RE: E30 Rear Wheel Bearing

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

William & Cecilia Mostellar [mailto:wmostellar@domain.elided] wrote:
> 
> I need to replace at least the right rear wheel bearing on my 
> 91 318i and 92 318ic.  A couple of questions:
> 1) Should I replace the left as well?

You certainly could. But if you DIY, you will be plenty tired after
replacing one rear E30 bearing to postpone the other until at least the next
day. 
Wheel bearing rarely if ever fail in pairs, so just because one is bad does
not mean that the other is necessarily dying. But it is a good indicator
that it is coming to the end of its lifespan.
Front bearings typically fail first. Since you are looking at swapping the
rears, do you know when the fronts have been replaced?

> 2) Is this something I can do myself with the "Rear Wheel 
> Bearing Tool" offered by BMW, BavAuto, and others (FWIW - 
> I've done my Ford van and have the Chilton manual)?

Rear E30 wheel bearings are a royal PITA to replace.
The rear bearings are hammered in place on the threaded rear output shaft.
Than you have the rear hub seated on top of the outer bearing race. To
replace the bearing, you need to pull that assembly apart, which is where
the $300 'puller' comes into play. If you don't have the puller you might as
well forget about replacing the rear wheel bearings yourself.

> 3) If I must use a mechanic, should I use a BMW specialist or is
> this something that most anyone can do?

Bill,
Any mechanic with a BMW rear wheel bearing puller will do, though make sure
you negotiate a fixed rate up front. Someone who had never pulled these
things before may spend hours messing with them.  

alex f

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