Subject: u-joints/rear wheel bearings tough to replace on tr6?
Gary says:
>While trying to wiggle off the drum on one
>side I felt a little wobble that wasn't coming from the drum as it backed
>off. It appeared to be comming from what I presumed to be a worn wheel
>bearing.
I think you're right, Gary, and to answer another of your questions,
>how tough are they to replace?
I would say, from very expensive and usatisfactory experience, pay
someone else to do it. The *only* alternative I would consider for my
own TR6 is to send the old wheel bearings to TRF and let them send you
rebuilt units. The last time I looked at the price, this was not
inexpensive at all. However, the parts of the hub are *quite* expensive
to replace, and they're also fragile. I just wouldn't trust anyone else
to do it when I know that TRF can do it right at a reasonable price.
>While I'm under there I'm considered replacing all 6 u-joints
Now there's a job you can do yourself! You need a few special tools,
but there's only one that you can't make yourself---a pair of special
plyers to remove the circlips that hold the U-joints together. TRF
sells these also. I used a heavy hammer (to get things apart) and a few
impact-wrench sockets; this is the tool I used to recess the bearing
caps within the carriers. I also used a vice-clamp to reasseble the
pieces. I think mine has a 6-inch bite, which wasn't quite enough. 8
inches would be great.
I don't know how much it would cost to have someone replace the U-joints
for you. You could probably find a place to do it for a reasonable
price. But it was very satisfying to do the job myself; and the TR6 is
a very basic, low-technology car that was really designed for the home
mechanic. So if you have any aspirations for learning to maintain the
car yourself, this is a great job to start with.
Replacing the wheel bearings was one of the first jobs I tackled myself,
and I completed it successfully. But I bent a wheel-carrying flange, so
one wheel wobbled until I found another flange at a junkyard (actually,
I found a box full of parts, including 3 flanges, and I thought I'd hit
the jackpot---but only one of the flanges was straight). Another
problem is alignment. The bearings are fairly large in diameter, and
they have an extremely tight seat; so it's easy to install the bearing
races crooked. If I remember correctly, it seems like I didn't have
enough wrench to torque everything together tightly enough, either.
I've replaced wheel bearings in other cars, and it was always easy.
This car's a bear, though, and I really think it's worth the money to
have it done. You have 90K miles on your car, right? The TRF units are
built to the same standards as the originals. After less than 20K
miles, mine are getting noisy again.
Good luck!
Kevin
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