Front hub design and do-it-yourself bearing replacement

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The front hub ensures the wheels turn and rotate around their own axis. This is typical for any car, regardless of the type of drive - front or rear. The only thing that is present in the hubs of cars with front-wheel drive is more powerful bearings, since a CV joint is installed on them. In front-wheel drive cars, double-row bearings are used, balls are round. And rear wheel drive vehicles use tapered cylindrical roller bearings.

Front hub design

Before you replace the front hub, you need to carefully study its design. This will allow all work to be done faster. The design of the hub itself includes the following elements:

1. Hub body.
2. Double row bearing. It is pressed into the body using a special device - a puller.
3. Retaining rings - installed in grooves inside the hub knuckle housing, designed to secure the bearing.

The steering knuckle is fixed with the front hubup and down. Moreover, on front-wheel drive vehicles from above, they are rigidly attached to the lower part of the suspension strut.

The lower part is mounted on a ball joint, which is located on the suspension arm. In rear-wheel drive vehicles that use a two-lever scheme, fastening from above and below is made using ball bearings. A good example is VAZ cars of the "classic" series 2101-2107.

What you need to replace the hub

In order to carry out repairs yourself, you need to have the following set of tools:

1. Key to "30". You can use a socket head and a ratchet with an extension. But a bent box wrench is allowed.
2. Hammer and chisel (punch).
3. A set of keys - you will need them for "19", "17", "13".
4. Jack.
5. Special puller for pressing and pressing the bearing.
6. Vehicle stands and wheel chocks.

Also need a replacement kit - bearing, hub, new nut (required).

It all depends on what exactly is broken - if the thread in the holes for the wheel bolts has collapsed and cannot be restored in any way, it is best to put a new hub. It is advisable to put a new bearing with it. And if possible, then purchase the front hub assembly.

Bearing Manufacturers

Before you make repairs, you need to look at the reviews of various manufacturers. Bearings are produced by such companies(overseas):

1. FAG - production is in Germany, high quality products and reasonable cost.
2. SNR - made in France, many varieties of bearings, high quality. We can say that these elements occupy a leading position among all manufacturers.
3. SKF - elements of this manufacturer are very high quality, there are many types for domestic cars.
4. NSK, Koyo, NTN - Japanese manufacturers, very good quality elements, but difficult to find in Russia.
5. The American company Timken is relatively new to the market. They make front hub bearings for Ford and other car brands.
6. INA is a concern that was engaged in the production of bearings for motors and gearboxes. Most recently, FAG entered it, so now it is also engaged in the production of wheel bearings.

Most of the manufacturers do not work on the production of spare parts, they only produce products for delivery to the conveyor. It is best to purchase cheaper domestic bearings, as they have high reliability, and the risk of running into a fake is lower.

Preparing for replacement

Before replacing a hub or bearing, you will need to follow a few steps:

1. Loosen the wheel bolts. For this, a balloon wrench is used - on "17", "19", or a hex key. Depends on which ones are used on a particular vehicle.
2. Install wheel chocks under the rear wheelsshoes.
3. Shift into low gear - first or reverse. You can even squeeze the handbrake lever.
4. Unlock the nut on the hub using a chisel or punch.
5. Using a wrench on "30" to break the nut from the thread.

After all these manipulations, you can raise the car, completely remove the wheel. According to this algorithm, the front hub of the VAZ of new modifications is replaced - Samara, Samara-2.

Dismantling the hub and bearing

To remove the hub and bearing, follow these steps:

1. Unscrew the hub nut completely.
2. Unscrew the bolts of the brake caliper with the key on "17", take it to the side.
3. Unscrew the two pins that act as guides.
4. Remove the brake disc.
5. Dismantling the hub is fairly easy. For this, two long bolts with a M12x1, 25 thread are used. They are screwed evenly into the wheel mounting holes. You can carefully, using a mounting spatula, remove the hub from the splines of the grenade.
6. Use pliers to remove the retaining rings.
7. Install the puller and press the bearing out of the hub.

If there is no puller, then you can knock out the bearing - for this, use a mandrel, the diameter of which is the same as that of the outer race.

Installing the bearing and hub

All assembly is done in reverse order. But there are several features of the installation. Front hub bearing VAZor another car, it is best to wear it “hot”. To do this, heat the hub with a gas spray for one minute - it is not necessary to red-hot, as the seals will melt and the lubricant will burn inside the element. The bearing itself can be put in the freezer for several hours. As a result, the hub will expand, and the bearing will narrow. This will make installation much faster.