What do I need to replace front wheel bearings?

[Jcomnislash]

a 1 1/8 inch socket will fit. i think the metric size is 29 mm.

thanks man

[Jcomnislash]

anyone else with info>????

[roycehof]

You may want to call Festiva Motorsports (www.festivamotorsport.com, I believe is their website) at (410) 381-4660. I believe they will sell you a refurbished hub. At least they know what they are doing.
I believe the original mechanic probably screwed up the shims and now all subsequent work will be bad without the correct shimming. My experience over way too many years, is that the bearings are held in pretty tight tolerance, but the "hub" is not so the shimming is there more for the "hub" variance than the bearings. Usually if you replace the bearing and keep the shimming as you found it, you'll get away fine. You can tell right away if you are going to have a problem by how loose or tight the bearing feels when you are done.

[Jcomnislash]

You may want to call Festiva Motorsports (www.festivamotorsport.com, I believe is their website) at (410) 381-4660. I believe they will sell you a refurbished hub. At least they know what they are doing.
I believe the original mechanic probably screwed up the shims and now all subsequent work will be bad without the correct shimming. My experience over way too many years, is that the bearings are held in pretty tight tolerance, but the "hub" is not so the shimming is there more for the "hub" variance than the bearings. Usually if you replace the bearing and keep the shimming as you found it, you'll get away fine. You can tell right away if you are going to have a problem by how loose or tight the bearing feels when you are done.

cool, i didnt know they sold original parts....i'm getting a hub from the jy, and they have a warrenty if the parts are faulty n stuff/....thanks for the info

[kzbill]

Festiva Frt. Wheel brgs.

Few if any "mechanics" know the proper method for shimming the front wheel bearings.
The Shims are available from only one source I know of in Detroit and they are $7 + shipping, there are 21 different sizes and you need to use them to find the proper bearing preload. so the catch is you can't know what size you need without having them to preload the bearing.
Seldom, if ever, can you use the same shim that was in the hub with new bearings.
I have been setting them up for myself and a couple other people here in Wisconsin.
I only use quality bearings and seals $40 a side, and need good complete spindles for exchange. If the "dust shield" is rusted I have not found replacements but have done them without the shields. With sandblast and paint it takes about 2 hr/side. if I do two at a time. (L&R)
I have gotten some that "mechanics" disassembled recently and had to do some machining to fix them, that was extra.
I have the factory tools to disassemble them so I am able to take them apart without ruining them.
They used the same setup on the Mazda 323. The Aspire procedure is the same. the only real difference is the "hat" style rotor which does make it a little easier.
This type of bearing setup seems to have been replaced by cartridge style bearings on newer fwd cars. Expensive but far more mechanic proof.

[25Horseplay]

^^What do you charge to do this? Is the $40 your price or the cost for parts?

[kzbill]

I have been charging to little so far I end up with about $5-$7/ hr. I can't even buy the rings for that, but I told the guy I would do it so I did. The bearings and seals are top of the line and usually run $35-$40/side. I really haven't tried to advertize. I wasn't able to save his dust shields, rusted right through. As soon as you sandblast, they disintagrate. I have tried to find new ones to no avail.
I am going to have to charge around $60/side for labor with the sand blast and spray can paint. I hate to rebuild them with rust on the spindles and knuckles cause it can get in the bearings during assembly. I also like to replace the discs and I don't have a price for those now, the last two guys supplied them.

[kzbill]

I also don't want to violate any posting stuff so I am not sure I should really be talking prices on here, sorry if that is a problem

[GenevaDirt]

^^lol...I do not think it is a problem...the owner of the site is asking for your price.....hahahahaha

[Jcomnislash]

yeah the mechanic guy that did mine actually asked me for the spacers and i was like "u mean it isnt there?"...lol...guess i finally found out y my bearings were dying every three months....so i guess we'll see if this junkyard hub is gonna last. Hopefully it will

[gdawgs]

A large bolt with big washers can also be used instead of a press. Put a large washer on the head side of the bolt, put the bolt through the bearings, put a large washer on the other side of the bolt, put the nut on and crank it down.

When I did my car, the bearings were really tight, so I just made my own shims to loosen them up. My dad replaced his last year, and the preload was fine with the original spacer.

It's really not as bad as some people make it out to be. Although it can be time consuming if you have to take them apart several times to get the preload correct.

[WmWatt]

For dealerships the way to go is the manufacturer's regional rep, the district Ford office. If that doesn't work try the guy at the local newspaper (eg Action Line column) who resolves consumer problems. Last resort is small claims court. Be careful because I think you have to file the claim in in Ontario within 90 days or something like that. Should be able to find small claims court information online. Small claims court can cost you up to $300 or thereabouts. It's been years since I took a contractor to small claims court in Ontario and I'm sure costs have gone up since then.

[festerzilla]

Gdawgs?

Are you talking about using the large bolt and washers for dis-assembly or reassembly? The last time I did mine I disassembled the hub/rotor and took the parts to a good machine shop with copies of the Ford bearing procedure, looking at the design he said it was like some VW's and like others said the spacer was there for hub variances and that they usually have good results reusing the shim unless there was something wrong with the hub

I was considering freezing one side and heating the other and see if I could hammer them together like that this time. I was trying to do it by the book the first time, but my festiva is a completely DIY affair other than that. Someone that has reassembled the hub without a press please let me know how. thanks

[gdawgs]

The bolt is used for assembly, to press the bearings in. I've also done it in a vice before, but the bolt seems to work better.