Do you need to use a compress tool to remove the front or rear wheel bearings? I read in some of the posts someone said just remove the center big nut and pull the bearing right out. Is that true?

 

you will need to remove the brakes and rotor, you will also have to remove the halfshaft nut. (judging by the pic) not sure if they are pressed in or not, but i dont think they are. Looks like they may be held in with a retention/spring clip
you will also have to slide out part #5

 

Thanks fsttyms1.

 

The "proper" method is to use a SST (Special Service Tool) and a press. SST's are generally pretty expensive, however if you can cut and weld steel, this one can be made fairly easily. You can fabricate one from scratch from some flat bar and a tube, or an even easier way is to make one out of an old axle housing, which is what I did.

The SST bolts to the bearing retainer/brake backing plate assembly using the original studs and nuts and then the whole thing is placed in the press. A few pumps later, the bare axle shaft should drop free from the rest of the assembly. It is a good idea to place a block of wood or something under the axle to prevent damage to the threads on the wheel studs when it drops. Now the SST can be removed from the backing plate, and the bearing can be tapped out of the retainer.


Pounding the wheel bearing off using the shade-tree mechanic method.
Many people do not have access to a press or the means to build a SST, so there is also the "shade-tree mechanic" method of separating the wheel bearing from the axle shaft. This method can also be a little faster than using a press. You basically hold the assembly by the backing plate with the axle shaft pointing down (brake drum removed), raise it above your head, and slam the end of the axle shaft down on the concrete as hard and fast as you can until the backing plate falls free of the shaft. This may take quite a few hard hits, or if you are lucky, sometimes just a few. You should leave all the brake parts assembled to the backing plate so that their weight is what is hammering down on the bearing and not just your hands. The more weight on the backing plate, the easier the bearing will come off.

When using this method, be sure to wear some thick or padded gloves to protect your hands from the shock. Something also needs to be placed on the concrete to prevent damage to the end of the axle shaft. I like to use Masonite since it is hard and dense enough to not absorb too much of the hammering force, but still soft enough to prevent mushrooming the end of the axle shaft. If you mushroom the shaft, you will have to spend some time with a triangle file getting the splines back to where they'll fit into the differential again.

Another way to get the retainer off is the way some factory service manuals show to do it, which is by cutting most of the way through it with a grinder, and then using a chisel to split it open and get it to release. You then still have to press or hammer the bearing off. If you use this method, you have to be very careful not to nick the axle shaft. A nick on the axle shaft causes what engineers call a "stress riser," and can eventually lead to axle shaft failure.

I have also heard that some people use a torch to cut off the bearing retainer. The heat from the torch can undo the heat treat in the axle shaft, which weakens it. It is also very difficult to keep from nicking the axle shaft with the torch. For these reasons, using a torch is not recommended.

 

The "proper" method is to use a SST (Special Service Tool) and a press.

 

Their not pressed in there are they? (woldnt know still on original, and too busy drywalling garage to go pull front end apart to find out)

 

That's what I had to do get it apart - I could have done a make shift dissemble but it was easier to take it in.

 

Thanks much. So, the bearings are pressed in.