Nars GSL-SE the 'White Comet'

scarsofcarma · 12-04-2013, 01:32 AM

So like i said a few days ago, I needed to replace a wheel bearing today. It's actually a rather arduous process on an FB. Funny how the rear axle kinda looks like a rotor if you look at it like this...

After you remove the axle-shafts you have to loosen the bearing retainer beside the wheel bearing via air-chisel before you can remove it with a hydraulic press. It's quite a tedious chore let me tell you... because after every minute of chiseling you need to sharpen the chisel. It took me approximately 20 minutes of time per axle to loosen the retainers.

After pressing off the wheel bearing from the passenger side axle (the noisy one) this is what I saw...

I am holding the bearing spacer in this pic, which has formed a sharp knife-like edge where once it was flat... you can see the damage it did to the actual wheel bearing lying flat in the picture. It was literally cutting a groove into the ball bearing(s) cage after the bearing seized. And when it seized, the bearings inner race spun on the axle shaft also wearing a groove into it, ruining the axle shaft in the process.

Thankfully I had a spare axle at home with two good axle shafts in it... but that meant I had to spend more time getting yet another retainer off... argh... I don't look forward to doing this again someday.

12-04-2013, 01:32 AM	#21
scarsofcarma Rotary Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Antioch, Ca Posts: 101 Rep Power: 12	Rear Wheel Bearings So like i said a few days ago, I needed to replace a wheel bearing today. It's actually a rather arduous process on an FB. Funny how the rear axle kinda looks like a rotor if you look at it like this... After you remove the axle-shafts you have to loosen the bearing retainer beside the wheel bearing via air-chisel before you can remove it with a hydraulic press. It's quite a tedious chore let me tell you... because after every minute of chiseling you need to sharpen the chisel. It took me approximately 20 minutes of time per axle to loosen the retainers. After pressing off the wheel bearing from the passenger side axle (the noisy one) this is what I saw... I am holding the bearing spacer in this pic, which has formed a sharp knife-like edge where once it was flat... you can see the damage it did to the actual wheel bearing lying flat in the picture. It was literally cutting a groove into the ball bearing(s) cage after the bearing seized. And when it seized, the bearings inner race spun on the axle shaft also wearing a groove into it, ruining the axle shaft in the process. Thankfully I had a spare axle at home with two good axle shafts in it... but that meant I had to spend more time getting yet another retainer off... argh... I don't look forward to doing this again someday.