Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ?

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Tue 13 May 2008 12:13
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - paul_pompey
Hi
I have a worn rear wheel bearing on my focus and was wondering if i buy the part what tools would I need to complete the job.

or is it just best to take it to a garage ? !!


thanks for your help
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Tue 13 May 2008 13:46
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - Chris M
I would suggest you get a Haynes manual. Read through the relevent section and assess whether you have the required tools and competence to undertake the task.

Edited by Chris M on 13/05/2008 at 13:48

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Tue 13 May 2008 14:28
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - DP
The hardest part of any wheel bearing replacement is usually removing the (very tight fitting) old bearing from the hub and fitting the new one. Garages use a hydraulic press which make this a very painless operation. Most DIYers have to make do with a close fitting socket and a hammer. You can smack the old one out without a care in the world, but you have to be very careful not to damage the new one as you tap it into place.

Rears are much easier than fronts on a FWD car because you don't have the driveshaft to worry about.

As Chris M says, read up and make your decision from there.

Cheers
DP
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Tue 13 May 2008 20:39
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - topbloke
most bearings come as a complete hub nowadays and dont need pushing in and out however the hub nuts are torqued up to a set force and not for the diyer, throw in some abs wiring and having to muck about with the braking system disc/drum/caliper far safer to get someone more qualified to deal with it, but i admire your spirit
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Wed 14 May 2008 08:45
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - mikej
Do you have rear drums ?

I've replaced both my rear hub/drum bearings in the last year and in my experience, on my 1999/80k mile Focus, the bearings were impossible to remove without special tools.

The main problem is that the outer part of the bearing is flush with the hub - there is no lip or notch to get a punch too, meaning that bashing or pulling are the only options. Once you've been bashing away for a while and the bearing has disintegrated, the outer race will be left which only narrows slightly in the middle, making the job even harder.

After hours of trying, I ended up taking the drum to a friendly local garage, who pressed the old one out and new one in. The first time it took him 2 minutes and he didn't charge me and the second time he charged me a tenner.

The rear hub nut has to be done back up to 235nm, so make sure you have a torque wrench that goes that high. I fitted a cheap Unipart bearing which has been fine so far, but my advice would be to re-use your Ford hub-nut (they can be re-used up to 3 times I think). I put on the supplied Unipart hubnut and at the higher torques, the corners started to round off !

I would also advise doing both at the same time - I only did the one and had to do the other 9 months later.

Ford charge £40+ for a bearing kit (bearing, hubnut and circlip) and Unipart equivalent costs £20+
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Mon 19 May 2008 00:09
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up)
Just replace the whole hub. Dont forget to swap over the ABS Reluctor rings
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Wed 21 May 2008 11:44
1999 1.8 rear wheel bearing can i diy it ? - John F
Don't even think of it! I tried it on my wife's 8yr old Focus - after much crude bashing and hammering with my diy medieval tools eventually got the drum and bearing off but could not get bearing out of drum and also wrecked the ABS ring.
Local friendly garage rectified my hamfistedness at no great cost.....but why can't car makers provide machines which can be easily maintained and repaired by their owners like they used to?
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