97 neon front wheel bearing replacement question

[XWrench3]

the drivers side front wheel bearing has been complaining for a long time, but it is now starting to get a much deeper growl. so, i know i have put it off to long. is there anything special about changing this out? i know i have to jack it up, put it on jack stands, and remove the axle nut. is it all nuts and bolts from that point, or are there special tools, torches, pullers, jaws of life, 50 ton presses, and or wrecking balls or abrahms m1 tanks to pull things apart?

[das2123]

Nope, pretty straight forward.

[XWrench3]

from what i have heard about doing this, (from the auto parts store guy) you need a press in order to remove and replace this. has anyone had ANY luck not using a press. at this point, this is my only running vehicle, and i do not own a press. i had a thought about using a bearing removal and installation tool form the motorcycle industry, which really equates to a long 12mm fine thread all thread hardened bolt, with thick plates. i am not sure if this will give me enough pressure or not, but i am hoping so. as far as getting it apart, i am not as worried, heat is a mechanics best freind as long as the parts are being replaced anyway. i bought a hub and bearing, just so i could use heat if i needed to. putting it together i will put pieces in the freezer to help shrink them a little, and use ep gear lube to help with them sliding. and i can use moderate heat from a hair dryer, i know that is not a lot, but on an interference fit, anything helps.

[XWrench3]

well, i have the old bearing off, and internally it looks like new. there was no roughness when i rolled it before i beat it apart, but it was a bit stiff to roll by hand. there is still grease in there. every ball and the inside races look beautiful. so i am thinking i just wasted 50 bucks. what the heck else could it be. it is very loud from the drivers side. i have ridden in the passenger side, and it is quieter there. i know the sound that a cv joint makes when it is bad, and that is not what i am hearing,. is there a possibility that it could be the bearing in the transmission? i would think there would have been a bunch of junk in the oil pan if that was bad. i changed that a couple of months ago (the grinding hes been here for over a year) and it was actually pretty clean in there. nothing more than i would expect. i am going to install the new one anyway, i do not feel comfortable reinstalling the one that i just beat apart with a hammer.

[XWrench3]

i don't know the hows or whys, but mostly out of fear that the wheel would lock up and send us careening off the road i decided to just go ahead and replace the other front wheel bearing. and the noise is now gone. my only thought is that the noise was somehow transferring across to the drivres side. after i replaced the drivers side, the noise was a small amount quieter, but not enough. after replacing the other side, the noise is totally gone. so i guess you can figure that 200,000 miles is about the replacement interval on wheel bearings on a neon. by the way, the passenger side bearing looked like i had expected the drivers to look. nasty, rough, with a small amount of self destruction silver stuff in it (ground up bearing and race material). and by the way, this can be done at home without a press. a little heat in the right places, and a freezer helps tremendously. i used a cut off wheel, a vice, a chisel, hammer and safety glasses to get the old one off. the one single most important part of those tools are the safety glasses! several pieces of the old race broke off and went flying. w/o the glasses, it can get very ugly very fast. and the new bearing can be "pulled" into place with a piece of threaded rod, a couple of nuts, and some washers.