... and getting my ass handed to me. But first, a quote from a noted stoic!
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself among the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius
A most appropriate quote for these trying times! The easily-influenced are certainly in the majority. It's best to try to be a detached observer of the insanity. Be a problem-solver instead of a problem - it isn't that difficult.
I mentioned in this post about traveling to the Rock Concert in Seattle that perhaps the rear wheel bearings on the Subaru were going out. Work had me scheduled for two consecutive days off, so I thought it might be possible to get the repair made within this time window.
Nope!!! I managed to get one side taken apart, and part-way back together before running out of time. For a couple of reasons, this repair went into "nightmare mode" shortly after I got one rear tire off the car.
Below: There is an extra level of difficulty because it's a rusty old Subaru.
I watched an awesome YouTube video on how to do this job - and of course he had to deal with different issues than I did. Different cars, different hurdles to clear. Anyway here is the two-part video that I watched before beginning the job. South Main Auto is a great channel if you want to troubleshoot and repair your own vehicle.
So after watching the video and buying a couple of tools for this specialized project, I actually thought that I was pretty well prepared to tackle this job: Temperature dialed up to 60 degrees. check.
Parts on hand: Bearings and seals - Check.
Special tools purchased: Check.
Time to begin: Here's where it all started going bad. Just kidding. I actually got the wheel and brake rotor off before the job went sideways.
She's a thing of beauty, ain't she? I heart rust! Brake caliper set aside to the top left, brake carrier, pads, and rotor still in place.
Below: Brake carrier removed, rotor still attached.
Below: Rotor removed after a lot of beating with a plastic mallet. Now we are finally down to the hub. Here is where I started losing time...
I tried to use the slide hammer to pull the hub out like the guy in the video did. The slide hammer didn't work AT ALL. The hub was fit so tight that the little slide hammer wouldn't budge it.
I had to insert a forcing bolt into the center of the puller to press against the axle. Then I had to use the impact gun to turn the bolt. It took all the air in the compressor tank to pull the hub out. After I got the hub nearly free, I had to re-install the slide hammer to finish pulling it out. So here we are after half a day of struggles - One hub finally out on the floor, with half the bearing still stuck on the hub shaft. But hey, I got it off the car, right?
Below: Trying to get the bearing off the hub shaft with my little two-finger bearing puller. I put the pry-bar there because the shaft is hollow, and the bolt would just screw down inside the shaft.
Below: The bearing cage came off, but not the inner race. Bearings went all over the floor, LOL. Good thing I have a magnet - they were too slimy with grease to pick up otherwise.
Trying to pull the inner bearing race again - this time with a three-finger puller. No luck again.
I bought a 5-Ton large puller, but it kept slipping off the bearing too. I heated the bearing to expand it a little, but had no luck. I tried threading lock-wire through the fingers in the puller to hold them more tightly to the shaft, but they still slipped off. I tried cutting a notch in the bearing with an air grinder, to hopefully split the bearing off the shaft. No luck with that either.
Finally, I ground down each finger of the puller a little, so that they could get under the bearing a bit further. They seemed to grip slightly better, and then I heated the bearing with the torch until it was smoking hot. It finally started moving upwards on the shaft! Still, it fought all the way up the shaft.
Next it was time to pull the other half of the bearing from the wheel bearing housing.
This went a little bit easier. The shiny cylinder is the outer bearing race, with the other inner race and needle bearings still inside it.
Below is a cutaway of this type of bearing. The inner part is two separate pieces on the Subaru.
After *finally* removing the bearing, I inspected the rolling surfaces. The bearing looked fine - there was nothing wrong with it :( However the CV joints on the axle shaft were pretty loose and sloppy, so I ordered a couple from the local AutoZone. Meanwhile, I installed the replacement bearing and seals. No issues there.
The replacement axle shafts arrived fairly quickly, and I installed the one they told me was the passenger side axle. And just like when I replaced the front axle shaft, the damn thing didn't fit!!!! once I got the axle nut tightened down, the hub no longer would spin - like when I did front axle.
I really need to quit going to AutoZone for some of these specialty parts... I called NAPA and spoke with one of their parts dudes, who ordered up two axle shafts - and hopefully this time they are the correct ones.
Below: Behold the work area. Incorrect replacement axles are in the yellow and black boxes. One of the incorrect axles is installed and hanging just below the wheel well.
As of today, one of the incorrect axles is still installed on the car, awaiting removal so that I can return it to the AutoZone. I need to get it off the car and back in the box - next time there is a day off. I'm just too beat down to deal with this stuff after working a 12 hour shift and a commute.
The new axles - hopefully ones that fit - are awaiting pickup at NAPA, and awaiting a day off for installation.
Updates will be coming, even if it's an update that I cried uncle and hauled it to a repair shop or a trip to the crusher. LOL.
UPDATE: 11-19-21
The Subie is back on the road, and it did not require a third party to do any of the repairs. It badly shook my faith in my ability to repair a vehicle in a reasonable amount of time, however.
The replacement axles from NAPA (15 miles away) were also incorrect. Have a look at these photos.
Below, the old one that came off the car is at the left, and has a tapered shaft. The NAPA part is to the right and has no taper. It also wouldn't slide into the differential.
The NAPA axle (top) is a wee bit shorter than than the old axle, at bottom.
Eventually I tried using the AutoZone axle that I was told was for the other side of the car, and it worked. It fit into the differential and when I torqued down the nut on the hub, the hub still spun. Win, I guess. Below, the end that fits in the differential
Below, the outboard end of the axle that fits into the wheel hub.
Below, the wheel hub with the axle nut and brake caliper installed.
Below: Back in the garage and ready to go! I was already getting tired of 16 mpg and paying for diesel.
Speaking of which, the old F-250 smelled like coolant while I was driving it, and sure enough, within a week, I had to add nearly a gallon. Here's why: The water pump shaft seal was leaking.
I discovered the leak late in my time off Due to some other commitments, didn't have time (or the desire) to deal with replacing the water pump myself. Instead, I gathered the necessary parts for the repair, plus a 12 pack of beer, and took it to my mechanic. He has a car lift, a way to deal with used antifreeze, and a full-time career repairing cars.
1 comment:
Hi Spud, not related to the wheel bearing change. What do think about the Natrium nuclear power plant being pushed be Bill Gates as a game changer?
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