Re: Front wheel Bearings on 535i

[davidm@xxxxxxxxx]

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> Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 06:43:08 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Michael Menard <mike5635@domain.elided>
> Subject: Front wheel Bearings on 535i
>
> Just trying to save a little time here...are the front
> wheel bearings (inner and outer) readily removable as
> on most cars? Or is there something different here?

Forget about individual bearings. The bearings are not conical, and the
bearing race, rollers and cage can't be separated from the outer race. The
bearings are pressed into the wheel hub and then onto the spindle.

When you buy them with the hub, you actually save yourself plenty of work,
as aside from being already assembled, they are also pre-greased. If you
try to change the bearings alone, you'll probably spend more time finding
the bearings, having the old ones pressed out of the hub and the new ones
pressed in. Unless you have the tools, the cost for labor will probably
offset the price of the assembly. 

Besides the hub, you will also need to get a new seal for the inner side
and a new nut for the outer side. The nut, btw, is a huge thing. I'm not
sure about other models, but in the e28 it is a 46 mm thing that has to be
torqued to 220 lb/ft or so (numbers off the top of my head) and then locked
in place with a chisel. This kind of job usually is best to do with impact
tools, but it can be done by hand if you have good quality tools and some
imagination on how to provide the leverage. Beware, though, that this is
serious torque and anything that breaks or comes off is going to shoot out
with a lot of force. 

Aside from that, the rest of the job is pretty straightforward. Just
remember there are two versions of the hub, one for ABS, another for
non-ABS.

Good luck,

David Morales
Nashville, TN
'85 318i
'85 535i

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