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YOUR RESEARCHProblem replacing front wheel bearing - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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Use slide hammer
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
After pressing on the hub, and seeing the play, I used a slide hammer to pull the hub back off.
Problem replacing front wheel bearing - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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Leading evidence: 'Use slide hammer' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace ball bearings you always have' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Suggestion
When replacing ball bearings you always have to be sure that the force applied does not pass by the balls.
Problem replacing front wheel bearing - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Use heat gun
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Suggestion · Original poster
The only other thing I did was to use a heat gun to make sure there was no moisture around the bearing once I pressed it in.
Problem replacing front wheel bearing - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
Use lot of heat as far as i could tell
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Suggestion · Original poster
I didn’t use a lot of heat as far as I could tell.
Problem replacing front wheel bearing - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners
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I had a load rumbling noise from the front right on my 99 Boxster. I determined it must be a wheel bearing. So I removed the old bearing while on the car. I froze the new bearing and
Pressed it into the carrier. It was fully against the stop behind the bearing. I put the bearing retainer on and pressed on the wheel hub and there was a lot of play in the hub. It was also fully pressed on. So I took it back off and it looks like the whole bearing can be move around laterally inside the outer race. If I stick the end of the hub up to the bearing and move the hub, you can see the bearing moving laterally. I took 2 pictures, one with downward pressure on the inserted hub and the other with the hub pushed more upward, you can see the gap between the orange rubber of the bearing in one picture and not the other. Shouldn’t the hub, once pressed into the bearing, be nice and firm, with no lateral movement? The only other thing I did was to use a heat gun to make sure there was no moisture around the bearing once I pressed it in. Could I have damaged the rubber? I didn’t use a lot of heat as far as I could tell. Is there something else I am missing? Thanks. Could not load photos on my phone for some reason.
One other note. Once I put the stub axle in and fully torque the axle nut, will that eliminate the play. I am concerned that won’t do it and that there shouldn’t be any play, even before the stub axle goes in and nut is tightened.
When replacing ball bearings you always have to be sure that the force applied does not pass by the balls. So pressing the bearing into the carrier the press must only be on the outer race. Inversely, when the hub is pressed onto the bearing the force must be on the inner race only. It is not clear from your post whether this was done properly.
And you shouldn't pull it apart again as you'll pull the wheel side inner race out of the bearing.
Unlike many bearings we encounter, these wheel bearings are angular contact bearings. I am not surprised you would feel movement without the stub axle being tightened. Torqueing up the nut will press both inner races together and only then should there be no play.
@elgyqc I pressed the bearing on correctly, but it’s possible I had the puller disc either on the the back of the bearing covering both inner and outer races or possibly on the backstop of the bearing carrier. After pressing on the hub, and seeing the play, I used a slide hammer to pull the hub back off. No part of the bearing was left on the hub, the whole bearing stayed in place. After reading the comments, it sounds like I may have compromised the bearing, so I am thinking about just starting over with a new bearing. The only other option seems to be to put the hub back in, temporarily put the wheel on to tighten the axle nut and see if the hub has no play. I could then remove the wheel and put the strut and brake caliper back on if all looks ok. What do you think? Thanks for this valuable help, since this is the first time I have done a bearing like this. My experience is with the old style hubs and bearings.
