Has anyone here replaced the rear wheel bearings, the workshop manual is clear as mud.

It looks like a press is needed and a box full of special Jaguar tools though Jaguar do not explicitly call out a press and theres a large circlip to retain the bearing at the back of the hub ... I have the bearings but none of the tools, I do not have a press, I have read some horror stories about the force needed to even get the half shaft to let go

204-450 - Install and removal tool
204-269 - Forcing screw
204-305 - Remover wheel bearing
204-726 - and yet another remover installer wheel bearing
204-727a - installer wheel bearing
204-791 - yet another installer wheel bearing
205-491 - hub puller
205-491-1 - Adapter nuts (presumably 5 of them)
205-725 - Remover Installer wheel hub

As much as I prefer to do my own stuff I'm tempted to hand somebody else the problem (I want to do both sides) unless anyone here has done and knows the traps.

 

The above sequence and tools, means labour charges soon add up, so most shops just replace the hub complete with bearings. Look up the price of the hub.

 

I have actually asked one place the type of bearing used in their refurbed units, I don't want cheapest chinesium **** available and have a pair of NTN in the box - before I found out about all these tools being required - thought it would be just a press but with that and all these tools it is crazy - I could buy a press and justify it because I'll use it for other stuff, the tools you cannot buy easily.

I am not happy about the nature of the conditions the seller has though, not interested in 'you must return your old one within X days BS' - I want these things on the shelf for when the opportunity presents to do the job when it is convenient for me not be forced to do it to meet such a demand. I'm too old to be messing about in the cold and the rain, I only have weekends available - I'm past all the rolling around in all weathers nonsense I used to to do four decades ago.

I have found a place that will hire the tools out but you have the same constraints on when you hire you have to do which anyone that has worked on suspension will know is a task that can grow arms and legs with siezed bolts etc so even hiring could exceed the cost of complete hubs significantly.

 

Admittedly they are chalk and cheese, but I've replaced the rear hub in my beater Odyssey with a furrin hub from eBay. Part and 36mm impact socket for $50, delivered the next day. Took longer to get the van up in the air than to do the job. I'm not expecting to get another quarter-million miles out of this bearing, this car, or this body.
YMMV, but if I need this job done on my XJ, I'd do the same thing again if possible.

 

I am exploring hubs for sure right now, found a few that look like a good punt (and some that do not).

All I need if I replace the entire hub is a decent hub puller to push the CV splines out and some luck not to encounter siezed bolts.

 

The hub assembly is certainly a better option.
There's no reason I've found to go through the headache of pressing out old bearings & pressing in new ones, and still having an old hub - the price difference gets eaten-up by time & other costs.

 

same process as lincoln ls

or just get another from the junkyard usually they last the life of the car

 

I have one that has play, there's a real annoying noise from the location that has play but it doesn't change much cornering only really noticable cruising on highway / motorway. It isn't the differential because the noise is the same regardless of the power input.

As for "usually they last the life of the car" - my car has loads of life left yet subject to some other incident totalling it so I have one that hasn't lasted the life of the car. same addage that Jaguar use for the transmission - what they really mean is that it will fail when Jaguar don't need to give a damn anymore.

 

i can count on two fingers the times i’ve had to change rears out

struggle..or don’t

 

You suggesting that only replacing the one with the play is all I need ?

I was going to replace both on the basis that one has gone so the other likely will too.

Just for reference my car has 191k miles on it (all highway/motorway).... which is likely far higher than many and so likely well beyond what is considered 'end if life' in the UK where 100k seems to be the high end norm - whereas 100k is nothing in the USA from what I've seen.

 

just take the whole knuckle out and replace with one from a junked car with way less miles, 15 minutes and you’re back on the road. my own car is at 250k and they are still original

 

I'm going to do that, 15 mins - I doubt I can get the wheel off in 15 mins

I'll buy both sides but do only one and keep the other on the shelf.

 

Hello! It's not that difficult to replace the rear bearing. I did it a few months ago and if I had to do it again, I would do the following:

1. Before removing the nuts and bolts of the control arms and rods connected to the hub assembly, I would soak them all in WD40 and properly clean al the threads. This comes in handy especially when removing the upper control arm which disconnects itself from the assembly very easily as soon as the nut is loose which then makes it difficult to remove if the nut is not easy to turn.
2. After disconnecting everything from the assembly, you need a hub extractor which looks something like this:

https://selectauto.ro/alte-scule-pen...hoCCnkQAvD_BwE

3. ​​​​Then, after the hub is released from the shaft, you take the assembly to a garage that has a hidraulic press. I have a 20T press but as I remember, I only used maximum 4 tones of force to remove the old bearing and just a bit above 2 to push in the new one. Remove the circlip, press the old bearing out, press the new bearing in.

4. Reinstall assembly in reverse order.

I hope this helps.

Regards from Romania,

Andrei
​​

 

So you didn't need to concern with specific depths etc - the way Jaguar describe this there are half a dozen tools just to remove and replace the bearing in addition to the puller, the pictures in the manual make it look really complex but there's no text to explain what is being shown. I can get the puller on hire, if I only need a press and some tube or bar stock to press in and out I may have a go as I can justify buying a press which I've really needed for a long time.

 

Nope. There is nothing that can go wrong. The bearing goes in up to the point it clears the circlip groove. It doesn't go any deeper, either.

Jaguar x351 is notorious for making easy jobs extremely difficult, like changing the lightbulbs (need to take bumper off) or disconnecting the radiator fan from the main wiring harness (instead of just connecting it in an accesible place like in the engine bay they lengthened the harnesses and made the connection somewhere between the radiator and the bumper so it takes a lot of labour to do the job). Other jobs, like the bearing replacement couldn't be made more difficult so they made it seem like it is so.

 

Just be aware that Ben in in the UK and he WILL be fighting rust!
So the job may indeed be straight forward but again what's the rust look like under there?
As Ben posted that simple job can grow arms and legs real quick!
.
.
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If I can get the bolts out is one concern - I've fought with those cammed adjuster type bolts before but I need to remove those suckers anyhow.

I have read that the hub can corrode where the circlip is and if I find that then replacing the whole thing is a no brainer, my only real concern otherwise is getting the shaft out of the hub.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a press anyway, I've needed one for a long time and keep 'making do' but I'm getting tired of making do when a small investment saves me abusing the arthritis in the hands. I'm still averse to paying others to do stuff while I am still able.

I shall weigh up the hub vs bearing once I have it out.

Footnote - I managed to snag a 30 ton commercial press (not one that uses a bottle jack) for a really good price (less than most 10 ton on the market), fully functional, if a 30 ton press can't push the bearings out and in then I'll surrender and buy hubs

 

Nothing a good hidraulic press can't handle. I also had a bit of an issue with aluminium oxide when pressing the bearing out but after it starts moving it slides out pretty smoothly. Same thing with the shaft.

 

Need to replace my rear right wheel bearing (also in the UK so things may be a bit rusty…) - it’s been a couple years but thought it’s worth a shot to ask how you got on? Did you replace just the one wheel bearing or the whole hub?

Not sure if I should attempt myself or take it to a mechanic..

 

Wrong car posted.

On the XJ I purchased ready done bearing/hubs but you do need a special puller to get the hubs off - it is not a puller but a pusher and pushes the drive shafts out and be under no illusion this job would be a massive challenge without.

I have since sold the car as it let me down once too often, wouldn't have a modern Jaguar gift wrapped now.