runs through the puddles more. In the winter time there is more salt in the water. That sprays up all over the underside of the car.

How's the rear upper strut mounts doing? That a place where all the salt sits.

[alia176]

That logic seems good to me. I forgot to check the upper strut mount before buttoning everything up. I did see a fine layer white residue in the inner wheel well. Perhaps it's salt? I'll wash everything off with each tire removed and spray wax in the wheel wells before it snows.

Now, to find that damn leak under the hood!!!!

Ali