Mazda 3 2012 Front Wheel Bearings

[johnmyster]

Well, I couldn't take the noise in the beater commuter anymore. Pulled knuckles yesterday, first batch of parts arriving today. It's my first experience with press-in bearings.

Factory bearings are definitely noisy and have play at 93k miles. Car has had minimal salt exposure but rotor removal, lower ball joint separation, and knuckle/strut separation were tasks I was not prepared for. I will be buying a bigger hammer. Bad design for Mazda to make the ID of the rotor hat a close fit to the OD of the hub flange - any rust in the rotor hat locks the rotor onto the flange.

Timken (reboxed FAG - German) bearings going back in. Chose them over Koyos against my better judgement. Noted torn ball joint boot so rather than a pair of $8 universal boots I'll replace the joints with a pair of Sankei 555 joints. I really debated on fresh grease and boots as the grease is clean, the joints are tight, and I suspect I tore them during teardown. But for the cost...while I'm in there.

$90 for bearings, axle nuts, and clips plus $43 for a pair of rush-shipped ball joints, should make for a pretty cheap job. Hoping things go back together easier than they came apart. I have a pair of hubs ordered if I can't get the inner race removed.

I have access to a hydraulic press across town, but am hoping to use the loaner tool kit from O'Reilly.

Any tips from the experts on inner-race removal from the hubs? Will a 3-jaw puller do the job?

How many parts will the wife tolerate in the freezer at once? Ball joints, bearings, and hubs?

 

[ls973800]

Just did my son's 2016 Ford Escape which has the front pressed in bearing. The loaner tool didn't work so had to find a local welding shop which I have used before to use their press. Just remember to make sure the new bearing is orientated correctly in the hub for the wheel sensor to read the magnetic ring if yours is set up the same way as the Ford. Good luck!

 

[nwjones18]

Nice work! I put a set of universal boots on the ball joints on my 07 when I had it apart doing the clutch and they're still tight 5yrs later. Thankfully bearings on mine are fine at 165k (could have been changed before I got it at 125k, but who knows). I did have to swap one of the cv axles.

 

[dbias]

I had to press in a new wheel bearing on my 2012 ford transit Connect. I have a 20 ton press in my garage and it made easy work of the whole thing. Hardest part was getting the knuckle shimmed up safely on the deck of the press. Make sure you get the right disk to press the new one in and that it’s oriented correctly for the abs magnet.
Easiest one I’ve ever done was on my Audi A4. Four bolts and a couple taps with my slide hammer and it was out with the knuckle still on the car. Of course the Audi took the obligatory half dozen triple squares to get things off and on but not bad at all

 

[johnmyster]

Nice work! I put a set of universal boots on the ball joints on my 07 when I had it apart doing the clutch and they're still tight 5yrs later.

The second guesses are free.

Just did my son's 2016 Ford Escape which has the front pressed in bearing. The loaner tool didn't work so had to find a local welding shop which I have used before to use their press. Just remember to make sure the new bearing is orientated correctly in the hub for the wheel sensor to read the magnetic ring if yours is set up the same way as the Ford. Good luck!

Copy on the directional bearing. Did you reuse your hubs? If so, did you have to deal with inner race removal from the hub or did the bearing stay intact?

 

[brages]

I used to have a 2006 Volvo S40. I believe this platform was shared with the Mazda3, although there were differences.

I had replaced the LCAs at about 220k miles due to failing rubber bushings, so I didn't deal with ball joints.

The front wheel bearings were EASY to press in and out IF you had the special tool. I was able to borrow the special tool from a swedespeed.com forum member. Here's a thread on it: https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/front-wheel-bearing-replacement-write-up.595179/

The tool I used is for 78mm diameter bearings and it says it's for the Mazda 3 as well: https://www.lasertools.co.uk/Product/5568/GEN2-Wheel-Bearing-Kit-78mm-for-Ford

I believe this forum member is still loaning out the tool. You could probably borrow it and make the job easy, although it would take time to get it.

 

[Jetronic]

I most often use the old bearing to press in the new one if I don't have the perfect disc.

 

[Number_35]

The hardest part of the job (front wheel bearings on a 2009 Mazda5) for me was removing the snap ring that secures the bearing in the knuckle.

IIRC, the bearing unavoidably comes out in two places, but it's not hard to press either piece out.

I have a bucket of large sockets and old bearings - there's always something that fits.

You're on the right track putting the new bearing in the freezer - it does help.

 

[Number_35]

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

Mar 29, 2021

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...

• Number_35

• 
• 

@johnmyster, I hope this is helpful.

 

[johnmyster]

@johnmyster, I hope this is helpful.

Thanks. I have the new bearings in the hub. My snap rings were easy peasy, and I had ordered new replacements.

Turns out the current batch of Timken on RA is actually Koyo (not FAG) so that's a small win.

The O'Reilly wheel bearing loaner kit is a trick setup, but removing the bearings with my Milwaukee 1/2" impact (corded electric, rated at 300 ft*lb) was all she wanted. That ring of rust that forms on the back edge in the annular relief takes some energy to drag out.

I got a hot tip that an induction heater is the easy way to remove the race from the hub. I have access to one and plan to try that first before grinding. I almost wish I could grind steps in it to use a puller. (The hubs could easily have reliefs in them to accommodate puller jaws.) In any case, I'm done for the night. Can't grind in the shop (basement) with kids sleeping.

If all else fails, I have new hubs arriving tomorrow, returnable. If I really wanted to throw money at the car it would get new hubs and rotors. I wire wheeled the inside of the rotor hats today and hit them with some spray epoxy to try and slow rust for the next 13 years should they need to be removed again.

This car better be quiet(er) when I'm done. I'm not looking forward to getting the struts back into the knuckles.

 

[BrianF]

On my daughter's 2004 Escape it has the same setup. First time I used a socket to knock out the hub. This exposed the c clip, which once removed, i used a large socket to knock the bearing out. I had screwed together wood blocks to make a jig of sorts to prop the knuckle up wile doing this.

I used the old bearing to tap in the new bearing (placed in the freezer for several hours). They mistake I made was using an adapter from a ball joint press to drive the bearing in the final amount. This put all the pressure on the inner race, which separated the bearing. I made it work for a week while I ordered a new one.

I bought a bearing removal tool to do it again. It worked slick. Much this one.

 

[KrisZ]

You didn’t need to remove the hub. A pull hammer and press kit rented from oreiley did the job for me.

 

[johnmyster]

You didn’t need to remove the hub. A pull hammer and press kit rented from oreiley did the job for me.

I pulled the knuckles anticipating putting them on a hydraulic press. With the Oreilly kit, In could've left them on the strut but would have still needed to break the ball joint to clear the CV shaft.

 

[johnmyster]

Car went back together yesterday. New Sankei ball joints and Koyo bearings for $135. And $35 for a set of fresh brake pads to eliminate the clicking (loose outer pad) I had with the cheap set that was in there. Wire wheel, paint, grease, antisieze, and/or fluid film on everything that I might have to touch again in the next 5-10 years. Maybe it'll be my 4 year old's first car.

Thanks to this thread for inspiring the inner race removal from the OE hubs. I went to town with an angle grinder until I could persuade them off with a hammer and punch. I nicked the hub surfaces in a few places but given the amount of contact with the inner race, I'm not concerned about alignment. If I knew where to borrow one of these (or perhaps an induction heater) that would've been the more elegant and faster solution:

But in the end, the car is just as loud and rumbly as it used to be. Rear wheel bearings are on the way. I guessed wrong. The rears are more expensive but less labor intensive. Pull wheel, pull caliper, pull rotor, unhook abs sensor, undo four bolts, remove bearing assembly. Replace. Already have penetrant soaking on suspect items.