How do you replace 1998 Nissan sentra steering knuckle bearings?

Answer 1

The knuckle has to be removed in order for the old bearings to be pressed out and new ones to be pressed in. Of course take off the wheel first. You should have the front of the car lifted and on jack stands to do this. Once the wheel is off back out the 2 bolts securing the brake caliper and slide it off of the rotor. Use a tie wrap or something similar to put through the mounting hole on the caliper and secure it the the strut coil above to save the brake line from damage and to get the thing out of your way. Next, remove the cotter pins from the ball joint, tie rod and cv shaft. Remove the nuts they hold in place. Use a hammer and carefully strike the knuckle close to where the tie rod and ball joints are mounted to "shock" the connection loose. Make sure not to damage the joints when doing this. Once they are free, remove the 2 bolts on the lower strut mount. You should be able slide the knuckle outward to you with little finagling and jerking. If you don't have access to a press, bring your new bearing and knuckle to an auto repair facility or local machine shop. If you are able to do the work yourself, remember this: Before pressing the "bad" bearing out, make note of which side of the bearing is inside (facing the engine) and which side is outside (facing the wheel). It is very important to duplicate this process as you won't get a second chance with your new bearing without ruining it. Now reverse the procedure with your new bearings in tact.