I assume $100 a side? Even if that is the case I'd do that next time and be done. Swapping knuckle is cake, and worth the extra cost in my opinion. Especially if you're in a place where things rust, you get some minty new parts to throw on!
Impressive that it's got that many miles an still original! Honestly, it's worth the money for how quick the swap will be. You'll be in it for a couple hours max as opposed to at least a full day if you're trying to do just the bearing.
I work in a dealership I snapped the ear off of the knuckle on a 2014 Escape I’m in New York and things tend to be rusted and seized on the simplest repair can snowball to a stupid level real quick
I live in MI now but I'm from NY originally. I totally understand the plight of rust! This video is definitely about a simple repair snowballing like you said. You really have to be prepared for it all when working on rusty cars.
As far as I know the bearing is sealed and non-serviceable. You'd have to replace it if it's making noise. If I was doing it again I'd replace the hub and bearing since that would make it a lot easier. Maybe it was a low quality bearing you installed?
Wow, I was going to just replace the bearing but now I'm going to spend the extra money and buy the assembly. Some things are just worth it to pony up. I really really appreciate this video.
i did this about 3time with the long bolt and plate "harbor freight" kit. i dont remove the knuckle from the car. you just have to pull out the drive shaft and put it back after (hardest part). the WORST is removing the bottom ball joint from that car. i dont know why, it is the first time in my life i saw that. the whole thing was like pressure welded to the car. it was literally a single piece of metal. even after chopping the swingarm in half and literally hitting it with a sledge hammer it would not come out.
Makes sense to leave it on the car. I'm guessing you live in a rust state? I recently did control arms and ball joints and it was a bit tough to get out. I found it best to leave the control arm connected to the body and hammer down on the ball joint with a pickle fork.
@@StevesGarage you are too right. i even have to say, this model is one of the most disastrous on the wallet. the sheet metal (literally) holding the rear shock on both side was rusted into oblivion on mine. i didnt even show, i didnt even know! one time i see something strange while changing my tires and i press on it... it was the fabric on the other side!!!! long story short i had to do a whole fiberglass job on both side. also the previous owner never changed the spark plugs, it burned my computer out while i was gently driving on a straight line. i had to change the plugs, coils and repair the computer (6 mosfet on the output). on another note both my differential are burned/worn, dont know why the oil just dissapear on those cars and nobody ever check them. i have to fill the rear one twice a year and suck the oil out and refill the front one once a year.
@@Francois_Dupont Luckily mine is FWD, I've heard some issues like yours with the AWD versions. My quarter panels are rusting around the wheel wells, and I have a growing hole in my frame. We don't drive it much so I'm hoping to limp it through until the car market calms down and I can replace it with something with a little less rust issues!
We didn't want to damage the hub since all I had bought was the bearing itself. If I have to do this again I may just buy both, but we didn't anticipate this being so difficult.
Next time if you use a sweating torch tip with mapp gas from home Depot, heat one side of bearing until u have a half dollar size orangey colored spot,take a cold chisel and a mini sledge with the hub on a vise or cinder block prefer an open vice just catching outside and slight tension and give it a shot it usually takes no more than 3 and it will fall out from the heat shrinking the bearing. Thanks for the heads up on many issues I'm retired collision repair tech and even I go to school before I jack up more than my car! Nice see what to lookout for Thanks Steve! Nice name to
A fellow Steve! Thanks for the comment! We tried using a torch, but didn't have a cold chisel. We didn't heat it up too much as we didn't want to damage the hub since I didn't have a replacement for that. Lesson learned for next time that I'll just replace both. Glad you found the video helpful, and good luck on the job!
My brother-in-law has done this in the driveway with bogus tools that hes managed cobaled together He is a genius at using them That being said I did buy him the Full kit this time Wish Us luck
I did not, but that's a great idea! We've never had this much trouble with a wheel bearing before, so we didn't think about needing to do that. Great idea for the future though!
i worked in the biggest engine repair shop in north america.. this is a myth, the change in size is so ridiculously small it does nothing to help you. what really help is cleaning the area real good and lubing everything. when we want to ruin something we wash it with gasoline and then press the bearing in. it actually rip the metal from the crankshaft.
A large bearing splitter and a bearing adapter set available at Harbor Freight is all you need to press out and in wheel bearings on most every car, including that one.
The parts from a harbor freight kit definitely help. I was mainly showing that even the best laid plans can run into snags. Next time I'd probably just replace the hub and bearing together.
If I was going to do this again I'd at least go the whole assembly if not the whole knuckle. At least for the tools I had available to me it was too much trouble trying to do just the wheel bearing.
@@StevesGarage sorry, I forgot the snap ring is on the outside facing side. I am frustrated because I have had my wheel bearing done on the front driver side of my hybrid escape literally practically 10 times in the past 2 years. I messed up one time by not torturing the hub nut properly maybe 2 times. I've also had local hillbilly shops do it themselves and 2 different shops now have had to do it 3 times each. They are either using bad bearings or not torquing hub nut right or damaging bearing when pressing it in, the first time the 2nd shop did it they bent the hub when pressing it in. Lol. I had my tire wobbling visually at low speed. They didn't believe me and said it was impossible soni had to prove it. By switching the rims around and waiting for them to check it 2 weeks later to get an appointment to fix it 2 weeks later after that. They used the part supplier warranty on the labor that time and this 3rd time we had to fix it they only gave warranty on part and not labor. Basically these people are used to bolt on hub assembly bearings for the most part. And the bearings are also sensitive to having the right torque and having a good alignment to not over stress it too. My 2010 ford escape hybrid awd worth it because they can go 600k miles as seen on taxi cab cars at auction but these cheap pressed in ( compact car light duty) bearings are frustrating
@@Iahusha777Iahuah wheel bearings can definitely be a pain. It sounds like it might be more of a shop problem than a wheel bearing problem though? Also, what brand bearing are you going with? A cheap wheel bearing will typically give you more trouble than an OEM or high quality aftermarket . I owned a Grand Prix and those bolt on bearings went bad so often I'd keep one in the trunk. The press in bearings on both my other cars haven't given me any trouble.
I used a corded 1/2 impact with the bearing removal tool. It didn't work at first. But after I air hammered the bearing to help loosen it and warmed up the spindle since it was pretty cold out before. It came out.
I agree it shouldn't be this difficult, but sometimes things don't work out the way you plan. If you have any tricks feel free to comment them, I'm sure anyone watching this video would love to know.
@@StevesGarage The easiest way to do it is to remove the hub with a slide hammer while the knuckle is still in the car, before you remove the lower ball joint and the strut bolts. The bearing is not only rust welded into your car, there is a big c clip that holds it in place. That's why you can't take the bearing and the hub out all at once. It's not worth keeping the hubs (in my opinion), those are notoriously hard to remove the old inner race off of and probably should be replaced to have new lug nut threads. You remove the hub, take off the C clip, then you can press the old bearing out. The problem with aligning the knuckle with to press in a new bearing is difficult, that just takes patience and creativity to get it to stay in one spot while you press in a new bearing.
@@ravinderarneja28 Awesome comment! This makes a lot of sense. I'll keep this in mind if I ever have to do it again, but I'm hoping to sell the car before that time comes.
@@StevesGarage Yeah, I rented a few hub pulling tools from Autozone and one from Pep Boys, but they were universal tools that didn't do the job. I found it impossible without a hub pull/5 lb slide hammer! It came right off, but make sure you remove the retaining C-clip before removing the bearing, and put one back on after installing a new bearing.
@@ravinderarneja28 C-clips can really throw you for a loop when you're not expecting them! Thanks for the great comments and advice. I'm hoping it helps out other viewers!
Glad you enjoyed the video. I think that cylinder piece came from the harbor freight kit, though I can't remember. At any rate, the point was that it was a pain to balance the whole assembly, something that isn't typically a problem with other cars.
I’m doing this repair this weekend. I already bought the bearing press tool. I also bought the wheel hub, I’ve had issues with rust in the past. I enjoyed you posting this, remember, we ALL run into issues, and some of the best videos are people who show the issues they ran into. Not every video has to be perfect, honestly I watched it because you mentions issues. I wanted to see the cause, and effect if that makes sense. Thank you again, you earned a new sub.
@@dzydvl76 Thank you! I've had such a focus on making clear concise DIYs that I figured no one would want this information because it was such a mess. But you're right, not every job is perfect, and seeing potential pitfalls can sometimes be a huge help. Clearly you're not the only one who feels this way based off the view count this video has gotten. I appreciate the comment and sub, good luck with the job this weekend!
I replaced the whole works with a loaded knuckle wit a bearing hub already in the new knuckle. Was $100 @ rock auto
I assume $100 a side? Even if that is the case I'd do that next time and be done. Swapping knuckle is cake, and worth the extra cost in my opinion. Especially if you're in a place where things rust, you get some minty new parts to throw on!
Thanks
You just convinced me to replace the whole knuckle & strut at the same time - 2010 AWD, 200k all original
😉
Impressive that it's got that many miles an still original! Honestly, it's worth the money for how quick the swap will be. You'll be in it for a couple hours max as opposed to at least a full day if you're trying to do just the bearing.
I work in a dealership I snapped the ear off of the knuckle on a 2014 Escape I’m in New York and things tend to be rusted and seized on the simplest repair can snowball to a stupid level real quick
I live in MI now but I'm from NY originally. I totally understand the plight of rust! This video is definitely about a simple repair snowballing like you said. You really have to be prepared for it all when working on rusty cars.
I also used the grinder cut it off I put new one back on but now it sqweaks after driving for 15 min. How do I grease it
As far as I know the bearing is sealed and non-serviceable. You'd have to replace it if it's making noise. If I was doing it again I'd replace the hub and bearing since that would make it a lot easier. Maybe it was a low quality bearing you installed?
Wow, I was going to just replace the bearing but now I'm going to spend the extra money and buy the assembly. Some things are just worth it to pony up. I really really appreciate this video.
Totally agree with you. Had I known this prior I would have done the same. I'll pay extra for ease of getting a job done.
Dude I just bought two brand new knuckles with the bearings already installed from the factory for $205 bucks.
After going through the struggle I did, this is absolutely the best method. Goes from a bunch of work to a simple swap. It's worth the extra cost.
i did this about 3time with the long bolt and plate "harbor freight" kit. i dont remove the knuckle from the car. you just have to pull out the drive shaft and put it back after (hardest part).
the WORST is removing the bottom ball joint from that car. i dont know why, it is the first time in my life i saw that. the whole thing was like pressure welded to the car. it was literally a single piece of metal. even after chopping the swingarm in half and literally hitting it with a sledge hammer it would not come out.
Makes sense to leave it on the car. I'm guessing you live in a rust state? I recently did control arms and ball joints and it was a bit tough to get out. I found it best to leave the control arm connected to the body and hammer down on the ball joint with a pickle fork.
@@StevesGarage Quebec! 😂
@@Francois_Dupont Snow/salt is definitely a killer, especially on these Escapes. Everything on this car is rusted solid and doesn't want to move.
@@StevesGarage you are too right. i even have to say, this model is one of the most disastrous on the wallet.
the sheet metal (literally) holding the rear shock on both side was rusted into oblivion on mine. i didnt even show, i didnt even know! one time i see something strange while changing my tires and i press on it... it was the fabric on the other side!!!! long story short i had to do a whole fiberglass job on both side.
also the previous owner never changed the spark plugs, it burned my computer out while i was gently driving on a straight line. i had to change the plugs, coils and repair the computer (6 mosfet on the output).
on another note both my differential are burned/worn, dont know why the oil just dissapear on those cars and nobody ever check them. i have to fill the rear one twice a year and suck the oil out and refill the front one once a year.
@@Francois_Dupont Luckily mine is FWD, I've heard some issues like yours with the AWD versions. My quarter panels are rusting around the wheel wells, and I have a growing hole in my frame. We don't drive it much so I'm hoping to limp it through until the car market calms down and I can replace it with something with a little less rust issues!
Do you think heating the hub would of been easier?
We didn't want to damage the hub since all I had bought was the bearing itself. If I have to do this again I may just buy both, but we didn't anticipate this being so difficult.
Next time if you use a sweating torch tip with mapp gas from home Depot, heat one side of bearing until u have a half dollar size orangey colored spot,take a cold chisel and a mini sledge with the hub on a vise or cinder block prefer an open vice just catching outside and slight tension and give it a shot it usually takes no more than 3 and it will fall out from the heat shrinking the bearing. Thanks for the heads up on many issues I'm retired collision repair tech and even I go to school before I jack up more than my car! Nice see what to lookout for Thanks Steve! Nice name to
A fellow Steve! Thanks for the comment! We tried using a torch, but didn't have a cold chisel. We didn't heat it up too much as we didn't want to damage the hub since I didn't have a replacement for that. Lesson learned for next time that I'll just replace both. Glad you found the video helpful, and good luck on the job!
My brother-in-law has done this in the driveway with bogus tools that hes managed cobaled together He is a genius at using them That being said I did buy him the Full kit this time Wish Us luck
Good luck! Having the full kit is definitely better than just trying to replace the wheel bearing.
Did you have that new bearing into your freezer during 24h prior to installation? It helps a lot.
I did not, but that's a great idea! We've never had this much trouble with a wheel bearing before, so we didn't think about needing to do that. Great idea for the future though!
i worked in the biggest engine repair shop in north america.. this is a myth, the change in size is so ridiculously small it does nothing to help you. what really help is cleaning the area real good and lubing everything.
when we want to ruin something we wash it with gasoline and then press the bearing in. it actually rip the metal from the crankshaft.
Thank you so much
You're welcome!
A large bearing splitter and a bearing adapter set available at Harbor Freight is all you need to press out and in wheel bearings on most every car, including that one.
The parts from a harbor freight kit definitely help. I was mainly showing that even the best laid plans can run into snags. Next time I'd probably just replace the hub and bearing together.
RockAuto is like 180 for whole Assembly. 1a auto has the whole knuckle for alil over a hundred
If I was going to do this again I'd at least go the whole assembly if not the whole knuckle. At least for the tools I had available to me it was too much trouble trying to do just the wheel bearing.
The hub come out the opposite way the bearing comes out. Lol maybe that's what happened.
We were definitely doing the correct way, just rust/corrosion giving us a hard time.
@@StevesGarage sorry, I forgot the snap ring is on the outside facing side. I am frustrated because I have had my wheel bearing done on the front driver side of my hybrid escape literally practically 10 times in the past 2 years. I messed up one time by not torturing the hub nut properly maybe 2 times. I've also had local hillbilly shops do it themselves and 2 different shops now have had to do it 3 times each. They are either using bad bearings or not torquing hub nut right or damaging bearing when pressing it in, the first time the 2nd shop did it they bent the hub when pressing it in. Lol. I had my tire wobbling visually at low speed. They didn't believe me and said it was impossible soni had to prove it. By switching the rims around and waiting for them to check it 2 weeks later to get an appointment to fix it 2 weeks later after that. They used the part supplier warranty on the labor that time and this 3rd time we had to fix it they only gave warranty on part and not labor. Basically these people are used to bolt on hub assembly bearings for the most part. And the bearings are also sensitive to having the right torque and having a good alignment to not over stress it too. My 2010 ford escape hybrid awd worth it because they can go 600k miles as seen on taxi cab cars at auction but these cheap pressed in ( compact car light duty) bearings are frustrating
@@Iahusha777Iahuah wheel bearings can definitely be a pain. It sounds like it might be more of a shop problem than a wheel bearing problem though? Also, what brand bearing are you going with? A cheap wheel bearing will typically give you more trouble than an OEM or high quality aftermarket . I owned a Grand Prix and those bolt on bearings went bad so often I'd keep one in the trunk. The press in bearings on both my other cars haven't given me any trouble.
I used a corded 1/2 impact with the bearing removal tool. It didn't work at first. But after I air hammered the bearing to help loosen it and warmed up the spindle since it was pretty cold out before. It came out.
Air hammer is one thing we didn't try! Good to know I'm not the only one who's had trouble with this thing, I'm glad you were able to get it out!
Damn
wow i see why people just buy the whole hub assembly
I know right? Such a pain to do this. If I ever do it again, the whole assembly is getting replaced.
Its not as hard as seen in this video. There is just a few tricks missing that makes this a harder process.
I agree it shouldn't be this difficult, but sometimes things don't work out the way you plan. If you have any tricks feel free to comment them, I'm sure anyone watching this video would love to know.
@@StevesGarage The easiest way to do it is to remove the hub with a slide hammer while the knuckle is still in the car, before you remove the lower ball joint and the strut bolts. The bearing is not only rust welded into your car, there is a big c clip that holds it in place. That's why you can't take the bearing and the hub out all at once. It's not worth keeping the hubs (in my opinion), those are notoriously hard to remove the old inner race off of and probably should be replaced to have new lug nut threads. You remove the hub, take off the C clip, then you can press the old bearing out. The problem with aligning the knuckle with to press in a new bearing is difficult, that just takes patience and creativity to get it to stay in one spot while you press in a new bearing.
@@ravinderarneja28 Awesome comment! This makes a lot of sense. I'll keep this in mind if I ever have to do it again, but I'm hoping to sell the car before that time comes.
@@StevesGarage Yeah, I rented a few hub pulling tools from Autozone and one from Pep Boys, but they were universal tools that didn't do the job. I found it impossible without a hub pull/5 lb slide hammer! It came right off, but make sure you remove the retaining C-clip before removing the bearing, and put one back on after installing a new bearing.
@@ravinderarneja28 C-clips can really throw you for a loop when you're not expecting them! Thanks for the great comments and advice. I'm hoping it helps out other viewers!
Haha you simply didn't have the cylinder piece for the press earlier m its all you needed.
Regardless, this is a useful video. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed the video. I think that cylinder piece came from the harbor freight kit, though I can't remember. At any rate, the point was that it was a pain to balance the whole assembly, something that isn't typically a problem with other cars.
Good old rust I live in Ohio the worst to work on cars
Yea, rust really is terrible. This Escape spent it's life in Michigan and this video doesn't even begin to show the worst of this car...
I’m doing this repair this weekend. I already bought the bearing press tool. I also bought the wheel hub, I’ve had issues with rust in the past. I enjoyed you posting this, remember, we ALL run into issues, and some of the best videos are people who show the issues they ran into. Not every video has to be perfect, honestly I watched it because you mentions issues. I wanted to see the cause, and effect if that makes sense. Thank you again, you earned a new sub.
@@dzydvl76 Thank you! I've had such a focus on making clear concise DIYs that I figured no one would want this information because it was such a mess. But you're right, not every job is perfect, and seeing potential pitfalls can sometimes be a huge help. Clearly you're not the only one who feels this way based off the view count this video has gotten. I appreciate the comment and sub, good luck with the job this weekend!
No, sir. Ohio, as in most other things, cannot compete with Michigan for salt-corroded cars.