Wheel Bearing Replacement

["Perry, Christopher" <cperry@cotl.com>]

On Saturday I replaced the left front wheel bearing on my 89 90q using
the "long bolt with washers on one side and cup on the other" technique.
 I have to say that a decent shop press would have been a much better
way to go.  Here was my  procedure:

1. Car on ground, loosen lug bolts and axle bolt.
2. Raise car, remove wheel, brake caliper, brake disk, separate tie-rod
end from strut housing, pop out ball joint, remove axle bolt, remove top
strut nut, remove suspension piece from car.
3. used two M14x1.5x80mm(got them at Home Depo no less) bolts threaded
through wheel hub and against bearing carrier to press the hub out of
the bearing.
4. Using a 4'' screw-on pipe cap with a hole drilled in the top, an
M22x2.5x250mm bolt inserted through the pipe cap and the wheel bearing,
two 68mm dia steel washers on the back side of the bearing and an
M22x2.5x50mm nut, I proceeded to "squeeze" the bearing into the pipe
cap.  At this point my 1/2'' air impact wrench was not beefy enough to
do any good so I ended up hammering the bearing out using a 5lb sledge
hammer on the end of the M22 bolt (needless to say I had to "clean" up
the threads somewhat with a dremmel tool in order to get the nut off
again).
5. Using the M22 bolt and nut with 75mm washers on the backside of the
bearing carrier and the frontside of the new bearing (my car has the
75mm outer dia. bearing), I pressed the new bearing into the bearing
carrier.
6. I used the same method as step 5 to press the hub into the bearing
except that the washers I used on the backside of the new bearing were
the same diameter as the inner bearing race.  This is important as the
pressing in the hub without supporting the inner race will push the
inner race and ball bearings out of the new bearing :^(
7. Install suspension piece back into car(reattach ball joint, tie rod
end, axle shaft, top strut nut) , replace brake disk, caliper, axle
bolt, roadwheel.
8. Lower car and torque axle bolt and lug bolts. Replace hubcap, go for
a test drive and enjoy peace and quite again.
NOTE: Downside to quiet wheel bearing is that you now hear "excessive"
tire noise, noisy lifters, water pump, etc. ;^)

This is, in theory, a simple procedure.  It took me 7 hours, including
time spent going to the hardware store to find washers the right size
(very difficult to know for sure until the car is apart), renting
another air ratchet because mine blew a seal, lunch, dinner, fits of
rage when you accidentally push apart the new bearing-see next post,
etc.  I think I could have done it in under 2 hours with a decent shop
press say around 12 tons.

Anyway, I hope this datapoint can help somebody thinking of doing this
procedure in the future.  If any body has any specific questions please
email me.
chris perry
89 90q quiet again - for now.