[MeMySelfundIch]

The E430 is just a bundle of joy. Fun Fun all around! After getting the gearbox replaced, and while replacing the rear brakes because of the rust, I found the rear left wheel bearing to be lacking.

as usual, I tried DIY. I bought new tools (yay, always nice..) for the job.

If you really want to do your rear wheel bearings, you will NEED a press. Using a large slide hammer will not do the trick. I tried, and failed. The bearing wouldn´t even budge.

Even with removing the wheel carrier, and then using a 20t press, it was a 3 hour ordeal. This is one job where the DIY person should reconsider.

Picture of tool I tried. This probably won't work. The WIS Instructions have a complicated looking hydraulic tool for the job.

 

[Check Codes]

You didn't read the DIY I did?

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

ehm. I didn´t find one in the sticky´s - just thought nobody has done this on a high quality car like the W210 before. :devil

Whats the link ?

 

[Check Codes]

ehm. I didn´t find one in the sticky´s - just thought nobody has done this on a high quality car like the W210 before. :devil

Whats the link ?

I don't think anyone nominated it. It's mostly text, no pics but a couple useful vids from a BMW job, but I definitely agree with you that it is a ton of work. It's not particularly challenging from either a mental or mechanical viewpoint, but just a lot of work involved in it.

At any rate, here's the thread: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210-e-class/1721090-mostly-text-only-diy-rear-wheel.html

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

but but .. you used the lighter version of the slide hammer I was using... how in gods good name did you succeed? I had that same tool, and didn´t work. I bought the one that is TWICE (8.5 kg vs. 4) as heavy, and still didn´t even budge the hub/innerwheelbearing. Hell, even the 10t press didn´t cut the mustard, and the 20t press just bbeeaarrrllyyy managed the job (it needed 19.2t for the first "ccrraaacckkkk") and that was after soaking in Transmission oil and acetone for about 10 hours.

 

[Kajtek1]

You should know there is no rust in California
I've been driving MB since 1995 and bought over a dozen for whole family.
Bearing replacement yet has to come.

 

[Check Codes]

but but .. you used the lighter version of the slide hammer I was using... how in gods good name did you succeed? I had that same tool, and didn´t work. I bought the one that is TWICE (8.5 kg vs. 4) as heavy, and still didn´t even budge the hub/innerwheelbearing. Hell, even the 10t press didn´t cut the mustard, and the 20t press just bbeeaarrrllyyy managed the job (it needed 19.2t for the first "ccrraaacckkkk") and that was after soaking in Transmission oil and acetone for about 10 hours.

My suggestion for the use of the slide hammer is ONLY to pull the hub, which will pull the bearing apart. You still have to use the other puller etc. to get the bearing out of the carrier. And that assumes you are going to replace the hub rather than re-use the old one. For the cost involved, and the effort required to get the race (that comes out frozen to the hub) off the hub, it's not worth it to me.

If you instead do it the way I described (and mostly covered in the videos) you won't have any use for the slide hammer at all. Well, maybe to sit on the case if the ground is cold.

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

Yes, the HUB was that part that didn´t want to come out... but you have to remove it, to get to the pretty hefty snap ring.

so if you live in a rust free state, or car has spent at least 99.9999% of its life in a rust free zone, this repair seems to be a piece of cake

all others.. may god be merciful.

 

[Check Codes]

Yes, the HUB was that part that didn´t want to come out... but you have to remove it, to get to the pretty hefty snap ring.

so if you live in a rust free state, or car has spent at least 99.9999% of its life in a rust free zone, this repair seems to be a piece of cake

all others.. may god be merciful.

If you have a pair of sturdy snap-ring pliers with right-angle jaws, you can remove the snap ring without removing the hub. Although, in reality, that doesn't matter. Pulling the hub destroys the bearing because it is really tight in the carrier. The hub comes out with the inner race on it, regardless of the snap ring.

And as much as Kajtek1 likes to crow about "no rust," I live about 30 miles from him quite near the ocean, and there's plenty of rust and corrosion over here (including biologic growths on roofs, walls, etc.; our work van even had some growth around the blue oval when we didn't wash it for a couple of months). It's nothing like back east where they are dumping chemicals on the road and driving through slush, etc. all the time, but there is a difference.

 

[Kajtek1]

Following the corrosion near the Ocean, what Greg describe is happening. I see houses in San Francisco with badly corroded balcony railing and such, but this is only several hundred feet from the Ocean. Living just short miles from the Bay, I bought 30+ years Ford that spend whole life here parked under a tree. The undercarriage had no protection at all, yet only rust -coloring with no real rust on bare metal where paint washed out.
Totally different from Mediterranean salty breezes. Years ago my father was on contract in Algeria. Camp was several km from the shore, yet I was personally bondoing holes in the hood of his 3-years old Toyota.
Coming back to bearing, as I mention I never had to deal with one on MB, but from my old industrial years I still have jaw puller in my garage. That thing will deliver tons of pulling power. Not same as 20-tons press, but I would guess it might do the job.

 

[superfluous]

Maybe unrelated but I did the bearing in another car, the kind that is pressed the axle tube. I did the slide hammer for like 1.5 hours. I checked every 10 minutes or so with a caliper and it was definitely moving, very slowly but surely. I think you just have to be persistent.

That said I hope I never have to to the job again, it was a very tiring workout! But I would do it again if necessary, I am allergic to shops.

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

even with a 90 degree nose plier, you wouldn´t get the snap ring remove, because the hub is restricting the give way of the snap ring, it won´t come out of its groove with the hub in place.

Either way, I think this job is quite a challenge for the diy, and I wanted to get the word out to you fellow DIY´ers.

If somebody knows who produces a similar tool to the mercedes one (Hydraulic spindle thingy, with backing plate and such) but not as expensive - I´d like to post a link to that in here

 

[Check Codes]

As luck would have it, my right rear wheel bearing is on its last legs, so I'm preparing to do this job. It will be easier than the left if for no other reason than I don't have to mess with the exhaust.

Also, I plan to do it with a slide hammer (at least as soon as my back stops misbehaving), and if you follow the tip in this short video, it's not going to take hours to pop it. Quite violent movement here, so you'd want to be triple sure the car is redundantly supported.

Also...much ado about nothing with the snap ring.

Q: What's in the way?

A: The hub.

Q: What comes out with the slide hammer (or the splitter/puller)?

A: The hub.

Soooo...at that point it's easy to access the snap ring, right? Then you can pull the axle and proceed to press the rest of the bearing out of the carrier.

And yes, I ordered a new hub. For $40 I wasn't going to mess around for 40 minutes getting the race off of the hub and then using emery cloth to clean up the hub from the tool marks. Ugh. I may toss the old hub aside and deal with it later, and then either hold onto it if I need to redo either of these again or if someone needs a "loaner" for this job in the future. It would be like a core.

Again, however, the huge benefit of using the slide hammer is that you don't have to touch the parking brakes (required if you use the splitter/puller). They can be a little tricky (lots of threads on that!) and it only gets worse if the equalizer mechanism triggers and retracts the cable. Additional frustration and futzing around with wasted time nearing the end of the job when you're already exhausted, no thanks. I think I probably wasted at least another half-hour (probably more) with that on the left side.

Anyway, that's my .02.

See you all on the flip side. :eclipsee_steering:

 

[compaddict]

That was awesome! Thanks for the video.

 

[fabbrisd1]

New hub... the good way to go... happy hammering !

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

yeah.. really looking forward how that is going to work out for ya I thought my warning might be enough to convince somebody.. but it seems it was invain.

just getting the HUB out, took a 20t press. but yeah. slide hammer was my first thought too. Wishing you the best of luck.

 

[wlb50]

Years ago in my 300E while visiting San Diego a rear wheel bearing was going - you could see the tire wobbling. But if still ferried people back and forth for a wedding festivity. But after took it to MB-Escondido and when I saw the specialty tools required said to myself no way would I try that with my meager assortment of Craftsman tools.

An air compressor I think is a must, among other assorted tools.

 

[Check Codes]

yeah.. really looking forward how that is going to work out for ya I thought my warning might be enough to convince somebody.. but it seems it was invain.

just getting the HUB out, took a 20t press. but yeah. slide hammer was my first thought too. Wishing you the best of luck.

Uh, did you watch the video I posted above (No. 13)? The bearing comes apart, whether you're using a splitter or puller or whatever. Then you can press the (rest of the) bearing out of the hub. And that you can do with the harbor freight set I linked in the other thread I posted about changing the bearing. All in all I think it takes less time to pull the axle and then the bearing than pulling the carrier and running to the shop. Unless of course you're renewing all of those links and have to pull them loose anyway. And you still get to mess with the parking brake, ugh.

Years ago in my 300E while visiting San Diego a rear wheel bearing was going - you could see the tire wobbling. But if still ferried people back and forth for a wedding festivity. But after took it to MB-Escondido and when I saw the specialty tools required said to myself no way would I try that with my meager assortment of Craftsman tools.

An air compressor I think is a must, among other assorted tools.

Um, other than removing the lug bolts and disc bolts (at the differential), I'm not sure what good a compressor would be. It's not like you're going to use an air chisel to get this out.

OTOH, depending on the year of your 300E that could be more painful, with thrust washers and all kinds of crap. Now it's pretty straightforward. It's not terribly challenging (lots simpler than changing spark plugs), but it's a great deal of physical labor, some of it pretty hard.

 

[MeMySelfundIch]

so have you had your go at it?

 

[Check Codes]

so have you had your go at it?

Nope, the back is still acting up. I'm hoping it will hang on long enough so I can get to it before it gets so bad I have to take it in.