WRX Wheel Bearings

[sperry]

Well, I baked all the grease out of my wheel bearings at RFR. I didn't realize how bad they were until I bedded my pads in yesterday before the meet. After heating up the hubs again, the right front started making a horrible noise.

Since Indy Auto is all booked, the car's now sitting at Sierra Autosport... yes the Ferrari repair shop. "More than I can afford pal, Ferrari!" Hopfully I'll get out of there under $400...

1st the shop's going to check out the car and let me know if the bearings are truely shot, or if they can be rebuilt. I'm pretty sure the right front bearing is at least partially seized, due to the noises it's making. Luckily, Subaru has the parts in stock.

FYI, here's all the parts needed for replacing the wheel bearings:

FRONT WHEEL BEARING
28015AA070 Oil Seal - Front Axle, Outer
28015AA021 Oil Seal - Front Axle, Inner
28016AA011NT Bearing - Front Axle
28044AA000 Nut - Axle
28035AA010 Snap Ring F

REAR WHEEL BEARING
28015AA100 Oil Seal #1 - Rear Axle
28015AA110 Oil Seal #2 - Rear Axle
28015AA050 Oil Seal #3 - Rear Axle
28016AA030 Bearing - Rear Axle
28044AA000 Nut - Axle
28035AA040 Snap Ring R

One question is, are the Subaru wheel bearings sealed? The guy at the shop seems to think so, however, I remember talking to Gary about them, and he told me he would repack them with high-temp synthetic grease... which sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

So, hopefully the shop will give me a call and tell me they can simply repack the bearings and all will be cool, and hopfully I can get them to pack it w/ some RedLine or something. I just hope they don't tell me: "yeah, you need to replace 'em all, and we're busy so the car will be done on Tuesday." :?

[JC]

I know you can repack them.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

You need good air ducting to your brakes...

[MattR]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

You need good air ducting to your brakes...

My thoughts exactly...We need to get a better air-ducting system figured out if we're going to run more track and Solo 1 stuff. There is just not enough air getting to them.

[sperry]

O.M.G.

So yeah, that awful noise from the right front: coat hanger.

Yep, the coat hanger got left on the RF after I had the caliper off to replace the rotors. That's what I get for working on the car when I'm dead tired at 11pm. The shop things the bearings are fine, so I'm gonna give 'em a go as-is.

I wonder how much the shop will charge me for a "coat hanger extraction".

Chances are my bearings still aren't 100%, considering the temperatures I generated at the track day, but I should be able to get to Lovelock and back for the event this weekend.

...how embarassing.

[JC]

I'd like to be the first to say.... I'm never gonna let you live this down.

Don't worry though, I'm sure no one will get "hung up" on this.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by JC

I'd like to be the first to say.... I'm never gonna let you live this down.

Don't worry though, I'm sure no one will get "hung up" on this.

Trust me... I deserve everything you can dish out.

(But for the record, I think it was Nick that put that wheel on. )

[JC]

Suuuuureeee....

Scott working on his truck...

[ArthurS]

Originally Posted by sperry

O.M.G.

So yeah, that awful noise from the right front: coat hanger.

Yep, the coat hanger got left on the RF after I had the caliper off to replace the rotors. That's what I get for working on the car when I'm dead tired at 11pm. The shop things the bearings are fine, so I'm gonna give 'em a go as-is.

I wonder how much the shop will charge me for a "coat hanger extraction".

Chances are my bearings still aren't 100%, considering the temperatures I generated at the track day, but I should be able to get to Lovelock and back for the event this weekend.

...how embarassing.

Bwhahahahaha...

[MattR]

Originally Posted by sperry

Trust me... I deserve everything you can dish out.

(But for the record, I think it was Nick that put that wheel on. )

OMFG! Are you kidding! Hahaha...Sierra must think you are teh smart!
hahaaha. That's good news I guess.

Did you guys have milkshakes while doing the work last night? Or just tired...

[sperry]

I don't think I can ever go back to that shop... they'll probably refuse to waste their time working on my car for fear that they'll just be dealing w/ my half-assery.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

I wonder how much the shop will charge me for a "coat hanger extraction".

Wow. So many directions to take this incident.. I have no idea where to begin.

I would highly recommend rigging up some functional brake ducts though if you guys do more track events. You can do it really cheap-style too, it doesn't require expensive welded aluminum or carbon backing plates (those are more effective, but like 1000x the price).

Couple pics of a cheap, effective solution:

[MattR]

Originally Posted by sperry

I don't think I can ever go back to that shop... they'll probably refuse to waste their time working on my car for fear that they'll just be dealing w/ my half-assery.

You should have told them that it was a safety device, to keep the assembly from flying off into a bunch of spectators...did they see the "B", after all, group B race cars need stuff like that.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MattR

Did you guys have milkshakes while doing the work last night? Or just tired...

No milkshakes. I did the fronts Wed night... got home from work at about 10:30, then busted out on the front rotors.

In addition to the coat hanger... Kevin thinks my rotors are on backwards (the slots are the wrong direction). I was sure that I put them on matching the way the old set came off, but now that I realize that I forgot the hanger in there, I'm not so sure I trust anything that got done on the car last night.

So, after work tonight: put the car on jackstands, swap the front rotors left to right, bleed the brakes, then leave for Lovelock. Any help would be appreciated... NO MILKSHAKES ALLOWED.

Oh and the best part: when I go to pick up the car... I'm going to make sure to ask for my coat hanger back.

[MattR]

Austin, what are you using for material in those pictures? Where is the best place to find that ducting? Racer Supply place or ? That is all I'd need. I was thinking of removing my fog light covers (for track days) and running ducts straight to the brakes. That would rule.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MattR

Austin, what are you using for material in those pictures? Where is the best place to find that ducting? Racer Supply place or ? That is all I'd need. I was thinking of removing my fog light covers (for track days) and running ducts straight to the brakes. That would rule.

Yeah, I certainly could use some ducting... and a set of StopTechs... I could probably just use the stock ducting as a starting point, but attach a bigger scoop under there, and route it dorectly to the center of the brakes.

[JC]

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=572735

Starting part of the way down. Dunno if RaceComp ever came out with anything.

[MattR]

How sick would it be if I could get a set of STi fog light mounts (like on Eric's car) and convert them into a face plate leading to the brake ducts? That would be totally functional and not look too hokey... hmm? Are there any cheap replica versions of those?

[JC]

You can probably find a set of JDM ones used without too much difficulty, so you can get a bigger duct.

[Nick Koan]

hahahahahaha, oh man. Yeah, I did put that wheel on, but I figured you already took care of the coat hanger.

You know, I was looking for the coat hanger yesterday when we were doing your rears. But, then it looked like it wasn't needed for the rears with the endlinks and all.

Oh man.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by MattR

Austin, what are you using for material in those pictures? Where is the best place to find that ducting? Racer Supply place or ? That is all I'd need. I was thinking of removing my fog light covers (for track days) and running ducts straight to the brakes. That would rule.

It's not my car, that's someone's Camarobird. You can get the 3" hi-temp duct at any racer supply vendor.. stock car places might have it the cheapest, like Coleman. On my car I found some plastic rain gutter funnels down at OSH that I strapped up to the foglight holes in the front fascia, and then clamped the duct onto. The u-bolts & hose clamps you can obviously get at any hardware store, and then you just gotta find a metal piece to clamp onto the spindle... you could probably find some suitable conduit or gutter tube at the hardware store too and just cut it to your required size.

Just make sure the outlet nozzle clamped to the spindle blows the air into the center intake portion of the brake rotors, rather than on the swept area.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

hahahahahaha, oh man. Yeah, I did put that wheel on, but I figured you already took care of the coat hanger.

You know, I was looking for the coat hanger yesterday when we were doing your rears. But, then it looked like it wasn't needed for the rears with the endlinks and all.

Oh man.

Don't worry dude, I'm not blaming you at all. I was the one working on the rotor in there... I should have remembered the hanger, and checked it after the wheel went back on.

[MattR]

Sweet...I need to find some fog light bezels, anyone have time to track some down? Let me know if you find any.

I really like that thread you posted JC, I'm gonna call Myles to see if they've developed any duct kits for the STi/ WRX. That would be too sweet.

[JC]

I'm down for brake ducts if we want to make this a group deal. My car already has front vents for them.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by sperry

Don't worry dude, I'm not blaming you at all. I was the one working on the rotor in there... I should have remembered the hanger, and checked it after the wheel went back on.

Hehe, alright. You know I'm down to help you bleed brakes and swap rotors when you get off work.