Festiva front bearings

[cfall]

So need to replace the front wheel bearings on my 91 ford festiva. Took it into the shop since I don't currently have a garage. They are telling me that it is a "sealed non adjustable" bearing and that it is a japanese assembly and they can't find a part number. They did find to part numbers but apparently neither was the right one for this car. Wondering if anyone has come across this. Thanks in advance.

[theastronaut]

Sounds like you need to find another shop. The pre-load on the bearings isn't adjustable like it is on the rear; you need a special tool to figure out which inner spacer the new bearings needs so the pre-load is set correctly. It's not the easiest job so you'll want to have it done correctly so they last.

[Eaglefreek]

Yes, take it to another shop, Sounds like you're dealing with a parts changer and not a mechanic. Post your location and maybe there is a chance there is a member close to you that can help you or give you a recommendation for a shop that knows what the heck they are doing.

[tehretadr]

not sure where you're located but in the past autozone has always had them for me
here is the part http://www.autozone.com/suspension-s...3_976275_16506
also here are some results on rock auto
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/f...l+bearing,1672

also in case you would like to do them yourself here is the process I followed to do them with good results:
take the hub nut off (I think it's 30mm), you'll need to undo the punch with like a center punch or screw driver and a hammer or something, then take the hub assembly off (from shock, ball joint and , tie rod end) after that the rotor is attached to the hub with four bolts which can get really rusty and stuck I would at least recommend liquid wrench or something similar but heating them up and letting them cool 3-4 and blasting with liquid wrench while cooling is ideal. If one of the bolts snap you'll have to drill it out and use a screw extractor or something so be careful. after that you should so the wheel bearing the easiest way to remove it from the spindle is with a dermal cut off wheel and make a cut being careful not to mess up the spindle. then after you get the old bearing off you'll either need the bearing pressed on by a pro/machine shop or you can measure the spindle and get a hole cutter the same size (I think it's 1 1/2 or 2" but not positive) and cut a hole in a piece of 2"x4" and the bearing on with the wood and a hammer. Then just reassemble everything. It would also be advisable to replace the hub nuts too but you should be able to get away with reusing them.

Hopefully this will help.

[WmWatt]

Here is a link to a photo documentary of restoring a pair of rusty old front wheels which you can view to see what's going on. The bearings are made to fit tightly over the hub so they have to be pried off and pressed back on. It's b\een a popular topic in this forum over the years so a search will bring up the methods people have used to do that at home. There is a spacer betrween the inner and outer beargins which is matched to each hub on your car. DO NOT LOOSE OR MIX UP THE SPACERS. Many people have had bearning failures becuase uninformed mechanics discarded the spacers. Once the spacers are lost it is difficult to obtain a set of spacers and to select the right one for the inidvidual hub.

http://s1086.photobucket.com/user/ag384fb/library/Festiva-frontwheel

[chrisofna]

That's a "we don't want to do it" answer.

Also they need to broaden their horizons if they can't do "Japanese Assemblies".

[cfall]

Thanks everyone for all the advise. I'm up northwestern Ontario, Canada in a small spot where finding good sushi is a problem let alone a good mechanic or parts. It's my third festiva and I have always found good advise here. Thanks again

[ricko1966]

As an ASE certified tech working since 1981 I will tell you of all the hundreds or maybe thousands of front wheel bearings I have done the festy is the only one I have encountered with an inner bearing, outer bearing,multiple specific thickness spacer arrangement I have ever seen. That being said my thoughts would be the shop you went to is just unfamiliar with this arrangement,kinda like telling your doctor your third arm hurts, I am sure someone has three arms but it is not common. As for the spacer and preload if you reuse the original spacer,original hub, and original knuckle and reputable manufacturer bearings your preload will be fine. I learned this after years of rebuilding transmissions,differentials etc. the reason for different thickness spacers is to compensate for slight inconsistencies in for this instance the hub and the housing. Provided the hub and housing are the same and bearings are to industry standards O.E. shim will be fine.

[avitsefdrof]

so how did all this end with your bearings? I'm trying to find a spacer and/or a shim kit for my car....any thoughts any one?

[WmWatt]

Kia used to stock spacers. I got wheels from a junk yard and rebuilt them with new brakes and bearings and used them to replace the wheels on the car. Some people would say if I was going that far I should have replaced with Aspire wheels and suspension because it would be easier to replace the bearings next time.

[ricko1966]

FWIW I am going to attempt to change my right front wheel bearing on the latest treasure, without removing the steering knuckle from the car. I will keep you all posted if this works it will save everyone a bunch of time.

[WmWatt]

^^^ Photos please?

[firebush357]

FWIW I am going to attempt to change my right front wheel bearing on the latest treasure, without removing the steering knuckle from the car. I will keep you all posted if this works it will save everyone a bunch of time.

I think that I would rather spend the extra time and do all the work on a workbench and a vice to make sure it gets done correctly. Pressing races into the hub just doesn't seem like something you should do with it still attached to the car. Plus if I like to throw a coat of paint on all my parts if I take the time to pull them off, I realize that might not be ideal for someone that uses their car as a daily driver though.

[ricko1966]

We used a hubshark or a variant there of in most of the shops I worked at.hub-shark-system-3_grande.jpghub-shark-system-2_grande.jpg. I've been removing the hubs and bearings in my festivas with the knuckle in place, letting the strut and lower control arm hold everything while I work on the bearings, but then removing the knuckle to press everything in in the press because I don't own a hubshark. Going to try using the threaded rod and thrust bearings out of an old scissor jack to pull the new stuff in,just need to figure out what to use as pusher/puller washers. Maybe sockets.

[RobotKarate]

I've used PVC pipe couplers from Home Depot for seating bearings on my Cressida hubs. I just took my bearing to the store and matched the correct diameter coupler and then seated the bearing with the coupler and a soft mallet. I'd imagine you could do the same with the contraption you posted above.