Changing a wheel bearing

[capnchunk]

Okay, i'll start off by saying that i joined this forum today and this is my first post (woo!).
Anyways, i bought a 1984 tercel wagon off craigslist for $250 cash. i never saw one of these cars before but i googled an image and fell in love with the whole car. now it's mine but i have to fix it. the car itself starts up, runs, and has a rebuilt engine, rebuilt transmission, and a new battery so i think i got a really great deal. the only problem is the right wheel bearing is shot and the tire wobbles really badly. i have new tires for it but i can't change em till i fix the bearing. if anybody has changed a wheel bearing, i'd like to know if i should prepare myself for a weekend in the garage or if it will only take a few hours. also, i was told it would be easier to change the whole axel instead of just the bearing, so ANY help, suggestions, comments whatever is appreciated.
thankss!

[mailman]

Chunk easy to do. , a couple hours. getting the collar off is the hard part. Use a hack saw or a grinder. Cutting torch is a little touchy, I know. Then when installing i used a long pipe slip over the axle and rest the axle on a peice of wood and hammer away. the mailman.

[keith]

Front or rear? If its the front, the wheel bearing is not part of the axle, who ever told you that is confusing the wheel bearing with the CV Joint. The CV joint is not replaceable by itself so you have to replace the axle.

The rear wheel bearing is on the axle, but I would not replace the axle. I'd replace the bearing. Its not hard, but in either case, you need access to a 20 ton or bigger press. Without that, you can remove the hub (front) or axle (rear) yourself and take it to a shop and have them do the bearing replacement, them put the car back together yourself.

Let us know which end and check out the FSM in the repair section.

[Petros]

You got a great deal, even with a bearing issue. You did not make it clear if it was front or rear bearing, either way your comments do not make any sence because I have replaced both front and rear bearings, and both front and rear axles.

The front wheel bearing is replaced by removing the strut (you have to remove the brake caliper and unbolt the two bolts at the ball joint at the bottom, the tie rod end, and the three bolts at the top of the strut). The whole strut assembly comes out and you have to take it to a machine shop or repair shop with a press to remove the old bearing and install the new one. It takes about 30 min to get it out presuming the lower bolts and tie-rod ends comes out with out too much trouble.

That is the only bearing that will make the wheel wobble and it is not related to the front axle. If the axle CV joint is bad you have to replace the axle assembly for a rebuilt or new axle assembly, but that would not make the wheel wobble.

The rear axle bearing is pressed on the rear axle but that would not make the wheel wobble, though it does get noisy when those bearings go (a low roar comes front the rear of the car). The axle is easy enough to remove (it takes me about 15 min. including jacking up the back of the car), but you have to take it to a shop to have the bearing and collar pressed off and replaced (make sure they get the collar on the correct way!). You should also replace the axle seal while you are at it.

The rear axle bearins are about $35 each (including the collar) and the front one is more, about $70 or so. Plus the labor charge to press them off and the new one back on, probably about $20.

If you pay someone else to do the whole repair you will likely pay about $180 each. It is worth doing yourself if you have the tools and are so enclind because both of these are strait forward repairs.

Good luck, and congradulations on the good buy you made on the Tercel4wd.

[capnchunk]

sorry for not being clear in my earlier post, it is the front right wheel bearing. thanks for all of your responses, i do plan on checking out the rest of the forums because there is a LOT of helpful stuff on here that i probably would not be able to find anywhere else.
thank you so much :]

ps; i hate to disappoint anybody, i forgot to mention that my tercel isn't a 4wd, it's just a 2wd :-\

[Mickey_D]

ps; i hate to disappoint anybody, i forgot to mention that my tercel isn't a 4wd, it's just a 2wd :-\

If you get the chance, grab a 4WD one as well. You won't be disappointed.

I see you're in So Cal. The 4WD one will get you onto and off of just about any beach from Tijuana to Klamath Falls.

If you're in the LA basin, the Terc4WD will get you almost all the way through the Big Bear National Forest (it'll get you to the shooting range for sure). If you're in the SFO area, it would be challenged but could possibly do Puta Creek.

They are a lot of fun and I'm really beginning to regret selling mine now.

[capnchunk]

thanks for that info, i'll keep it in mind haha
yeah i really want a 4wd one just so i can do all the off roadin and stuff, we saw 4wd tercel for sale right down the street from where i bought the one i have now. it was white and in excellent condition and the guy wanted $500 cash. i should have bought it and i wish i did. i'm happy with the one i have now, the only other problem besides the bearing is that i have to learn how to drive stick :-\

[ARCHINSTL]

Welcome to the Club!
2WD or 4WD - they're all lovable - and apart from the extra drive axle and gas tank placement, they're pretty much identical (and you have more luggage capacity).
A tremendous resource I would recommend is the AutoZone site. You join and enter your car and COMPLETE information (in many ways better than the FSM) on all systems pops up. It has the usual line drawings as well as good photos which the FSM lacks.
There is a lot of info here on our site about front and rear bearing replacement - although I don't think much on the 2WD rear axles - but the AZ site has it all.
And "No," I ain't an employee, but I've spent enough there to be an ex-officio stockholder...
Tom M.