[frchdragon]

Still not a month of ownership and the noise I am hearing at the back is probably a rear right wheel bearing.
And BMW being super cheap, they have a pressed in bearing and some fancy new axles without bolts... (I miss my E60 already).

There is 1/2 a video on youtube where the guy disconnect most of the suspension to get the axle out of the rear hub and leaves it attached to the differential.
1- Is it better / possible to remove the axle only (without expensive BMW tool) and then press the bearing in and out? (I have a bunch of tools to press the bearing in and out.)
2- Will putting the axle back into the hub give me trouble?

From the search on the web/forum people mainly get it done at the dealer or a shop.

[frchdragon]

I love replying to my own threads...
So yes it was the wheel bearing, and I never liked changing them as so much usually goes wrong.

Shop next door removed the whole spindle and changed the bearing on the press. The axle in and out was a pain, glad I didn't do it.

Car is now very quiet.

[QuestMCoupe]

Thanks for posting and replying to this thread about your experience. My 435 sounds like the rear left bearing is bad.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by frchdragon

I love replying to my own threads...
So yes it was the wheel bearing, and I never liked changing them as so much usually goes wrong.

Shop next door removed the whole spindle and changed the bearing on the press. The axle in and out was a pain, glad I didn't do it.

Car is now very quiet.

Thanks for sharing the details. What was the mileage when the rear wheel bearing had to be replaced?

[frchdragon]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Thanks for sharing the details. What was the mileage when the rear wheel bearing had to be replaced?

I had 124k miles (200k km) on the rear wheel bearing.
Seems really low if you ask me, I still have the original wheel bearings on my '85 635csi and I never changed them on my 2 E60 and they both had above 240k miles.

It would seem that there is some cost saving involved in newer cars, like the newer fridges...

[brigade24]

Originally Posted by frchdragon

It would seem that there is some cost saving involved in newer cars, like the newer fridges...

+1

[5w20]

You don’t need to remove the axle from the differential, only from inside the hub. I’ve done this job.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by 5w20

You don’t need to remove the axle from the differential, only from inside the hub. I’ve done this job.

Can you elaborate exactly what you did and parts needed?

[krith]

If you are like me and are a DIY'er and found yourself on this posting trying to figure out how to do this Job.

Then did it. Here's the 10K foot view on how to replace the rear hubs & bearing without removing the axel at the diff in photos.

In summary, pull the hub with a slide hammer & applying heat on the bearing with a torch is highly advised. Then get to slide hammering. Trust in the process. -sometime later.

Once the Hub is out, press the bearing out. There a many videos on this process. This is the tool I used: https://a.co/d/5YH6n70


Now unbolt the upper to rear control arms and rear toe link. Articulate the wheel knuckle downward and pull out the axle.

Carry on with the repair. Repeat on both sides for peace of mind.

[fs34]

Originally Posted by krith

If you are like me and are a DIY'er and found yourself on this posting trying to figure out how to do this Job.

Then did it. Here's the 10K foot view on how to replace the rear hubs & bearing without removing the axel at the diff in photos.

In summary, pull the hub with a slide hammer & applying heat on the bearing with a torch is highly advised. Then get to slide hammering. Trust in the process. -sometime later.

Once the Hub is out, press the bearing out. There a many videos on this process. This is the tool I used: https://a.co/d/5YH6n70


Now unbolt the upper to rear control arms and rear toe link. Articulate the wheel knuckle downward and pull out the axle.

Carry on with the repair. Repeat on both sides for peace of mind.

Sorry to bump an old post.

How did you handle pressing the hub back onto the output shaft?

[krith]

Originally Posted by fs34

Sorry to bump an old post.

How did you handle pressing the hub back onto the output shaft?

All good. You have used the search button and should be rewarded with an answer.

My at-home DIY solution was simple and thought up on the fly, as I did not realize how much of a pain it would be to reseat the shaft.

Process -
Assuming you used the method of disconnecting the top control arms to drop the assembly forward.
Clean the spindle shaft and apply a very thin amount of bearing grease to the shaft.
Line up the spindle to the hub assembly.
Reinstall the control alarms temporarily. You do not need to tighten the bolts all the way. The goal is to hold the assembly in place.
With everything lined up and the hub assembly mostly where it should be.
Use a 2x4 or other scrap wood wide enough to span the width of the hub bearing receiver (solid metal lip, not the bearing), then tap, tap, tap it in with a hammer striking the wood.
After some tapping, threads will start to protrude. Once you have about two threads, you can thread the spindle nut on the shaft, then by hand, not power tools, tighten the nut, thus pulling the shaft all the way through.
Done!

[mike082802]

not a fun job, did this last sunday. took the whole day and 3 trips to home depot/harbor freight. the bearing retainer clip was a pain, broke 2 snap ring pliers, also had to cut the remaining old bearing off with a cutoff wheel that was stuck to the hub. i used a n amazon bearing press kit to get the hub back in.

[krith]

Originally Posted by mike082802

not a fun job, did this last sunday. took the whole day and 3 trips to home depot/harbor freight. the bearing retainer clip was a pain, broke 2 snap ring pliers, also had to cut the remaining old bearing off with a cutoff wheel that was stuck to the hub. i used a n amazon bearing press kit to get the hub back in.

Yep. I agree. It is still a DIY garage-doable project.

I bought the Harbor Freight ICON snap ring pliers kit. However, I should have just bought the largest tool they had in the store, as the kit's maximum size was just not enough.

I rented the 5-pound sliding hammer puller from AutoZone because all the other bearing pullers kept deforming the hub. It still took 3 hours of whaling on the slide hammer, plus heat from a torch.

Once the outer race was clean and clear, I used an eBay bearing press kit.

Rinse and repeat on the other side because repairing in pairs is the way to go.

Then beer.

In hindsight -
Buying a hydraulic hub puller and larger snap ring pliers would have made for much better use of time.

[g340ix]

this job sucks, if you don't get the new bearing in perfectly they can bind and you're back to the beginning... ask me how I know. Had to bring the knuckle to a shop to use a proper press and put the new bearing in.

Also, I tried using the axle nut to pull the axle through, did not go well, partially because i warped by bearing getting it in, but this tool helps:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Elijah Hua]

Originally Posted by frchdragon

Still not a month of ownership and the noise I am hearing at the back is probably a rear right wheel bearing.
And BMW being super cheap, they have a pressed in bearing and some fancy new axles without bolts... (I miss my E60 already).

There is 1/2 a video on youtube where the guy disconnect most of the suspension to get the axle out of the rear hub and leaves it attached to the differential.
1- Is it better / possible to remove the axle only (without expensive BMW tool) and then press the bearing in and out? (I have a bunch of tools to press the bearing in and out.)
2- Will putting the axle back into the hub give me trouble?

From the search on the web/forum people mainly get it done at the dealer or a shop.

Bruh, it's 2024, and still, part 2 of that video hasn’t come out yet. Lol. No other YouTuber has uploaded videos about the F30 rear wheel bearing, hub, or axle replacement either. I’m going to make the video myself, haha!

[Alek Melkonian]

Originally Posted by krith

If you are like me and are a DIY'er and found yourself on this posting trying to figure out how to do this Job.

Then did it. Here's the 10K foot view on how to replace the rear hubs & bearing without removing the axel at the diff in photos.

In summary, pull the hub with a slide hammer & applying heat on the bearing with a torch is highly advised. Then get to slide hammering. Trust in the process. -sometime later.

Once the Hub is out, press the bearing out. There a many videos on this process. This is the tool I used: https://a.co/d/5YH6n70


Now unbolt the upper to rear control arms and rear toe link. Articulate the wheel knuckle downward and pull out the axle.

Carry on with the repair. Repeat on both sides for peace of mind.

Unfortunately, I am gearing up to do this DIY (UGUGGUUGUG). I have done so much research over the past week, and have also found that the easiest and most cost-effective way to change these bearings is to drop the knuckle forward so you do not have to remove the axles. My question for you is:
Once you remove the control arms and the knuckle can move forward, do you then press the axle out, followed by pressing the old wheel bearing out? Or once the knuckle can move forward, does the axle just fall out?

[_ObiJon]

Originally Posted by Alek Melkonian

Unfortunately, I am gearing up to do this DIY (UGUGGUUGUG). I have done so much research over the past week, and have also found that the easiest and most cost-effective way to change these bearings is to drop the knuckle forward so you do not have to remove the axles. My question for you is:
Once you remove the control arms and the knuckle can move forward, do you then press the axle out, followed by pressing the old wheel bearing out? Or once the knuckle can move forward, does the axle just fall out?

Before removing all of the control arms, remove the axle nut and use a drift to compress the CV joints as much as possible. Once it moves just a little, it should come out relatively easy when you free the knuckle completely. Use the drift to get it out the rest of the way.

With the knuckle off the car, you can use a press/tool to get the carrier off and bearing out.

[Alek Melkonian]

Originally Posted by _ObiJon

Before removing all of the control arms, remove the axle nut and use a drift to compress the CV joints as much as possible. Once it moves just a little, it should come out relatively easy when you free the knuckle completely. Use the drift to get it out the rest of the way.

With the knuckle off the car, you can use a press/tool to get the carrier off and bearing out.

Thanks for the information. It really doesn't seem as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am thinking of buying a GoPro and filming the entire DIY so that others have access to this information. More on that in the month to follow. I will bookmark this forum and provide updates along the way.

[_ObiJon]

Originally Posted by Alek Melkonian

Thanks for the information. It really doesn't seem as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am thinking of buying a GoPro and filming the entire DIY so that others have access to this information. More on that in the month to follow. I will bookmark this forum and provide updates along the way.

The hardest part of the entire process is removing the carrier and bearing. As long as you have good tools to accomplish that, you'll be good.

Also, PB blaster the e-brake cable connection early and often up-to the day you start. Mine was rusted all to hell.

[rybski]

Originally Posted by Alek Melkonian

Thanks for the information. It really doesn't seem as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am thinking of buying a GoPro and filming the entire DIY so that others have access to this information. More on that in the month to follow. I will bookmark this forum and provide updates along the way.

This would massively helpful, as I plan to tackle the driver's side bearing one of the next few weekends.

[Alek Melkonian]

Originally Posted by rybski

This would massively helpful, as I plan to tackle the driver's side bearing one of the next few weekends.

Thanks for tuning in. I am just starting my life away from my parents (college graduate, new job), and I have purchased a TON of my own tools. I am waiting on a mechanics set that got delivered to the wrong house . After that, I will be all set to film for the wheel bearing. Things I will provide in the video:
1. Tools needed/required to make the job successful and easy
2. Proper torque specifications in compliance to BMW (see ISTA below)
3. Proper techniques in compliance with BMW ISTA procedures

ISTA is a diagnostic software used by BMW dealerships in order to follow proper procedure's/torque specifications for mechanical repair, retrofit, and general maintenance. This software can be had almost all over the internet and is EXTREMELY useful when you own a BMW. During the video, I will provide the proper procedure and torque spec's listed by ISTA.

I expect to start this project sometime in the next month. As the holiday approaches I will become considerably more busy as I am taking vacations. My goal is to have it complete by the first weekend of January.

[Alek Melkonian]

Originally Posted by Alek Melkonian

Thanks for tuning in. I am just starting my life away from my parents (college graduate, new job), and I have purchased a TON of my own tools. I am waiting on a mechanics set that got delivered to the wrong house . After that, I will be all set to film for the wheel bearing. Things I will provide in the video:
1. Tools needed/required to make the job successful and easy
2. Proper torque specifications in compliance to BMW (see ISTA below)
3. Proper techniques in compliance with BMW ISTA procedures

ISTA is a diagnostic software used by BMW dealerships in order to follow proper procedure's/torque specifications for mechanical repair, retrofit, and general maintenance. This software can be had almost all over the internet and is EXTREMELY useful when you own a BMW. During the video, I will provide the proper procedure and torque spec's listed by ISTA.

I expect to start this project sometime in the next month. As the holiday approaches I will become considerably more busy as I am taking vacations. My goal is to have it complete by the first weekend of January.

Hey everyone, just wanted to give on update on the progress:
I haven't started work on the wheel bearing yet, I have been considerably more busy than I anticipated. I plan to start the wheel bearing next week. My girlfriend will be getting her beater car back, so I will have something to drive while my car is in the garage. I apologize for the wait, but I promise a detailed video soon.