jkline said:
Replacing these can be a bear, especially in the rust belt. Rotohammer is recommended.
Yes. I had a hum last summer that (strangely) didn't seem to change much with speed. Replaced the right rear, that wasn't it, but found corrosion on the brake cable and other places, so worth going in there. Replaced the right front, and that was it. 54 k miles and a failed bearing.
If anyone does decide to do one of the front bearings, you will want to look at the videos closely. I found the Nissan Sentra videos most helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD-qvFPgWdQ
Here are some comments about the worst parts of the repair. This is intended for people who have done work like this in the past and have all the tools--otherwise it should <strike>probably</strike> definitely go to the shop. Sorry, I should have gotten some pictures.
The axle nut is on tight and my impact wrench would not do it. Use some penetrating oil. With the tire on and in contact with the ground, use a breaker bar plus a cheater bar to get about five feet leverage, and put a jack under the lever. Put some force on it and let it sit for a while. It came off eventually. The nut and cotter pin are one use only. order them ahead of time.
The speed sensor was really stuck. I ended up drilling it and using an easy out. I got two aftermarket sensors (one spare) for very little money (amazon I think) and they are identical to what came out. You may want to order one ahead of time. The tied rod end nut is single use, order one ahead of time. Get the tool for separating the ball joint.
The four bolts that hold the bearing on from the back are hard to get to, but doable. You will need a wobble fitting and some patience. I had to use heat, penetrating oil, and and impact wrench to get them loose.
The bearing assembly needs to come out at this point, and mine was tight. The videos generally show someone sledging away at the flange with the lug bolts in it, and I ended up hitting it pretty hard from various angles until it finally moved a little. I then sharpened up cold a chisel to a long taper and gently worked around the gap between the bearing and the brake shield--that move it a little more--back to the hammer to finish. Seems like there should be a better way, and I do think a jig could be made that would fit under the lug nut flange and expand.
The brake shield was a little buggered from the cold chisel, also rusted, but I rehabbed it and painted it. You may want to order one ahead of time.
Hope this helps!