Took the 92 accord ex to the dr. And he said the wheel hub bearings were shot. I can hear something making like a scrubbing noise, and it sounds to me like it's on the drivers side. He said the same, but said he wouldn't know for sure until he got in there. How can you tell if your wheel hub bearings are bad, other than the obvious noise...and how do you tell which one is bad, drivers side or passenger? I know its up in the front, but the sound sort of radiates through the whole front end and you can't be sure where it's coming from.
How hard would it be for me to tackle this job myself...i've done brake jobs before with no problems, just never messed with a wheel hub bearing before. Also, my mechanic was talking something about getting the bearings pressed in by a machine shop...is this part of the procedure? Said it costs like 60.00! I'm trying desperately to make ends meet here, i got this car to save money on gas...but i didn't know it was going to cost me so much to fix! Parts seem to be high! They wanted 89.99 for a re-man. Alt. For it! When i did some research and found out that most times it's just the brushes that wear out, i went ahead and saved myself the labor and parts price i was about to pay of 210.00 plus tax! I got a can of cleaner, and the new brushes all for about 12.00! Did the work myself and saved a bundle! It really wasn't too bad at all! So i am thinkin, the job with the wheel hub bearing might be ok as well. Just lookin for some input on what to watch out for...etc... Thanks ya'll!

 

Once the car is in the aur you can check for "play" in the bearing, that will help you find which one is bad.

Well these have the "captive" rotors so that adds a bit. Getting the axle nut and lower ball joint loose will be another challenge.

Suggest a manual, if you don't have one. Then look for some videos (eric the car guy?) online for more tips.

Not that bad of a job IMO.

 

Ericthecarguy has a nice video on Honda trapped rotor access. You can buy a new wheel bearing/hub assy already assembled to reinstall. Check ebay or rockauto for a good deal.

A good way to confirm bearing problem is to rotate wheel slowly w/ fingers on the axle retaining nut. If there's any vibration or rough feel, the bearing is worn. Play will not always be present.

Check DIY forum, Online Manuals links for a download manual. You can do this job, but information is cheapest and best "helper" you'll find.

good luck

 

Watch the ericthecarguy video on youtube and decide weather you want to do it yourself. I replaced my wheel bearing on a 96 accord last month. It was a lot of labor probably spent 10 hours on it over two days I work slow though. The rotors had never been off or the knuckle and I live in the northeast lots of rust, I did snap one bolt but it was easy enough to get a new one at Ace.

The bearing was $40 at autozone. Im not sure how much a 96 setup is different from a 92. There was no need for a press for a 96 bearing, the bearing assembly is bolted in the knuckle and the hub can be tapped on carefully. My official honda manual does show the bearing pressed onto the hub though. The $60 quote for that probably includes a double markup, the mechanic probably is sending it out.

The lower ball joint you can wedge a wrench between two suspension points and lower the car it pops right out, very simple. There is also a video on youtube for this. The upper ball joint you just need to tap gently it will finally pop, same with the other joint.

As for knowing which one is bad, its hard to tell unless its really bad. I replaced mine because I had a loud squeak on occasions but I couldn't tell where it was coming from exactly. But I finally felt the lug nuts and rotors one day and they were piping hot way hotter then the other side. When I did get the bearing out it wasnt as smooth as the new one. I figured it was the rotors or bearing, as the brakes did not seem like they were binding or sticking.

 

If you decide to do the bearing, you can get the rotor over the hub conversion from tasauto.com. Then changing the rotors is a breeze.

 

Ericthecarguy uses a air impact driver to push the bolts and drive the hub/bearing assembly from the knuckle. I didn't have the air impact driver and used two long bolts (10x1.25x70mm), and 3-lb hammer to drive the hub out. Unless you have lot's of rust, it comes out fairly easily.

I got the two long bolts by looking at Honda rear suspension and finding same diameter x thread pitch (10x1.25mm) as the hub bolts, but much longer, 70 mm. They cost about $3-4 each. I've used them to replace rotors on 3 cars; 94 Accord EX, Acura 2.2CL, and 97 Acura 2.5TL.

good luck