Updated at: 08-03-2022 - By: micdot

Wheel bearings are crucial in your car’s work performance. Now, the fantastic thing is that if you want to remove the wheel bearing, you can do it at home, but you’ll need certain mechanical instruments such as a press. Thus, without such a tool, you may wonder if you can still delete it. So, you may ask:

How to remove wheel bearing without a press? If you want to remove the wheel bearing, you can do so without a press. You’ll need certain tools you may locate in your garage. A hammer, hand gloves, punch, safety goggles, a heating instrument, and a woodblock are among these. You’ll need to complete some specific steps, which we’ll detail along the route.

Since the wheel bearing plays a significant function in your hub, tires, and wheels, you’ll find it a better alternative to invest in equipment to remove and reinstall it. However, if it’s urgent and you can’t find the tools at hand, it’s still a conceivable achievement to pull off. In this post, you’ll discover a step-by-step guide on removing wheel bearing without a press. Also, you will see answers to some of the questions relating to it. This way, you can prepare for it and know what to do if you ever need to remove your wheel bearings.

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Can You Remove Wheel Bearing Without Press?

Yes, you can remove the wheel bearing without a press, and it’s something you can accomplish even at your garage. The best approach to deal with such is through employing specific tools such as a bearing press. It helps you remove the wheel bearing fast and efficiently.

Now, the difficulty is that the bearing press isn’t normally available in typical garages. Thus, while you can invest in this equipment, you’ll want to do something about your bearing immediately, and it’s possible.

In general, it can take roughly 15-45 minutes to remove and replace bearings. It will still take an extra 10 minutes for hand washing and cleaning of the area. Thus, in total, you may have to spend an hour or two, especially if you’re not accustomed with conducting this kind of repair.

Also, if you don’t have a press and don’t know how to do it, you may spend more than an hour removing and even replacing the wheel bearing.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Remove Wheel Bearing Without Press

If you wish to pursue removing the wheel bearing without a press, you can follow this step-by-step guide to aid you along your route. Here, you’ll see tutorials on how to remove and how to insert these bearings.

Removing the bearing

Get the tools you need.

To begin, gather the tools you will need. It would be advisable to ready your hammer, hand gloves, safety goggles, a heating tool, a punch, and a piece of plank to put between the hub and the area you’ll strike later on.

Remove the wheel and take out the seals and bearings.

With basic tools, you may remove the seals and bearings after taking the disc from the center. In the meantime, keep the seals intact.

Heat the hub.

After removing those bearings, you’ll need to remove the inner bearing bearings, which is the more challenging aspect.

To do so, warm the hub with a torch or any heating tool you have. Do so until the bearing lubricant begins to leak out, then use the punch to pound the bearings out.

Hammer each side and finish it with the other bearings.

To achieve this, you will carve grooves out of the hub, and you’ll pound one edge, then the other, until it falls. Then, proceed with the other bearings until you’ve completed everything.

Clean up your hub.

Finally, tidy up the hub, keeping in mind that it’s still hot! Otherwise, the oil, grime, and dust will seep into the replacement bearings. While it’s still pristine, look for cracks.

Inserting the bearing

Cut the old bearings.

When you put the new bearings in, you’ll need to slice the old ones across using a revolving cutter, saw, grinder, or similar.

Freeze the new ones.

Place the new bearings in the fridge for a few minutes to shrink them. After that, you’ll want it to be in the freezer for roughly 30 minutes or longer for a proper contraction to happen.

Reheat the hub.

Reheat the hub once again, causing it to grow. You can take one cold bearing out of the fridge and put it into the slot as fast as feasible. If you get lucky, the hub’s contraction and the ring’s compression combine will allow the ring to descend downward instantaneously.

Use the old bearings as you hammer the new ones.

You can use the hammer and strike straight on the new bearings. Some people say they performed it without hurting the bearings, however this procedure implies quite a big risk.

Instead, set the old bearing on a new one and pound it; the replacement will disperse the force and avoid damage.

Together with the new bearing, the space through it will keep it from being stuck. Work your way around it, pressing it in place as you go.

Because the old bearing has a penchant of popping out, this procedure can be inconvenient and time-consuming. So instead, proceed for the opposite side, reheating the hub if necessary.

Put the seal on the bearings.

After you’ve installed the bearings and lubricated them, you’ll need to install the seals. In most cases, these are synthetic, and you may pound them in with a rubber hammer. Still, it’s a sensible decision to use the old seals to protect the new ones.

What Tool Do I Need to Remove a Wheel Bearing?

If you follow the instructions mentioned above, you’ll need the following tools to remove a wheel bearing without using a press.

Hammer

Since you don’t have a press, you’ll need a hammer to pound on the wheel bearing. This way, you can remove it. However, you’ll need to be careful since you can damage the bearing along the procedure.

Punch Tool

The punch is a tiny metal rod with a sharp tip. You’ll need it coupled with the hammer to remove the bearing.

Hand gloves

You’ll also require hand gloves to ensure your hand can have a strong hold on the bearings to eliminate slipping.

Safety glasses

Since you’ll be heating with a torch or any equipment, you may want to utilize some goggles for safety.

A heating tool such as a torch

You’ll need to heat the hub to remove the bearings. Thus, you’ll need whatever heating equipment you can acquire, such as a torch.

A wood plank

You’ll need a piece of scrap wood for you to insert between the surface you’ll pound the hub. It will give an easier hammering, and it will be speedier.

Summary

In a nutshell, you can remove the wheel bearing even without a press, although it may take some time and effort to do. However, since wheel bearings play a significant role in your tire’s work, you would find it convenient to invest in a press.

However, if you need to remove the bearing urgently and you don’t have the press, you may still do so using a couple of tools you can obtain at home. By learning this, you won’t have to worry about bearing removal and replacement as you’ll know what to do.