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Wheel bearing removal tips

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ddavis, Mar 30, 2020.

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  1. George W

    George W Senior Member

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    Only the outer clips were on the old pads, so they went back on the new pads, with extra Lithium grease for vibration dampening. I was disappointed in the dealership that didn't give me need-to-know info which I received here in Prius chat. I'd like to trust info I receive when I'm standing at the Parts counter!
     
    #41 George W, Apr 19, 2020
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    When I had my old Bronco II, there was one parts counter guy at the local Ford dealer who always knew how to find the right parts. Go at the wrong time and get anybody else, and they'd usually just say "hmm, that's really old, I don't think we can get that." Randy would walk off in back and return with just the right box of microfiche or 3-ring-bound paper and find the answer.

    At that time, that dealer had a parts window that stayed open to midnight, and that was when he was on. So pretty much all of my parts runs got made in the dark of night.
     
    #42 ChapmanF, Apr 19, 2020
    George W likes this.
  3. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    I'm willing to bet the part counter staff do not see it as part of their mandate to train you to fix your car. They might not even have that knowledge themselves. I'm pretty sure they expect people to know the ins and outs of what they're doing before turning up to the parts counter.
     
    #43 dolj, Apr 20, 2020
  4. ddavis

    ddavis Junior Member

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    Here's the bearing half broken in the knuckle. broken bearing.jpg broken bearing 2.jpg
    I finally got everything out. out pair.jpg
    The castle nuts on the lower ball joints couldn't be loosened. lower ball joint.jpg lower ball joints out.jpg
    As you can see, my knuckles took a beating. aftermath.jpg chisel.jpg before cleaning.jpg before cleaning 2.jpg
    And my dust shields were destroyed. dust shields.jpg
    But I got everything cleaned up. cleaned.jpg cleaned 2.jpg assembled.jpg
    Now my problem is after assembly, the boot on the lower ball joint is loose. boot issue.jpg boot issue 2.jpg
    I initially thought this was due to the Mevotech units I bought (which I also had a problem getting a socket/wrench to stay on the castle nut without slipping), but I swapped them out for Moog units and the same boot problem. I guess maybe I'm over greasing them? I wasn't sure if they came with any grease installed or not. Should I swap these for replacements or should I just get non-greaseable units to hopefully avoid this? Once I get this squared away, the car should FINALLY be back together.
     
    #44 ddavis, May 2, 2020
  5. oldtechaa

    oldtechaa Active Member

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    I'm not sure that any ball joints for the Prius are meant to be greased. I believe they should all be considered sealed units, so greasing them may break the seal and cause more problems. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, please.
     
    #45 oldtechaa, May 2, 2020
  6. Aegean

    Aegean Active Member

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    Maybe you put too much grease and the seals popped out. I would replace them with permanent grease ball joints. You might investigate though if you can just replace the rubber seals since some people claim they have done this. But disassembly labor is still the same.
     
    #46 Aegean, May 2, 2020
  7. ddavis

    ddavis Junior Member

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    These are aftermarket units that have zerk fittings on the underside which you can maybe see in my lower ball joint pics . I have tried to get the boot back into the retainer (which is like a split ring keychain type thing) but can't get the ring loose enough to get the boot in there. I didn't know if they came pre-greased since they can be greased by the end user. Perhaps I'll swap them for replacements and not grease them. These Moog units were only $30 each, so half price of OEM. I was hoping these cheaper parts would at least last however long the car lasts. I bought it fairly cheaply for commuting.
     
    #47 ddavis, May 3, 2020
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    If you're commuting, often what you really want is no-hassle reliability. For that, spending the extra $30 each for OEM might be an attractive option.
     
    #48 ChapmanF, May 3, 2020
  9. ddavis

    ddavis Junior Member

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    Well, I took everything back apart to remove the lower bearing. I followed the advice in steps 5 & 6 in this Moog pdf to fix the boot. Put everything back together and neither boot had a problem. Had to rock the car a bit as the rear wheels had locked due to no use for a month or so. A little shake down run and everything seems to be good! I think I'll put this job right up there with changing the spark plugs in my F-150 with the 5.4 Triton. Both jobs known to be a pain but I can only imagine how much money I saved on labor by sticking with it and getting it done myself.
     

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    #49 ddavis, May 7, 2020
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
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