MX-3.com

So i have used the search feature for the past 2 days because the firstreply usually starts with "use the search feature" lol

So..... i am wondering if anyone has replaced the front wheel bearings on their own yet... and if so help please,
Im trying not to take the mx to the shop because in this small a-- town all the shops are no good and have fucked up my caar more than once. also given that i cant drive to the nearest BIG city because i cant go over 60 without fear of my FR wheel falling off.....

I had just this morning replaced the front rotors and pads ( which were beyond screwed, as in almost melted).. which leads me to believe since that didnt fix the vibration that the heat from the rotor must have worn out the bearings... please help.

Buy bearing and new seal

Remove spindle (whole thing)

Take spindle and bearing to shop. (Need another car)

Press out old, press in new, put in seal.

Go home, install spindle.


Its like 90% of the other cars out there.

To change them yourself you need a press. I've done it a number of times and I've found that the bigger the press the better. A smaller, flimsier press allows too much flex and it's tougher to get the bearing to go in straight. You will also need a large pair of snap ring pliers and something to use to press the bearings in and out. 3/4" drive sockets do very well for this.

If you have access to a heavy equipment shop you're golden.

Okay so yeahhhh im just gonna end up taking it to a shop being that i dont have access to a press(beings that its in jax, FL) the whole other car thing will be tough lol my roomates mx-6 is outta commission at the moment lol.but thanks for answering fast, thats why i love the site!

BTW the mx-6 has frickennnn electronic suspension control!! why not the 3's lol

mor500589 wrote:BTW the mx-6 has frickennnn electronic suspension control!! why not the 3's lol

maybe because they tend to fail? i don't know if they actually do but either way a lot of the member's here, including myself, would have changed it out for lowering springs and performance struts =D

Agreed!

I've changed bearings using a big vise.

Ryan wrote:Take spindle and bearing to shop. (Need another car)

Like a Boss.

Daninski wrote:I've changed bearings using a big vise.

This, is how it should be done. Simplicity, nothing beats it.

my vice is not big enough... I can hardly do the front calipers in it.

if you take off the tire and try to move the hub back and forth, does it have any play, is it loose? (that's the only time loose has been used properly I think)
If you take it to a shop I would suggest order your own parts first and replace your hub while you're at it. no extra labor just parts. Also, you can convince the shop to install a new ball joint and tie rod end at no additional charge if they're not douches. the parts are super cheap, and you might as well have them done if you're going to be messing with them.

If the hub is worn, you're just going to eat through another bearing. I think a new bearing and a bad hub lasted me a month.

SuperK wrote:If the hub is worn, you're just going to eat through another bearing. I think a new bearing and a bad hub lasted me a month.

Tru dat.

I have done it without a press before, you can take off the spindle and use a selection of impact sockets and a hammer to get them out, and then use the outside of the old bearing to hammer them back in. The car in question covered a couple hundred thousand miles afterwards. It takes forever and you have to be really careful you don't damage the bearings. If you intend on owning a Mazda for a long time you could buy a inexpensive $150ish press at Harbor freight or Princess Auto. The press comes in really handy for lots of stuff, like bushing replacement, and pin point aggression that you would usually use a hammer A.K.A "slide press" for. When I first bought it, I thought it was a little extravagant based on how often it would be used, but I really do get quite a bit of use out of it. I can often be heard in the shop talking to parts "Oh ya you stoopid matherfacker, let me introduce you to my 5 tonnes of force little friend and see if you refuse to come off then"

The hydraulic press is a good investment - still on my wish list. I did front wheel bearings myself but with a OTC hub tamer that I had bought and used on another car a few years back. It's a cool tool that is supposed to allow you to replace front wheel bearings without removing the spindle (steering knuckle) from the car so no need for front end alignment afterward. It worked on a Celica and Maxima but was no match for the MX-3 with 17 yrs and 170K miles. The hub tamer successfully removed the hub from the spindle but would not budge the remaining bearing in the spindle. I had to pull the whole spindle and take the bfh to it. Found one spindle and hub bad - bearing obviously spun in it and ruined it. The hub tamer did work for installing the new bearings though.