How to Repack Wheel Bearings

A wheel bearing's lifespan is in accordance to its maintenance. With annual lubrication and proper care, a wheel bearing can last for many years. When annual maintenance is not performed, a wheel bearing can cause hundreds of dollars in damage to its surrounding parts. These simple steps will likely keep you from being stranded on the side of the road, avoiding a costly repair bill related to an overheated or underlubricated wheel bearing.

Things You'll Need

• Jack
• Jack stands
• Lug wrench
• Needle-nose pliers
• Crescent wrench
• Air compressor
• Blow gun
• Wheel bearing grease

Instructions

1. Lift the vehicle and remove wheel. Find the safest vehicle jacking point and raise it off the ground with the jack. Take your jack stand and place it under the vehicle as an extra safety measure. Remove the wheel by turning the lug nuts counterclockwise using the vehicle's lug wrench.

2. Remove the two brake caliper pins to take off the caliper, or hammer the drum off, depending on the vehicle. After removing the caliper or drum, remove the wheel hub that contains the bearings. To do this, tap on the dust cap until it's loose enough to remove with your hand. Pull out the cotter key using your needle-nose pliers, then turn the wheel hub nut counterclockwise using an adjustable crescent wrench. Now you can remove the hub.

3. Remove and clean the bearings. The wheel hub contains front and rear wheel bearings that both must be removed. The bearing should fall right out of the hub. Once you have the bearings, take them and the hub to a wash basin containing a solvent to remove all old bearing grease.

4. Blow the bearing dry with compressed air and a blow gun. Check thoroughly for dirt or foreign matter. Take your wheel hub and blow it dry with the air, inspecting it as well. Look inside the hub at the bearing races for any dirt or foreign matter.

5. Take the bearing in one hand and a palm full of grease in the other. Press the bearing to your palm, forcing the new grease through the bearing and out through the needle rollers. Continue in a circular motion until the entire bearing is packed full. Avoid setting the bearing on any dusty or dirty surfaces at this time. Repeat this process with both bearings, front and rear.

6. Replace the wheel bearings in the wheel hub and install the hub in the reverse order that you removed it. Replace the brake caliper by replacing the two caliper pins. Place your wheel back on by putting the lug nuts in place and turning clockwise until tight. Remove the jack stand and let the car back down to the ground. Congratulations on performing another year of wheel bearing maintenance.