2009 Mazda 5 - front wheel bearing - fearing splined drive axle was will be seized into hub

[Number_35]

Not much time to work on the car ... life's busy! But anyway, took a few minutes yesterday to first press out the hub (which brings the inner bearing race along with it), which then exposed the snap ring. Got the snap ring out way easier than on the other side in 2017. Then it was time to press the bearing out. Took it up to about 5 tons, and let it sit for awhile, thinking it might pop on its own. Nah ... so then I pumped it up until it popped around 10 tons. Had the face shield on.

Did a really stupid thing before starting - tried to remove the dust shield (which really isn't necessary), and broke the middle bolt. Was not able to drill it out, and wound up using a couple of stainless-steel cable ties to secure that part of the dust shield to the knuckle. It's not pretty, but is quite secure.

Had stashed the new bearing in the freezer (the food one, not outside!) and pressed it in earlier this evening. It went in well. I used the old bearing to press on, so the fit was perfect - didn't have to worry about damaging the new one at all! Then installed the new snap ring, which was not fun, but eventually it cooperated.

Next task - find a way to remove the old inner bearing race from the hub, and then press the hub into the new bearing/knuckle assembly. I still have the old race - it looks like I took the grinder to it to split it.

Then back on the car the knuckle/hub/bearing assembly goes. I wish I had more time to work on it, but so it goes.

 

[ls973800]

Had stashed the new bearing in the freezer (the food one, not outside!) and pressed it in earlier this evening. It went in well. I used the old bearing to press on, so the fit was perfect -

I think the bearing was going to go on regardless of chilling it or not. Whenever I have replaced bearings on machinery, we always heated them by putting them into an oven or using a bearing heater. It expands the center and allows it to go onto the shaft easier. Chilling the bearing would usually cause the center to contract, resulting in a tighter fit.

There were many times we also wrapped dry ice around the shaft along with heating the bearing in order to get it on with no problems.

Glad to hear this side apparently went better than the other side you had to do a few years ago.

 

[Number_35]

Had stashed the new bearing in the freezer (the food one, not outside!) and pressed it in earlier this evening. It went in well. I used the old bearing to press on, so the fit was perfect -

I think the bearing was going to go on regardless of chilling it or not. Whenever I have replaced bearings on machinery, we always heated them by putting them into an oven or using a bearing heater. It expands the center and allows it to go onto the shaft easier. Chilling the bearing would usually cause the center to contract, resulting in a tighter fit.

There were many times we also wrapped dry ice around the shaft along with heating the bearing in order to get it on with no problems.

Glad to hear this side apparently went better than the other side you had to do a few years ago.

This bearing fits into a hole in the knuckle, rather than around a shaft, so it's desirable for it to be colder, and thus shrink slightly, w.r.t. the knuckle.

I had the knuckle in the house prior to installing the bearing, so it was at around 22°C. The bearing would have been at -18°C, so there was a fair differential there. It's hard to know how much it actually helped.

Yes, I too am pleased that it's been easier this time.

 

[ls973800]

OK, got you! Fitting into a hole in the knuckle I stand corrected, cooling the bearing did help.

 

[Number_35]

Got it all back together this morning - test drive was good, first one in weeks without bearing noise.

Here are a few photos from the bearing-replacement part.

When the hub is pressed out, the inner bearing race comes with it. Here's the old bearing, still in place, without the inner race:

Here's the pressed-out hub, with the inner bearing race still wedged on:

Cut a couple of relief lines in the inner bearing race, and it came off fairly easily:

Here's the new bearing, pressed into the knuckle. The retaining ring is a challenge, both to remove and install:

Last, the hub gets pressed in:

 

[Number_35]

We've used the car for a few days - it seems good.

When I first installed the new axle nut, I didn't stake it, in case I had to remove it to rework something.

Anyway, after a few days I did stake it (after checking the torque [190 lb-ft] to ensure it hadn't loosened up).

This is a more precise alternative to a castellated nut (which has to accommodate a cotter pin). Perhaps this "analog style" is the norm now.

 

[KrisZ]

Nice job looks exactly like my old Mazda 3.
I used a slide hammer and a bearing pull set to do this job without removing the hub though. But the end result is the same.

 

[Number_35]

Nice job looks exactly like my old Mazda 3.
I used a slide hammer and a bearing pull set to do this job without removing the hub though. But the end result is the same.

That is impressive!!! Not sure I could have done it in-car - and I've got to justify that press sitting in the garage!

 

[KrisZ]

That is impressive!!! Not sure I could have done it in-car - and I've got to justify that press sitting in the garage!

I never rented tools when I lived in Canada, so I don’t know how good/bad it is over there. But in US pretty much all auto parts stores rent tools. That’s exactly what I did. My local O’Reilly had what I needed.
I have an electric impact gun and with the tools I rented, the job went surprisingly well and fast.

 

[Number_35]

I never rented tools when I lived in Canada, so I don’t know how good/bad it is over there. But in US pretty much all auto parts stores rent tools. That’s exactly what I did. My local O’Reilly had what I needed.
I have an electric impact gun and with the tools I rented, the job went surprisingly well and fast.

Part of that would be due to you not living in Rustland!

I don't think I could have removed the snap ring in-car.

 

[KrisZ]

Part of that would be due to you not living in Rustland!

I don't think I could have removed the snap ring in-car.

I moved to CA late 2017 from Ontario, that Mazda had 11 winters under its belt.

 

[Number_35]

Impressive!

Hey, did you know that there's a wee bit of Ontario's dangly southern part that's farther south than the northernmost part of California?