Rear Wheel bearing repair on a 1995 Ford Aspire?

Answer 1

its pretty easy to do, you will need a 1/2 inch drive 19 or 21 mm socket, I got a set made for impact tools ( strong ) for 10 bucks at big lots, a torque wrench capable of reading 75 ft./ lbs, These can be pricey, ask around and see if anyone can lend you one, if that has no luck then buy one at sears. You will also need a jack, jack stands, rubber gloves brake dust remover, a parts washer is a good idea, rags, bearing grease(synthetic is best), new bearings, new cotter pins, new dust seals and a flat level firm surface to work on. First step, get all the stuff I just mentioned, and stuff Im gonna mention later in this rambling post, before you do anything. It makes the end result much safer easier and more reliable than new. at the flat spot, park the vehicle in gear, key removed from ignition switch and placed outside vehicle all tools and parts removed from vehicle and emergency brake engaged. You should get a 1/2" drive breaker bar and 14 mm socket and loosen the lug nuts, make sure the hub is cool when you do this. After both sides are done release the emergency brake and jack the vehicle up at the axle beam, then put the jack stands underneath the outer body lip. remove the wheels and tires and place off to the side or use for a seat, remember to put something on the tire before you sit on it, I know some of you are trying to do this in your roca wear shirt either to pee off your ex or be crazy because of summer madness. Next, you'll need a large slotted adjustable plier big enough to pry off the 2 1'2 inch dust cap in the center of the hub. Clean off any excess grease and you will see a large cotter pin. Pry each arm of the cotter pin down with a pair of needle nose pliers so the pin is straight.pull the cotter pin out with the needle nose pliers or a pair of wire cutters. Test fit the 1/2 inch 19 or 21 mm socket to find which one fits snugly. to unscrew the drivers side you must turn the nut counterclockwise. It has a left hand thread. sad. oh well. once the nut is removed brake drum and bearings should slide right off. If not a crack on the drum should loosen the rust holding them in place. take a small point punch, place the brake drum on a hard flat surface and hammer out the bearing races from the opposite side of the race being removed. use a long flat head screwdriver and stick it underneath the rubber part of the dust seal and smack it out with a hammer. After the dust seal is removed, If you want to make it a little easier heat up the drums in an oven to about 250 degrees for 25 minutes, make sure the drums are completely clean of any grease, solvents or water before placing in the oven, and make sure you cant use the oven for cooking food ever again, if you need to bake stuff again use the stovetop burners, just be careful use strong heat proof gloves, and potholders, once the drum is heated to temperature place on a hard flat surface and pour cold water on the bearing race still in the drum, then hammer it out with one wack on the punch. clean the spindle and inspect the brake shoes, wheel cylinder,strut, spring, strut boot, strut mount, torsion bar inside the axle beam If you need parts, check out festiva motorsport.com or your local auto parts store. replace any suspect parts by the way tein makes a great adjustable suspension kit for 900 bucks it takes the aspire to race car level, but there are options for any budget, I like to keep mine in the 100 dollar range, but that's me. install new races into the drum by lubing up with motor oil or assembly lube. Use a socket that fits on top of the race, and hammer around the socket lightly in a circle. again an oven helps, you can heat up the drums and expand them slightly to make installing the races easier. grab your gloves and the lube, its bearing packing time, get a big glob of grease and get your palms all covered thick in grease, then grab the bearing and rub it swiftly lengthwise across your palm to pack the entire bearing with grease. this requires a while, you want both whole bearings packed in thick with grease. place the inner(backside of drum) bearing in place, then install the grease seal flat side out, use a socket the same thickness as the inside of the bearing race and lightly tap it in with the hammer. you want the dust seal to be evenly pressed into the drum, a millimeter or so below the lip of the seal bore.make sure a bit of grease is rubbed on the lip of the seal and slide the drum onto the spindle . install the spindle nut, look up the correct torque for this, then torque it. turn the drum and check torque again , make sure the drum turns freely with no grinding feel while turning, it should freewheel with little drag but still not have any side to side movement. install the wheels, install the lug nuts, snug the lug nuts, lower the vehicle, set the e brake, torque the lug nuts to spec and drive away happy. and confident that you can do a motor swap. peace!