How to Replace Wheel Bearings

Wheel bearings are parts that allow the wheels on your vehicle to spin freely and with as little friction as possible. A wheel bearing is a set of steel balls that are housed in a metal case known as a race, and it is located inside the wheel's hub. If you hear a moaning or humming sound while you are driving, it is likely that one of your vehicle’s wheel bearings is starting to fail.

Changing your own wheel bearings is considered an intermediate job that can be done at home, but will need some speciality mechanic tools. The steps provided below are generalized to cover the three most common types of wheel bearings that are found on most vehicles. Be sure to obtain your vehicle's service manual and identify the type of wheel bearing your vehicle is equipped with before you begin the repair.

Part 1 of 3: Prepare your car

Materials Needed

  • Bearing grease
  • Diagonal cutters
  • Floor jack
  • Gloves
  • Pliers
  • Ratchet (½ inch with 19mm or 21mm socket)
  • Safety glasses
  • Safety jack stand x 2
  • Socket set (â…œ socket set 10mm-19mm)
  • Screwdriver
  • Torque wrench
  • Wheel chock x 2
  • Wire clothes hanger

two safety jack stands

Step 1: Put chocks behind your wheels. Park the vehicle on a flat and level surface.

Use a wheel chock to block the tire opposite of the wheel that you will be working on first.

  • Tip:If you are changing the driver’s side front wheel bearing, you will will need to use a chock at the passenger rear wheel.

mechanic loosening a lug on a tire

Step 2: Loosen the lug nuts. Grab your ½ inch ratchet with the correct size socket for your lug nuts.

Loosen the lug nuts on the tire you are about to remove but do not remove them completely just yet.

Step 3: Lift up the vehicle. Use the floor jack and a pair of safety jack stands to lift and secure the vehicle. This will allow you to safely remove the tire.

  • Tip: Be sure to refer to your owner's manual for information on where the proper lift points to jack up your vehicle are located.

Step 4: Remove the lug nuts. With the vehicle lifted and secured, remove the lug nuts completely and then remove the tire and place aside.

Part 2 of 3: Install new wheel bearings

backside of brake caliper

Step 1: Remove the brake caliper and bracket. Use your ratchet and ⅜ socket set to unbolt the disc brake caliper and bracket from the spindle. Use a screwdriver to remove the caliper itself.

  • Tip: When removing the caliper, be careful not to let it dangle freely, as this can damage the flexible brake line. Use the wire hanger to hook it on a secure part of the undercarriage or hang the brake caliper on the suspension.

rotor with hub and bearing diagrams

Step 2: Remove the outer wheel bearing. If the wheel bearings are housed inside your disc brake rotor, as often seen in trucks, you will need to pry off the central dust cap to expose the cotter pin and retaining nut.

To do this, use your pliers to remove the cotter pin and retaining nut and then slide the rotor forward to release the outer wheel bearing(smaller wheel bearing).

Step 3: Remove the rotor and inner wheel bearing. Replace the retaining nut on the spindle and grab the rotor with both hands. Proceed to pull the rotor off the spindle, allowing the larger inner bearing to get caught on the retaining nut, and release the bearing and grease seal from the rotor.

Step 4: Rub bearing grease into the casing. Place the rotor face down on the floor with the back side facing upwards. Take the new larger bearing and rub the bearing grease into the casing.

  • Tip: The easiest way to do this is to wear a glove and scoop a fair amount of grease into the palm of your hand and rub the bearing into your palm, forcing the grease into the bearing casing.

Step 5: Install the new bearing. Place the new bearing into the back of the rotor and apply grease to the inside bearing cavity. Install a new bearing seal over the new larger bearing and slide the rotor back on to the spindle.

  • Tip: A rubber mallet can be used to tap the bearing seal into place.

Pack the new smaller bearing with grease and slide it on to the spindle inside the rotor. Now install the thrust washer and retaining nut onto the spindle.

Step 6: Install a new cotter pin. Tighten the retaining nut until it is snug and turn the rotor counterclockwise at the same time.

Tighten the retaining nut a ¼ turn past snug and then install a new cotter pin.

diagram of hub assembly

Step 7: Unbolt and replace the hub. Some cars have permanently sealed front wheel bearings as shown in the image above. The rotor mounts on a hub that contains the pressed-in wheel bearing.

Bearing assemblies on front or rear non-driven axles are mounted between a wheel hub and a simple spindle shaft.

  • Tip: If your bearing is housed inside a hub that can be unbolted, simply use your ratchet to unbolt the hub from the spindle and install a new hub.

bearings spindle with pressed bearing setup

Step 8: Remove the spindle if needed. If your bearing is pressed into the spindle, it is recommended that you remove the spindle from the vehicle and take both the spindle and the new wheel bearing to your local repair shop. They will have the specialty tools to press out the old bearing and press in the new one.

In most cases this service can be done inexpensively. Once the new bearing pressed in, the spindle can be installed back on to the vehicle.

Part 3 of 3: Reassembly

Step 1: Put the brake rotor and caliper back on. Now that the new bearing is installed, the brake rotor and caliper can be placed back onto the vehicle using a ratchet and the appropriate sockets that were used to remove them.

Step 2: Install the tire. Replace the wheel and tighten the lug nuts by hand. Support the vehicle with a floor jack and remove the safety jack stands. Slowly lower the vehicle until its tires just touch the ground.

Step 3: Complete the installation. Use a torque wrench to tighten the lugnuts to manufacturer specifications. Lower the vehicle completely and remove the floor jack.

Congratulations, you have successfully changed your vehicle’s wheel bearing. It is important to perform a test drive after changing the wheel bearings to ensure that the repair is complete.. If you encountered any problems while changing your wheel bearings, call a professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, to replace them for you.


Next Step

Schedule Wheel Bearings Replacement

The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Wheel Bearings Replacement. YourMechanic’s technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews... LEARN MORE

SEE PRICING & SCHEDULING

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Recent Wheel Bearings Replacement reviews

Excellent Rating

(1,148)

Rating Summary
1,083
43
3
2
17
1,083
43
3
2
17

Matthew

34 years of experience
1438 reviews
Matthew
34 years of experience
Volkswagen Tiguan L4-2.0L Turbo - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Driver Side Front) - Newport News, Virginia
Arrived early, very courteous, professional, answered all my questions. I will recommend Mrs Lerman to my friends. And this company.
Kia Optima - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Driver Side Front) - Norfolk, Virginia
Matthew is a very friendly and knowledgeable individual who is professional and detailed with his work. Not my first time incorporating his services into my car maintenance but will definitely not be the last! I thank him for all that he has done and will continue to be greatly appreciated.

Michael

5 years of experience
355 reviews
Michael
5 years of experience
Volkswagen Jetta L4-2.0L Turbo - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Passenger Side Rear) - Indianapolis, Indiana
Michael was great. He was quick, professional, and did a great job. Glad I chose yourmechanic instead of using a local shop.
Nissan Sentra - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Passenger Side Front) - Indianapolis, Indiana
Extremely cold and still great service provided by Michael. Would highly recommend him and the Your Mechanic service.

Eliud

24 years of experience
312 reviews
Eliud
24 years of experience
Ford Fusion L4-2.0L Turbo - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Passenger Side Front) - Dacula, Georgia
Eliud came out almost an hour and a half before our scheduled time. Very friendly and got to work immediately and put in a new wheel bearing for me. Took the car for a spin and everything’s is working just fine. Will be calling Eliud for anymore car troubles I might have.
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Passenger Side Front) - Grayson, Georgia
Service was great. Mr Hernandez is professional, efficient, courteous, and someone who takes pride in his work. Vehicle and work area were left clean and swept up as if no one had been there. Thanks, highly recommended.

Shane

18 years of experience
379 reviews
Shane
18 years of experience
GMC Terrain L4-2.4L - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Driver Side Front) - Austin, Texas
I needed my wheel bearing replaced before Thanksgiving trip and Shane was able to help us out even with short notice on our end. Will use again for sure.
Jeep Patriot - Wheel Bearings Replacement (Driver Side Rear) - Austin, Texas
I have had Shane as my mechanic a few times now and I absolutely recommend requesting him!! He is always so pleasant, efficient and detail oriented. He continues to listen to my concerns, provide me with a quote for the services and do exceptional work!

Need Help With Your Car?

Our certified mobile mechanics make house calls in over 2,000 U.S. cities. Fast, free online quotes for your car repair.

GET A QUOTE

Related articles

How Long Does a Front Output Shaft Bearing Last?
For For those people who own a vehicle that is equipped with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, the vehicle uses a transfer case in order to split up the motion so you get the rear and front motion. Within this...
How to Remove the Wheels from Your Vehicle
Your Your tires are an essential part of your vehicle. They are there for safety, comfort, and performance. The tires are mounted (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-tires-work) to the wheels, which in turn are mounted to the vehicle. Some vehicles have directional or positional...
The Mechanics of Cars: Simple Machines in Automobiles
Simple Simple machines are single, mechanical devices that help improve the daily life of humans by allowing them to work faster, easier, and more efficiently. Simple machines are considered to be the basic mechanisms that all complex machines...

Related questions

Tire has micro leak
Hi there. All tires will leak some air over time, but if it loses all of its air by the next day, then there is a problem. A tire shop should remove the tire from the wheel and inspect the...
Is my rack opinion damaged?
The rack and pinion gear set does two things: It converts the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion needed to turn the wheels. It also provides a gear reduction, making it easier to turn the wheels...
Oil pressure gauge drops, idle goes crazy and wanting to die.
Hi there. Either the engine oil pump is plugged up or failing or the engine bearings are worn causing internal oil leakage. The engine is running rough and wanting to stall due to the lack of lubrication. I recommend seeking...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com