AcRyte

Hello, I'm new to the site and the proud owner of a 97 acura TL 2.5 with only 70,000 miles on it! I bought it even though I heard some noise coming from the front wheel. I took it to get it looked at and the mechanic said it is the front ,right upper wheel bearing and that he may have to replace the hub also. He quoted me $460.00 and I think that is too much!! Have you guys ever had this replaced? What was the cost?! Can this be done by me, im handy with the tools? What would the dealer charge for this!? Let me know guys, thanks in advance!!

ljmushock

Odd... To my knowledge there is no such thing as an upper or lower wheel bearing... There is an inner and outer on some cars, but I believe you have a sealed bearing inside your hub. Your best bet is to go to your local parts store, ask the counter man for a wheel bearing for your TL. The 2.5's rotor/hub assembly is supposedly a very hard task to engage. You may be able to get the bearing replaced yourself with some tools, time, and courage... Here is a link on how to get everything removed...

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ghlight=rotors

WELCOME BTW

AcRyte

You the man! I guess dude was foreign, he may have been saying,OUTER , but to your knowledge , when does the hub or knuckle have to be replaced, if it is just the outer wheel bearing, whats a good price to bid with!?
Thanks again

ljmushock

It really can go out anytime, If moisture gets into the bearing it can cause it to wear out prematurely. My TL has 115,000 on it and its fine, but it could go tomorrow, could never go... I used to work at Napa, all I can tell you is that those types of sealed hubs/bearings are not cheap... Depending on where you go expect at least 50 bucks anywhere up to 200. If it were me, I would certainly tackle it myself before going to a dealer or other auto shop. DO THIS: go up to a parts store that has a machine shop (that turns rotors etc)... Those machinists are geniuses, our machinist knew everything about hubs and bearings and such... You may have to pull the hub off and get the bearing pressed out anyway at the shop. Good luck man lemme know if u got any other questions!

TexasHonda

Good advise from LJMushock. I haven't done a front wheel bearing, but I did do a rear wheel bearing on a BMW 318is w/ independent suspension. After working myself silly trying to drive the bearing out w/ a hammer and drift socket, I simply pulled the entire hub assembly and took it to a local machine shop that I've used in the past. He removed old bearing and installed new for $35,... best money I ever spent.

You may need some special tools to release the upper and lower ball jts and tie rod ball jt.

good luck

AcRyte

Well whats the worse that can happen if I let this problem go unfixed for a while, it just sounds like a rubbing noise, and Im taking a 280 mile trip this weekend as is!?

ljmushock

I guess the worst case scenario might be complete seperation. Those are sealed ball bearings I believe, may be tapered Roller bearings but either way if it seperates you could possibly damage the axle, brakes, seals, etc.... I doubt your wheel falling off or anything like that... You should be alright, just get it done sooner that later. Stay safe

Bluish

I had to replace my drivers side front wheel bearing - it was $315, but the part itself was most of the cost (~$250), so it must be a fairly easy job. I lived with a slight once-per-revoltion vibration for about 20,000 miles with no problem other than a "thump" sensation in the steering wheel at low speeds. I think the bearing was damaged by a Pep-Boys shop when I had some lug nuts replaced. By the way, the lug nuts had to be replaced because the Acura dealer over-torqued the lug nuts after replacing the starter. The lesson here is that minimum required maintenance is a good strategy because many repairs are likely the results of errors made during routine maintenance.

AcRyte

Where did you get yours fixed at, the dealer or someone local!? Im thinking about going to the dealer!! yeah, i hope the wheel dont fall off but i cant afford to get it fixed yet!!! hopefully i'll be safe , thanks for the help

ljmushock

Yeah, I tighten my lugs with a torque wrench (70-80 foot lbs)... I know it sounds silly, but tightening them too tight can cause all kinds of problems, warped rotors, bad bearings, etc... It only takes an extra 30 seconds anyway... Good Luck

fzm

I got my rear bearing replaced... It only cost like $300.00 CDN for the part. It is an easy fix, all you do is remove to rotors and the bearing nut, and its out.

racerock

While he is in there, he should do the lower wheel bearing

Seriously, there is not an upper wheel bearing. Inner and outer maybe.

leventis72

there no inner outer just one sealed pressed bearing assembly.Inner and outer are refering to older domestic cars vans etc

TexasHonda

There are upper and lower ball joints and a recall was issued for one of these and would still be available. A ball joint would not cause continuous noise, and if you have a continuous or intermittent noise on the RF wheel, a wheel bearing may be the problem. Even if ball joint is not your problem, you should have the improved ball joint installed.

There is also an emissions recall that allows a free tuneup. You should absolutely have that done.

It's actually a pretty good job requiring removal of the wheel knuckle and pressing the bearing from the knuckle.

I DIY'd one rear wheel bearing on a BMW 3 series and it was a job to remove the entire knuckle assy. That was after I spent about 3 hrs in 95F Houston temps trying to bang the bearing out w/ a drift and hammer. Not one of my best adventures.

good luck

MaximReapage

Pain in the butt is what that bearing is!

I have a '91 Legend LS that I'm trying to pull the bearing off of. (FYI, they're not rollers, they're actually huge ball bearings). The problem is, I can't get anything to grip it at all to get it out - and I have a 12 ton shop press, too! >.<

I've already pulled the inner races (wheel-side and axle-side) and the ball bearings (and their cages) and the seals...I just can't get the darn outer race off!

Personally, I would pull the whole arm off and take it to a machine shop with new bearing in hand (idk if you have to grease them or not, I believe they come pre-packed and sealed-for-life). Tell them you want them to press out the old hub and bearing, and press the new bearing and old hub in. It'll probably take from 1/2 hour to an hour for them to do it, and it will save you loads of frustration (TRUST ME on this one).

Beyond that, not sure what to tell you. Let me know if you want any kind of detailed instructions as to what you'll need to tackle this job, and I can provide you with them. :p

MaximReapage

Here's some basic instructions and otherwise as much help as I can give you for this job. Some pictures are at the bottom of the write-up.

Tools needed:

A BIG breaker bar and a 36mm socket
Ratchets and sockets
Shop press
Bearing tool set (available from a local parts store for rent)
Long nose pliers (long needlenose, for the snapring)
Tie rod/ball joint pliers (also available for rent)
Rotary tool like a dremel (in case the bearing race is stuck)
Flathead screwdrivers
Hammer
Prybars may be useful

Parts:

Axle nut(s)
Bearing
Grease
New snap rings in case your old ones are too gunked up
Cotter pins
LOTS of zip ties, or speaker wire, or metal cable
Screw-loose/WD-40/Bolt buster

First, pry the tab back on the axle nut that holds it in place. Try to break the axle nut loose with everything still on the ground, this will make your life MUCH easier (the center of the wheel should pop right off to give you access to the axle nut). In my case, I had to have someone use a grinder and drill my nut off (the CV axle had to be replaced anyway so it wasn't a big deal). After that, you have all the standard jack up and support the car, remove brakes (hang caliper on the coil spring using some zip-ties), unscrew retaining screws and remove rotors, etc. The next part is to take some screwloose and some brake cleaner to all your cotter-pinned and castellated nuts (the ones that hold your ball joints on, you'll know them when you see them). Clean them thoroughly, then use chalk, a fine-tipped spray paint can, metallic sharpie, whatever marking apparatus suits your fancy to mark both the castellated nuts and the arms themselves - this will avoid the possibility of needing an alignment after you're done. Try to secure the CV axle before you pull the joints out - zip ties, wire, etc - use the springs again if you can - if you don't do this, then you will have the same thing happen to you as what happened to me....the CV joint will pull apart inside the boot and you will have to either attempt to rebuild it or just replace the CV axle (less of a headache).

Using some grease on the tie rod removers, pry apart the tie rods from the hub arm. Then, carefully remove the arm from the car. If you tear any of the boots, you will need to replace them. Bring the arm to somewhere you have a press available, and, using a socket that fits on just the inner hub ring and NOT the bearing itself, press out the hub (you may have to prop it up on something to do this). If the outer race gets stuck, you will have to dremel the bottom of it a bit until you can hammer in a screwdriver (alternating sides to get it up evenly - VERY tight tolerances here). Then, you can use prybars (need 2 people for this) and pry it up and off. If it gets stuck at all, hammer it back down a bit, use screwloose on the shaft, and try to pry it up again - guess who had to do this. After that, you need to pull off the snapring from the wheel bearing. A good pair of needlenose, and an assistant with a screwdriver will be helpful. Pry the snapring together, and have your assistant jam the screwdriver in the space that opens up, then you can use the screwdriver to pop the snapring out (careful, it may fly out). Then, remove the dust shield from the arm

Now comes the fun part. Remove all the ball bearings, guides, and seals from the bearing. Then, use the tool in that set I mentioned up above that seats in the center of the bearing and press the bearing out coming from the axle side going to the wheel side. You may have to prop it up on something so the bearing actually comes out. After you get it out, use some brake cleaner on the polished surfaces of the arm and the hub, then grease them. Your new wheel bearing is sealed for the life of its use, so don't try to pull it apart. Set the new bearing inside the hub, and use one of those bearing tools and press it in. After that, put the snap-ring back in (easier said than done, trust me), put the dust shield back on (BEFORE putting the hub in), and press the hub in using whatever method you see fit. Then, put the arm back in the vehicle and put the castellated nuts back on (lining them up with the marks you made) with NEW cotter pins. The rest of the installation is the reverse of removal, but BE SURE YOU USE A NEW AXLE NUT AS THESE AXLE NUTS ARE NOT REUSABLE.

That's about all the help I can give you...good luck if you decide to go at it!


Picture of the hub after removal:


Picture of the new bearing after being pressed in:


The race that got stuck on the hub:

MaximReapage

Picture of the bearing tool:

AcRyte

U are the man!