midnightride42

Can someone give me the low down on our rear wheel bearing. basically i would like to know the easiest way to change them. i can hear a deep tone coming from the back when im driving. and when im turning and get on the gas a bit i can it feels like your going over those ripples they put in the side of roads for sleepers at night or drunk drivers.

i see they are like 40 bucks a piece. how hard are they to change and what kind of tool would i need? i have tool and air compressor and air compressor tool, just want to make sure i dont need any special tools.

if someone could please give me a guided way and all the nice info on how to change them it would greatly appreciated.
i have the manuel but sometimes its not at detailed as word by mouth plus some of you can give first hand experience on how hard it is and tips and tricks.

thanks a lot.

bigass

First, are you sure its the rear bearings? Check CV joints (NAPA rebuilt $63 a side) if you need them call NAPA on rt 161 close to sawmill (warehouse) they have them in stock. Also check the driveshaft. These are non rebuildable if you need a new one call driveline 1 on frank rd. He knows a place in California that will sell one with rebuildable u joints for about $400. As far as the rear bearing you will need a hydraulic press. Go to harbor freight on 161 and cleveland or if you are on the west side I am told they just opened one off the rome hilliard exit. A press (small one) should cost under $50.
First thing is to go to driveline 1 and buy axle nuts for you are going to destroy yours getting them off (they are only meant to be used once). He will sell them to you for $3 a piece buy 3 things allways go wrong and at 3 bucks a piece you are still saving money over the dealer (Mazda and NAPA want $10-12 each and they have to order them for no one in Columbus has them in stock---trust me). Then call some place close that does alignments and make an apointment to align the rear.
You will have to take out the half shafts first. Take off the wheel and push out the center disk. You will then have to take a drift and push out the part of the axle nut that had been bent so the nut could not come off (I used a dremel with a cutting wheel so as not to harm the threads). 4 bolts on the diff (mark the flange so that you put it in the same place) then take off the lower bolt that holds the shock to the trailing arm (CV boot won't come out).
Fun time is next!!!! Haynes says to put a large screwdriver between the lugnuts and use a socket on a ratchet to loosen the axle nut. I personally think they were either working on a new car to write the manual or were smoking something! Put the wheel back on (lug nuts snug but does not have to be torqued) and take the car down off the jack. This is why you took out the center of the wheel for you are going to put the socket in the center of the wheel to get to the nut. I had to put the socket on a breaker bar and stand on it while bouncing up and down to break it free (keep in mind I weigh 230 pounds). The socket that you are going to need is a 1 1/4 inch (yes some sizes do match directly to the metric system). Jack up the car again and take the wheel back off. I use a large 3 arm puller attached to the outside of the rotor to press the axle out of the bearing (it should press out easily). Take the brake caliper off and tie it up and out of the way (I use nylon ties, this is to keep the weight off of the rubber brake line). Take off the rotor (may be easier said than done for all the manuals talk about the screws are there to keep it from falling off, they have never worked on an older car that lived in Ohio).
Finally you are looking at the part that must come off for it has the bearing in it! Take the bolts off holding the hub. Press the bearing out of the hub and press the new one in. Put it back together again keeping in mind to use a punch to stake the axle nut and putting the CV axle in the same place on the diff its a tight fit but it does go back on. Once finished do not drive the car until you have had it aligned! This is very very, Did I say VERY important for the car will not handle correctly and could be sort of . . . well dangerous.
To get the first side off count on about 2 hours and the second side about 1/2 hour for you had now done it once. Have fun and I hope this helped. Don't want to scare you with all the instructions for it really is not that bad of a job.

7<0m9

iTrader: (1)

heres a helpful link. its for the front bearings but there bout the same so it should work. this is so you dont have to buy the whole hub.
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/frontbrg.htm

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

I had a rear wheel bearing go out Twice. the problem is knowing what side its on. Because that sound plays tricks on ya. I have had to replace the wheel bearing three times now. the easy way is to take the three bolts off that hold the whole brake rotor and spindle and all take it in to get it pressed out and have them press the new one in...
The sound almost went away if i made a hard right turn. But yes it does sound like those warning dips on the side of the freeways.

rx7_FREAKKK

iTrader: (1)

UM that link is for the front bearings. those are easy to replace..

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

It's been quite a while, but quick overview:
Remove nut
Remove caliper and bracket
Remove rotor
Push the axle in slightly to make certain it's free in the hub-
If you need to tap the end of the axle, put the old nut on and tap
on the nut opposed to the end of the axle.
(no need to unbolt from diff as the axle stays in place)
Remove 3 bolts
Take hub assembly to a machine shop unless you can do the job yourself.

The top can be a problem as the rubber bushing will move inside the housing and the hub assembly can't be removed. I use a screwdriver to get inside and work the sleeve assembly around the housing.