Honda Civic (1992-2000) Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

With the car still on the ground, remove the centre cap from the wheel to expose the 32mm axle nut and crack it loose. It is extremely tight - use a long breaker bar or an impact wrench (or both). If you cannot get at it with the wheel on, do it after the car is raised with a helper standing on the brakes. Never use a torque wrench to loosen it.

Jack up the front of the car, support it securely on jack stands, and remove the wheel. Finish removing the 32mm axle nut if you have not already.

Undo the two 17mm bolts mounting the caliper to the knuckle and remove the caliper. Then remove the two Phillips screws retaining the brake rotor and take the rotor off. Use an impact driver on these screws - not an impact wrench - as they are usually seized and strip easily; badly seized screws may need to be drilled out.

Three castle nuts hold the knuckle to the car (labeled A, B and C in the original diagram - the lower ball joint, upper ball joint and tie rod end). Remove the cotter pin from each, then remove the nuts. If the car has ABS, also remove the wheel speed sensor from the knuckle - four 10mm bolts.

Carefully work the knuckle off its three joints - the lower ball joint's castle nut may need some persuasion with a pry bar. The axle ought to slide straight out of the hub; if it does not, tap it lightly with a hammer. With the knuckle on the bench, turn it over and the wheel bearing is visible from the back.

Support the knuckle and drive the hub out using a suitably sized socket (about 1-3/8" outer diameter) and a 3 lb hammer - or press it out if you have access to a hydraulic press. Part of the bearing's inner race will usually come out stuck on the hub shaft; that is normal.

Without a bearing puller or press, the stuck inner race is removed by grinding: buzz material off the race with an angle grinder until it starts to discolor (black/blue/purple) as you approach the hub shaft. The race section nearer the wheel studs is thicker. A gap separates the hub face from the bearing race - understand where that separation is before grinding. A small nick in the hub shaft is fine, but do not gouge it. Get close, break the race through with a chisel, then walk it off the shaft with channel locks, turning back and forth. Dress any nicks on the shaft with a file or emery cloth so the new bearing cannot hang up on an imperfection.

An internal snap ring sits at the front of the bearing bore; remove it by popping it out of its rusted seat with a hammer and screwdriver, then pulling it free with needle-nose pliers (or a snap ring tool). Spray the bearing with penetrating oil on both sides, then drive it out of the knuckle: rest a 6 lb hammer (or a roughly 2-1/4" OD socket) on the bearing and strike it with the 3 lb hammer until it comes free.

Wipe out the knuckle bore (spindle) and the hub shaft. Apply anti-seize (or at minimum oil) to the hub shaft and to the inside of the bore where the bearing seats - it makes the pressing easier and the next replacement far less of a fight.

Note the new bearing's construction: the outer race is one piece but the inner race is in two pieces, which matters when the hub goes in. Start the bearing square in the bore - it enters about 1/4" to 3/8" by hand, which aligns it. Using 7/8" threaded rod: put a 3" diameter plate on the back of the knuckle resting on the bore edge, and a 2-3/4" diameter washer on the front face of the bearing, centred so it cannot catch the bore edge. Run the nut down with a 1/2" impact wrench (holding the far side with a wrench) and draw the bearing in until the socket stops turning, meaning it is fully seated. Reinstall the snap ring.

Rearrange the threaded-rod setup: a 2" diameter piece on the back side of the bearing to support the inner race (this stops the two-piece inner race being pushed out) and a 1-3/4" piece in the cup on the front of the hub. Line the hub up and draw it through until it stops. Do not try to pull the hub in with the axle - it does not work. The knuckle is now rebuilt.

Refit the knuckle and ABS sensor in the reverse order of removal. Use NEW cotter pins in all three castle nuts. Torque the castle nuts to the specifications from the original diagram: nut A 29-35 ft-lb, nut B 33 ft-lb, nut C 36-43 ft-lb, then align each nut to the next cotter pin hole.

Reinstall the brake rotor with its Phillips screws and mount the caliper. The author's aftermarket caliper mounting bolts specified 40 ft-lb; stock caliper mounting bolts are around 80 ft-lb - confirm the spec for your setup.

Tighten the 32mm axle nut fully - either with the car back on the ground, or while raised with a helper applying the brakes. Stake the nut's collar into the axle groove using a hammer and a blunt drift so it cannot back off. Refit the wheel, lower the car, and take a test drive to confirm the noise is gone.