1994 E36 325 Coupe Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement - DRAFT

Disclaimer
No warranty of any kind implied or given and no liability accepted for any loss, damage or injury, no
matter how incurred from reading or attempting to follow this document. This is merely how I
addressed an issue on a car and I am not recommending this process.
Revision history
This document is in draft and unchecked.
Safety first
Work should only be undertaken by competent persons
If in doubt seek expert advice or help prior to starting the job and do not attempt it.
Do not place yourself or others at risk
A method of safely raising and supporting the vehicle is required and is not covered in this
document
The braking system will be partially dismantled and additional care must be taken to avoid to
avoid inhaling or coming into contact with brake dust
Do a risk assessment before starting work. If in doubt do not attempt it.
It may not be advisable to work alone under a vehicle.
Background
If a defective rear wheel bearing is diagnosed there are three main ways to address the issue:
Take the vehicle to a garage
o Pro hassle free, no tools required
o Con requires more money, not necessarily true if you do not have the required
tools
Remove the trailing arm and have the old bearing pressed out and a new one pressed in and
refit
o Pro offloads the difficult part of the task to someone with a press
o Con might have to pay for pressing and a four wheel alignment should ideally be
done after removing the arm which is additional cost
Remove bearing with arm in situ
o Pro if you have the tools, know how and time this may be the cheapest option
and does not require a wheel alignment afterwards
o Con requires most effort and you to have or acquire tools which may offset savings
This document only covers the third option, replacement in situ.
Diagnosis
To diagnose this problem one or more of the following symptoms may be present:
Excessive free play
Noise rumbling, whirring, screeching or grinding


However, this is not an exhaustive list and other components can make the same or similar sounds.
Tools
These tools are required:
Comprehensive general tool collection, not limited to:
o Assorted sockets
o Assorted spanners
o Internal circlip pliers
o Large flat blade screwdriver
o Torque wrench(s)
Job specific tools, not limited to:
o 6mm hexagon bit socket
o 7mm or 8mm hexagon bit socket for brake caliper sliders <did not note size>
o E12 socket for driveshaft mounting flange bolts <check>
o Tool(s) for removing hub
o Tool(s) for removing bearing from trailing arm
o Tool(s) for pressing a new bearing into the trailing arm
Garage equipment for raising and supporting the car
Safety equipment, such as but not limited to:
o Eye protection
o Dust mask
o Gloves
Literature:
o Torque wrench settings
o List of parts that should be replaced while undertaking this task
o One of the many workshop manuals available on the market may fill one or more
of the above requirements
Parts list
E36 rear wheel bearing febi / Bilstein 04526
Circlip BMW B33.41.1.138.648
Driveshaft nut BMW B33.41.1.132.565
Other parts the vehicle manufacturer states should be replaced, such as, but not limited to:
o Driveshaft bolts <check>
o Driveshaft locking tabs <check>
Other miscellaneous parts such as, but limited to:
o Exhaust back box mounting clamps
o Any other exhaust seals, bolts or assembly paste as required



Procedure
1. If possible remove the centre cap with the wheel fitted and proceed to step 7.
2. Loosen wheel nuts with the car on the ground and the handbrake applied and the front
wheels chocked.
3. Raise the car until the wheel is clear of the ground being sure to not get under the vehicle.

4. Remove the wheel bolts then remove the wheel .
5. Remove the centre cap from the wheel.

6. Refit the wheel and wheel bolts and lower the car to the ground.
7. With the car on the ground, handbrake applied and front wheels chocked loosen but do not
remove the driveshaft nut.



8. Loosen but do not remove the wheel bolts.
9. Raise and support the vehicle safely. The picture is for illustration purposes and not
supposed to be a recommendation or definitive answer as to how to do this. It is for the
individual to decide as per their risk assessment.

10. Remove road wheel. Pay no attention to the driveshaft nut, i removed and replaced this
loosely multiple times. However, it does need removing before removing the driveshaft.



11. At this point you may wish to remove the exhaust back box if working on the left side of the
car and / or lower the anti-roll bar as detailed in steps 33, 34 and 35 for clearance.
12. Mark the driveshaft, hub and mounting flange for correct alignment on reassembly.

13. Use appropriate socket (E12) and extensions to slacken and remove driveshaft mounting
bolts.



14. It May be necessary to apply the handbrake, or if it is poor the foot brake to hold the
driveshaft whilst slackening the bolts. It may also be necessary to release the brake, rotate
the shaft and reapply the brake to access all bolts. An assistant may greatly reduce the
amount of messing about this entails if working alone. Working alone under a vehicle is not
recommended in any case for safety reasons.

Note if the bolts are excessively tight it may be advisable to refit the road wheel to avoid
any risk of sheering the disk locating screw.

15. Loosen and remove the brake disk location screw using a 6mm hexagon bit.



16. Remove the brake caliper slider blanking plugs, from the rear of the caliper, with a flat blade
screwdriver.
17. Remove the brake caliper anti-rattle spring.

18. Undo the brake caliper slider bolts with a 7mm or 8mm hexagon bit <check>.
19. Slide the brake caliper off the disk and support it so that the brake pipe is not strained.



20. Remove the caliper mounting bracket.

21. Remove the brake disk. If the brake disks are worn or lipped it may be necessary to back
off the adjuster wheel using a screw driver through one of the bolt holes. The adjuster is
shown behind the hub in the right of the picture.
22. Remove the driveshaft nut.



23. If the driveshaft easily pushed back a little inside the hub and you have already removed the
exhaust back box if working on the left side of the car and / or lower the anti-roll bar as
detailed in steps 33, 34 and 35 for clearance, you may free the driveshaft from the diff and
slide if out of the hub and place it safely to one side.
24. If like the vehicle here, the driveshaft is seized inside the hub a hub puller may be used. I
used this slide hammer.

25. Attach your chosen hub removal tool and use it in line with manufacturers instructions. Use
spare bolts to avoid damaging the chamfer.



26. Slide hammer assembled ready for use.

27. Hub half out.



28. Hub removed. Note that one of the inner bearing races is still attached to the hub.

29. Note internal circlip and exposed bearings.



30. Internal circlip pliers used to remove circlip.

31. Bearing shown with circlip removed.



32. Caliper mounting bracket and caliper re-fitted loosely to avoid damage.
33. Exhaust rear section removed. Rear clamp bolts sheared. Either have spares or a means to
fix them.

34. Rear anti-roll bar to car body clamps removed both sides.



35. Anti-roll pulled down to provide clearance to remove driveshaft.
36. The driveshaft can now be unseated from the flange on the diff end and manoeuvred to
allow space to withdraw the splined end and placed in a safe place.

37. Now remove the bearing outer race from the trailing arm. I did this by using the slide
hammer shaft threaded through the centre of the bearing and putting a knurled nut that
came with the hammer and another nut on the inside. Do not remove the inner race from
the inner bearing!
With hind sight this is quite a violent way to remove the bearing and if the RTAB had been
soft might have caused other work.
A better way to do this would be to either use a proper tool or approx 3 of thick walled
steel tube of internal diameter <fill in later>mm, a 5mm plate with a hole drilled to pass
some studding through and a large thick washer. The bearing shell could then be pulled out


of the hub into the steel tube by tightening the studding. The same principles as I use to fit
the new bearing.

38. Empty bearing housing cleaned ready for refitting.




39. Improvised tool.

40. The old bearing is at the bottom. It has been sanded to make it a loose fit in the bearing
housing. The new bearing is at the top. The hose clips are put around the join to hold the
two bearings together and aligned end to end.



41. Improvised tool in use. Studding is passed through the bearing and hub and through a
thing on the other side of the hub so that tightening the nuts on the studding pulls the new
bearing into the housing. Note that the remaining inner race in the old bearing is facing the
outside.

42. Initially I was tightening a nut on the rear of the hub but the thing started to buckle and
cave in so I switched to the outside. As it happens the thing the spanner is turning on this
side bowed and then rotated remarkably easily due to the bearing race in the old bearing
taking the load and rotating freely.



43. As the bearing was pressed into the hub the hose clips slid up onto the old bearing.

44. Improvised tool removed. Bearing is seated correctly.



45. New circlip fitted.

46. Hub awaiting removal of outer bearing inner race. Hub surface must not be damaged.



47. Vinegar used to de-rust hub over night.

48. Hub bagged up to protect bearing overnight.



49. Next day, vinegar has removed rust.

50. Remove bag.



51. Improvised tool to pull hub into bearing. This must fit against the inner bearing race of the
inside bearing to ensure that as he hub is drawn into the bearing the inner race on the back
is not pushed out. The old inner race from the outer bearing was used for this as it was the
perfect size.

52. Tape used to centre sockets on the studding.







53. The assembled sockets, studding and old bearing race are positioned behind the hub with
the studding protruding out, the hub is carefully slid on followed by a socket and nut and
done up finger tight to ensure all is aligned properly.




54. Nut is gently tightened until the hub has been drawn into place, then undone and the tool
removed.

55. Hub in place ready for driveshaft.




56. Driveshaft splines cleaned.



57. Nut test fitted.

58. Driveshaft inserted aligning with all previously made alignment marks.



59. Nut fitted loosely.

60. Caliper and..................



61. ............mounting bracket removed once more and caliper supported to avoid straining brake
line.

62. Re-fit brake disk and disk location screw finger tight.
63. Re-fit caliper mounting bracket tightening bolts to the correct torque.
64. Re-fit brake caliper tightening bolts to the correct torque.
65. Fit brake caliper anti-rattle spring.
66. Replace the brake caliper slider blanking plugs, from the rear of the caliper.
67. If necessary adjust hand brake shoes. If this is done both sides and cables should be
adjusted.
68. Apply handbrake and tighten brake disk location screw to the correct torque.



69. Bolt the drive shaft to the diff flange using new bolts and locking tabs if applicable. Bolts
should be tightened to the correct torque.
It may be necessary to apply the handbrake, or if it is poor the foot brake to hold the
driveshaft whilst tightening the bolts. It may also be necessary to release the brake, rotate
the shaft and reapply the brake to access all bolts. An assistant may greatly reduce the
amount of messing about this entails if working alone. Working alone under a vehicle is not
recommended in any case for safety reasons.
Note it may be advisable to refit the road wheel to avoid any risk of sheering the disk
locating screw.

70. Re-fit the anti-roll bar clamps.



71. Re-fit the exhaust with old, new or repaired clamps as applicable.









72. Refit the wheel and wheel bolts and lower the car to the ground.
73. Fully tighten the wheel bolts if necessary.
74. With the car on the ground, handbrake applied and front wheels chocked tighten the
driveshaft nut to the specified torque.



75. Loosen but do not remove the road wheel bolts.
76. Raise and support the vehicle safely. The picture is for illustration purposes and not
supposed to be a recommendation or definitive answer as to how to do this. It is for the
individual to decide as per their risk assessment.

77. Remove road wheel.
78. Stake the driveshaft nut.



79. Refit the wheel and wheel bolts and lower the car to the ground.
80. Fully tighten the wheel bolts to the correct torque.
81. Refit the wheel centre cap.