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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wheels and Tires Forum Sponsored by The Tire Rack > e90 330i front bearing installation?



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      04-19-2013, 09:14 PM   #1
dArNeLLi
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e90 330i front bearing installation?

Hey guys,

Had it checked out at a shop and determined that the front right wheel bearing needs replacement. I've checked out on Tischer and it looks like it's the part number below.

1 - front bearing and hub (p/n 31216765157)
http://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/200...gramCallOut=17

It comes with the hub and the front bearing, do I need to replace the hub as well (or is it easier to just replace the pair)?

I've dug around before taking the car back home and found this thread on installation, I figured it doesn't look too difficult (decently mechanical inclined)

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...+front+bearing

but I wanted to get more feedback from anyone who has done this job...

A shot in the dark, any photo step by step how's to replace this part? Also, I have my normal sockets and such and a torque wrench that I use (harbor freight) to torque down my wheel bolts, but will I need any other additional tools to get this job done? Any tricks/tactics to make accessing anything easier?

Also, that thread states replacing the bolts too, anyone have the bolt part numbers to replace?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.
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      04-20-2013, 01:37 AM   #2
chronologic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dArNeLLi View Post
Hey guys,

Had it checked out at a shop and determined that the front right wheel bearing needs replacement. I've checked out on Tischer and it looks like it's the part number below.

1 - front bearing and hub (p/n 31216765157)
http://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/200...gramCallOut=17

It comes with the hub and the front bearing, do I need to replace the hub as well (or is it easier to just replace the pair)?

I've dug around before taking the car back home and found this thread on installation, I figured it doesn't look too difficult (decently mechanical inclined)

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...+front+bearing

but I wanted to get more feedback from anyone who has done this job...

A shot in the dark, any photo step by step how's to replace this part? Also, I have my normal sockets and such and a torque wrench that I use (harbor freight) to torque down my wheel bolts, but will I need any other additional tools to get this job done? Any tricks/tactics to make accessing anything easier?

Also, that thread states replacing the bolts too, anyone have the bolt part numbers to replace?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate it.
I just replaced my E90 330i front right wheel bearing about a month ago.

To answer your question:
The part is a wheel bearing and hub 'assembly.' You are actually replacing the bearing and the hub in this process. The PN for the wheel bearing bolts is 31126760203.

If you know how to remove all the parts all the way to the rotors,it's easy. The process is straight forward as described in the link you pointed to above. Just be safe and use jack stands.

Sorry, I didnt take pictures when I did the job. But I can share you some points that may help you from my experience (this is not a step by step instruction):
(0) Support the car with two jack stands on the two front jack points of the car. Since the space is a little tight, you may need to turn the steering wheel left and right to gain more space when working on the wheel bearing bolts.
(1) The disk rotor may have a deep lip that will make it difficult to remove the caliper. I used an 8" clamp to compress the caliper piston.
(1.1) Reference this instruction to compress the caliper piston ONLY(step G4 ONLY). Not all instructions in this link applies since this link is for a brake job: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=523439
(1.2) Undo the caliper carrier screws NOT the caliper retainer screws. This is because you want to remove the whole caliper assembly, not disassemble it.
(1.1) Use a wire to hang the caliper to the coil. Do not let it hanging just by the break lines.
(2)Once you get to the point where you are ready to remove the wheel bearing assembly, carefully remove the wheel speed sensor first behind the steering knuckle -- you dont want to accidentally yank the wire while in the process of undoing the wheel bearing bolts. The sensor is attached to the steering knuckle by a hex screw (sorry, I forgot the size). Move this out of the way since the sensor is a very sensitive part. Remember how the wire is originally routed.
(3)The four wheel bearing bolts are thread locked. A penetrating oil (soak with PB Blaster) may help you undo the bolts. Warning: it's stinky! You might want to consider a new set of wheel bearing bolts. The new bolts already have thread lock coating in them. PN 31126760203. Watch where the excess PB blaster goes -- protect the rubber parts from it if possible.
(4)You will need a breaker bar long enough for leverage because the bolts are tough to undo (threadlocked) -- use not too long of a breaker bar because you are limited by the space of the wheel well. A ratcheting breaker bar helps a lot. I think i used an 18" ratcheting breaker bar from HarborFreight.
(5) 3 of the four bolts are easily accessible. The 4th bolt is slightly blocked by the end of the strut. You will need a socket extension of about 2 1/2" long to get access to it. I think a deep socket will do the job as well. But I used the socket extension.
(6) Once the wheel bearing assembly is removed, clean the interface between the steering knuckle and the wheel bearing assembly. Clean the hole for the wheel speed sensor as well.
(7) Now on installation, tighten the bolts in a cross pattern. Torque them to the right spec.
(8) When re-installing the wheel speed sensor, coat it lightly with grease (I think i read this in the bentley manual). I think the purpose is to keep the moisture away from it.

I hope these notes help.
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      05-04-2013, 11:16 PM   #3
dArNeLLi
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Thanks for the help, I actually got it done last night. Took about 2.5 hours to get it all apart, and about 20-30 minutes to put it all back together.

The hardest part of it was accessing the bolts, had to turn the wheel into different positions to get access.

Also, I just left my caliper on the rotor and put a small wooden stool to hold it up, worked just fine.

PB blaster was also definitely a friend.

Thanks again, saved 300 bucks in labor!
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