Wheel bearing
- mx3autozam
- Senior Member
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Wheel bearing
hey guys
My car needs a wheel bearing on the front. I know these units need to be pressed in. I replaced one on my escort before.
I am wondering. Does it really need to be pressed in. Can it be done with a hammer and a punch or a piece of wood. I don't want to pay a shop to do it. And I can't take it out and take it to a machine shop to get it pressed in because I only have the one car. Anyone ever done it before
Thanks in advance.
John
My car needs a wheel bearing on the front. I know these units need to be pressed in. I replaced one on my escort before.
I am wondering. Does it really need to be pressed in. Can it be done with a hammer and a punch or a piece of wood. I don't want to pay a shop to do it. And I can't take it out and take it to a machine shop to get it pressed in because I only have the one car. Anyone ever done it before
Thanks in advance.
John
93 Mazda MX3 KLZE Turbo
- fieromx3
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i just replaced mine not to long ago and we got a shopt to do it. i wouldnt use a hammer or bang it in for that fact cuz it can damage the bearing i dunno bout usin a vise though it may or may not work but my suggestion is get a machine shop to do it then at least u know its done right. i think it costed for mine like 50 or 60 bucks to be punched out and new one pressed in here at EAS (elmira auto supplies) in elmira. u know where elmira is rite?
93' MX-3 GS-ZE
14.4 @ 96.7
14.5 @ 97.2
14.4 @ 96.7
14.5 @ 97.2
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I had mine done..payed 40 dllrs for the whole thing installed... iw as AMAZED.. the guy used a HUGE socket he said thats what it was for..a HUGE hammer..hamered out the old bearing and hammered back the new one..ran like new and gave me on year warranty. I believe bearing as more warranty trough autozon e..i lost the receipt so no good there... it can be done with hammer i guess but you realy gotta know what you are doing. These guys do this for a living...
-hec
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
- PATDIESEL
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I bought a press to do mine since the shops were quoting me 40 bucks per side and the press was only 100.00. After completeing the job I can tell you that there is NO way you will hammer them in or out. The press was a good time of it. Also, make sure if you do it yourself or have a shop do it that you replace the bearing seals.

ZE -strait neck,headers,2.5 exhaust,pheno spacers,lower cross member,GC coils,MS struts,Brembo slotted rotors,filled MS mounts,SS brake/clutch lines, CAI,to rear bat reloc,Hella headlamps,Hella DE fogs 180WHP
- mx3autozam
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I'm gunna press it in at work. I woerk at Canadian Tire. But i have my old escort sitting around which has new beariong all around. Will taht whole spindle assembly fit on. Then later on i'll get the new bearing pressed into the mx3 hub. I think I herad somehwre about the mx3 has some differences in hubs
John
John
93 Mazda MX3 KLZE Turbo
- mx3autozam
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anyone know if an escort spindle will bolt on.mx3autozam wrote:I'm gunna press it in at work. I woerk at Canadian Tire. But i have my old escort sitting around which has new beariong all around. Will taht whole spindle assembly fit on. Then later on i'll get the new bearing pressed into the mx3 hub. I think I herad somehwre about the mx3 has some differences in hubs
John
John
93 Mazda MX3 KLZE Turbo
- mx3autozam
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well I amPATDIESEL wrote:You check it out. I doubt anyone has tried it since there is no real reason to...
I got the hub off the scort it willwork but doesn't ahev the thing for the abs sensor. I'm gunan putboth the fronts from the escort on it.Then i'm gunna take both mx3 ones into work and sandblast and piant them and install new bearings,seals and dust shieldi'll get from mazda and a new balljoint and tie rod then i'llput them back on.
John
93 Mazda MX3 KLZE Turbo
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abs? EW who needs abs... ever since i swapped struts for rs strutsi chopped my abs sensors rear and front... disabled the light. Drives fine 

-hec
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
MX-3 w/ curved neck millenia klde, boosted @ 5 psi. /bov and wastegate are good!/ nitto drag radial/ gutted interior/ millenia red top injectors, vortech fmu/aem wideband/ all bolts ons/ Car put together 100% by me. Mechanic? who needs a mechanic? ew.. real men work on their own cars!
- PATDIESEL
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Good deal, that knowledge may come in handy one day.
Thanks for trying and letting us know. A newly sand blasted and painted spindle looks SOOO good.
Thanks for trying and letting us know. A newly sand blasted and painted spindle looks SOOO good.

ZE -strait neck,headers,2.5 exhaust,pheno spacers,lower cross member,GC coils,MS struts,Brembo slotted rotors,filled MS mounts,SS brake/clutch lines, CAI,to rear bat reloc,Hella headlamps,Hella DE fogs 180WHP
- mx3autozam
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- Joined: September 24th, 2005, 9:09 pm
- Location: Kitchener
When I put my SRD Control arm bushings in i am going to do the same thing, get control arms and paint them as well. Will keep the rust away from the stuff for awhile.PATDIESEL wrote:Good deal, that knowledge may come in handy one day.
Thanks for trying and letting us know. A newly sand blasted and painted spindle looks SOOO good.
John
93 Mazda MX3 KLZE Turbo
- jaydog5678
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It will probably work. You do need to figure out if the ball joint is the same though, because their is a diff in ball joints somewhere btwn 93+ and up.mx3autozam wrote:well I amPATDIESEL wrote:You check it out. I doubt anyone has tried it since there is no real reason to...
I got the hub off the scort it willwork but doesn't ahev the thing for the abs sensor. I'm gunan putboth the fronts from the escort on it.Then i'm gunna take both mx3 ones into work and sandblast and piant them and install new bearings,seals and dust shieldi'll get from mazda and a new balljoint and tie rod then i'llput them back on.
John
Take the hub to someone with a press. You'll have to press out the hub first, then take a snap ring off to remove the bearing. You must have a press to take out and put the new bearing in.