Quote:
Originally Posted by HuskyMan
To all, I'm about to embark on a total brake job for the 1991 560SEL, i.e. new rotors, new pads, new brake lines and flush replace the old brake fluid with new fluid and possibly rebuilding all the calipers with rebuild kits. The cars mileage is 175,000. I don't know if the wheel bearings have ever been replaced. I do have new bearing seals and was thinking of repacking the old bearings and putting the car back on the road. I've done some cursory research on the issue and it appears that the acquisition of several specialty tools are required in order to replace the bearings.
So......can I or should I repack the old bearings or should I take this opportunity to replace them? Or, I could take the car to a shop and have them replace the wheel bearings perhaps at less expense than acquiring the various tools required to replace the bearings?
|
Personally, I would simply wait until you are in there. Remove the old bearings and clean them up, and then examine them, and the races (they will still be in the hub) and if they are not pitted, scored or discolored, then simply repack them and reinstall, properly adjusting them. Wheel bearings are pretty robust, and if properly maintained (period cleaning, regreasing and adjustment) they can last hundreds of thousands of miles.
If on the other hand they show signs of excessive wear, then buy the bearings and take them and the hubs to a machine shop, they can easily R&R the outer races for you for a modest sum.
If you're otherwise disinclined to try that, then just take all of your parts to the shop and have them do all of it. The labor to R&R the wheels seals mostly includes the labor to R&R the brake parts, since all of that has to come off to get to the wheel bearings.
All of the above applies only to the FRONT wheel bearings. The rear wheel bearings are not separately serviceable and are simply replaced when they start making noise.
Good luck.