I think I screwed up my rear wheel bearing install, again. :( Another $50 down the drain... Options

[3liter914-6]

So I screwed up one of my bearings last night. The first one just slid right in smooth as glass. The second one went in a little cockeyed and wouldn't budge. Had to pound it out, one bearing down. So I went and got a new bearing this AM, and a few pounds of dry ice to cool it down super fast. A little persuasion with an appropriate drift and it was sunk home.

Put the trailing arm on the car, and fab'd up the PP tech article tool and started cranking it down. Well something went wrong, too small of a socket or too weak of a washer (it bent), and the hub ended up a little cockeyed in the bearing. Not too far in maybe 1cm. stuck fast, so seeing no other option, I tapped it out from the rear. I just want to make sure the bearing is screwed, right? The seal popped off a little bit and I can see the balls in on the race. I can't think of any actual bearing bits that I damaged, but if the seal has popped out, that's pretty much it for the bearing, right? If I weren't going to take the car anywhere, I guess I'd just try and reseat the seal and see where the chips fall, but I don't want to replace any bearings on the road, so I'm best off replacing it rather than trying to reseal it, right?

Thanks,

Adam

[airsix]

Next time just insert the stub axle by hand as far as it will go easily. There will be just enough threads sticking out that you can get the castle-nut started if you turn it over and thread it on upside down. Spin it a few turns to pull the stub through a ways, then flip the castle-nut around so it's right-side-up and finish pulling the stub through the hub. This method is best because you are squeezing the bearing halves together as you pull the stub through with the nut. There is no force pulling the bearing apart such as is the case if you drive the stub into the hub from the back with a mallet of something. Hope that helps.

I don't know why Pelican recommends making a tool. The above has always worked like a charm for me.

-Ben M.