is my wheel bearing ruined ? i pressed it and forgot 1 new bolt :(

hey guys, feeling like an idiot, got my bearing pressed into the new hub and used the old 4 bolts, only 3 worked Is my bearing toast now that its already been pressed into the hub assembly? Or can i just press it out, take out the 4 old bolts, put new bolts in and then re-press?

Thanks guys ! First time doing the bearing , all felt like it was going so smooth and then bam, rookie mistake.

Cheers

 

What do you mean one bolt didn't work? You might be able to take it apart, I would be prepared with a new bearing though..

 

The top right bolt i guess was damaged somehow and it went unoticed , so it wouldnt thread back into the spindle

 

Gotcha. My bolts were all jacked up because I forgot to take the center nut off... I was working 3rd shift. I managed to clean up the threads with a set of files. Might give that a shot.

 

Your bearing is fine. Press it out and put in new bolts on the hub block. Press your bearing back in and you are golden. Same thing happened to a friend of mine.

 

Really? HOw can you press bearing out with out damaging seal ?

 

its fine? il take it back to the machine shop, god i feel like a f***ing idiot.. ah the joys of being a green on a wrench

 

If you, or the shop you take it to, has a bearing splitter, then it can be salvaged without damaging the seal. Just carefully press out the wheel hub enough to change out the nut, then carefully press it back in.

 

well as it turns out the spindle bolt holes are stripped, 2 of them. The last mechanic i brought the truck to did both my front wheel bearings. Took it up to a buddy and he said it looked as if the mechanic had smashed the 2 bolts in with a hammer,then re-sprayed it black to get rid of the hammer marks... guess i need a new spindle

 

Use a tap to re thread the bolt holes, and use a die to re thread the bolts. Doing this may prevent you from having to try and press out the hub to install new bolts, and prevent you from having to buy a new spindle. Not sure of the thread size, but Bama or NJ may be able to find out since they are doing the wheel bearing thing.

 

Are you talking about the wheel studs are damaged?

 

I think he is talking about the bolt holes that mate the wheel bearing to the spindle.

 

Oh man, that would suck. I was curious because he mentioned something about painting over the bolts. I can see now how that would really suck. I would think if the threads were that damaged, trying to rethread it would not be the best. Sometimes you can rethread a hole if a few threads are damaged, but if the entire threaded hole is stripped out, rethreading will create a weak spot, which you do not want with a hub bearing assembly. One option would be to see if there is room on the back side of the spindle for a washer and a nut, then install a slightly longer bolt and a washer and nut on the back side. You have to check for clearance and such for the CV axle and other components. I don't have a 2nd gen in my shop right now to check. Otherwise you may be looking at having to replace the entire spindle.

 

My best guess is his mechanic cross threaded them and cranked on them until they stopped turning.

I had a sleep deprived accident with my truck where I dropped it off a jack with the back wheels loose (lug nuts still mostly threaded on). When I took one the lugnuts off one on each side pulled the threads off with it because those lugs nuts took all the pressure of the drop.

 

No shit

 

Yeah it was the holes that the bolts go into, and your right the mechanic just over-threaded them until they stopped turning, ruining all the threads on the spindle. I took it back to them, and as it turns out the guy who worked on my truck was fired, they wouldnt tell me why. will not be bringing the truck back to them. bummer