I've been thinking about repacking the wheel bearings on my 82 240d. I was thumbing through my hayne's manual to make sure the task wouldn't be too arduous when suddenly I become confused.

The manual specifies that there is a bearing seal on the wheel hub that I must "deform with a screwdriver and then pry off." There is a photo of the step mentioned, showing a man bending the crap out of some kind of ring-shaped object in the hub and then prying it off with a flathead screwdriver.

So I'm curious, is the bearing seal something that I have to purchase and replace, or is it something that can be left off once it's removed, or what?

PS - I'm a moron who knows nothing about cars.

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1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

You are right, the bearing seal will need to be replaced if you butcher it the way the manual states!. Is there a reason you are replacing the bearings in the first place? grinding noises? Here is a suggestion, buy a dolly (no, not one of those inflatable ones!) a 6" X 1/2" diameter brass rod. Must be brass (softer metal than steel, so won't damage bearings!) When you have removed your disk rotor, remove/lift out the ouside bearing. Use the dolly, sliding it in from the ouside of the disk and locate the OUTER lip of the inside bearing, the bearing that lives behind the seal your inquiring about. (not the inside ring of the bearing, or you will trash the bearing). You will feel a lip of about 2mm, use a hammer to strike the dolly and move around the edge of the bearing, striking only the outer edge of the bearing. The seal will pop out eventaully, undamged seal and bearing! Clean all parts in petrol, DO NOT spin the bearingl, you will trash it. When the bearings are clean, check the rollers for scouring marks, collapsed, dull gey wear marks in case hardening etc. If they are still smooth and shiny with all their case hardening intact, repack and replace, you then only need a new seal! (you can reuse the original if it's undamaged at a push) If you intend replacing the bearings anyway, you will need a dolly to drive out the bearing cups if you intend replacing the bearings, so buy a dolly anyway. The waffler- my 2 cents.

Hey thanks.

OH NOES. I found a rust bubble under the black coating behind the front left jack point. I managed to push my thumb through it and (using my index finger) scooped out about two tablespoons of corrosion.

Is my car totalled beyond a doubt, or can this be somehow fixed?

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1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

Does not sound good. The best thing is check the rear jacing point on the same side, if it's sound, jack from that point. You will find a heap of drain holes along the bottom of the sill. Clean them out first with a bit of wire and start hosing out the sill. See what nasties come out. Once it's clean use a thin pointed metal scribe and gently start poking around the front jack point to establish the integrity of the steel and how far the rust has gone. You may have caught it in time. If you start digging madly and it's serious, you could create unnecessary work for yourself trying to hide it before you trade it or off load it. Go slowly, it's probably not too bad, a weak spot for rust in these areas. Check both sills and get an idea of their state first , then make a decision or have a panel beater quote for repairs. Sorry.

There have been some other threads about rusty jack points. You might try searching for them. I used search term "rust jack" and found some.

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Seals are considered wear items, and they are hard to remove without damage, hence the procedure for replacing the seals.

If you can remove them wthout damage, as GermanMarque suggested, and they aren't terribly worn, then more power to you and go ahead and reuse the seals.

As for the rest of the procedure, follow the Haynes manual to the letter. Take no shortcuts. Bearings are unforgiving if you do anything less than a perfect job. Post back if you have any more questions or if you don't understand something.

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95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K