Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting wheel bearing

i need a new drivers side wheel bearing, its a 97 duratec atx. whats involved in changing it?

thx,
Russell

I just had both on mine changed. It cost 2 hours labor & parts. I didn't do it because it is WORK. You have to remove the brake assembly, remove the tie rod, you will need a special tool or just right sized piece of pipe to press out the old bearing, and you will need to press in the new bearing & reassemble. Then, you need a front end alignment. The dealer wanted to charge me for 4 hours.
Good luck!

My 99 SE make a lot of noise during brake and hard turn. Is this a bearing problem?

Removing the tire, brake calipers, rotor. Unscrewing the axel nut, unbolt everything from the stearing knuckle. Pound the steering knuckle off the bottom of the strut.

A new bearing was purchased at http://www.fordpartsonline.com/ for about $36. I took my stearing knuckle to a local parts shop with a press and they pressed the old bearing out, and pressed in the new one in for $13.00. So just the bearing for about $50 plus tax.

While doing this I also replaced the front struts, and brakes ..... as long as everything was appart.

you thinks its something i could attempt, im not all that great with cars, but i can change plugs and oil fine, and i did a few O2 sensor

also, could a bad wheel bearing have any affect on gas milage?

This is not an easy DIY job and unless you have a more experienced person to assist and guide you I would not recommend. Labor of 2 hrs at a shop plus parts makes it a reasonable cost repair which should not require an alignment.

Any effect on mileage would be imperceptible.