Wheel bearing replacement

[Peter]

Can anyone tell me if they ever replaced their own wheel bearings and
how easy/difficult it was? I have a Legacy "L" '96. Perhaps there is a
site that has all the info? Any help you can provide will be greatly
appreciated.

Pete

 

[ed]

Front or rear? Either way, rather complicated job for DIY. On the front,
need to remove the whole steering knuckle, press the bearing out in a press,
press a new one in, replace seal, re-assemble (check position with a level
before & after removal so you don't throw out the alignment). Some people do
it on the car with a slide hammer, but you need the proper sized adapters
for your bearing size, and the slide hammer. Not an expensive job to have
done (about 2-2 1/2 hrs), and this is a safety critical item, you want to
do it right.
Also, make sure you check which side is noisy, the noise often seems from
one side, but is from the other because the body acts like a drum and
transmits the noise. With the car jacked up, it is hard to tell by spinning
the wheel by hand, unless the bearing is really bad, since there is no
weight on the wheel.

Ed B.

 

[No Way]

I would change both sides once you are that far.
Both sides have the same milage.