Just bought another Felicia for another young family member needing a cheapish car in a hurry. 

 

Decided to put a decent tyre on the nearside front and found one of the wheel bolts was stripped when I took the wheel off.

 

I used a fresh one on putting the wheel back on but I fear the thread in the hub is a mess.

 

Assuming I can source one from the scrappy is replacing the hub fairly simple?

 

Is it just as case of  getting the brakes out of the way, undo the big nut and pull it off? 

 

Car by the way is a 1999 "L" hatch, billed as having only done 25K backed up by MOTs.....feels nice and tight but clearly not had much TLC recently.  

Funnily enough I had exactly the same problem the other week. Thankfully I had a donor Felicia on the drive so was able to swap parts over. I decided to change the lower swivel hub, so I would advise getting a Haynes manual to begin with. Its section 10-2. You need to remove the brake calipers and then undo the bolt that holds the assembly on to the lower strut, then the lower bolt and also remove the ball joint. You will need a ball joint removal tool. It took me a good couple of hours as the bolts are seized and rusted in to place. 

 

I am by no means a mechanical expert, but a good level of competence and knowledge is required. Haynes manual is invaluable. I'll add a picture of the bit you need to remove in a bit.

This is what I swapped over

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Thanks for the repsonse, but that looks like the complete upright unbolted from the strut? I was hoping just to replace the actual hub...ie the bit just behind the brake disc that the wheel bolts to. 

 

I've got Haynes at home so I'll have a look later.

 

The car is going to Scotland on Saturday so I do want to keep things as simple and quick as possible.  

As in part number 4....

 

No, to replace part 4, you'd need to remove the whole assembly from the car, and then use a press (10 ton hydraulic or similar) to press part 4 out, which destroys the wheel bearing in the process (part 9).  You then press the lot back together with a new wheel bearing (you can support it in a way that allows this, trust me), and away you go.  Wheel bearing is about £12 or so.  Dead easy and quick to do if you have a press, and also means you won't need to get the steering alignment checked, which you will have to do if you replace the entire hub assembly (which is the normal way to do it if you don't have access to a press).

 

Having said that, either way it can be a right PITA to get the hub carrier (part 10) off the strut - most come off OK, but I've had a couple where you can't get the bolt out (part 13), one of which didn't move even when I spent an hour on it with a blowtorch after it was off the car (just to see if I could, rather than anything else).  It's possible to do the bearing without removing the strut from the hub, but it would need another helper to hold the lot in the press (and of course it'd all have to come off the car which isn't that bad, just 2 bolts on the strut top).

 

If you have a press, then go for it, but (no offence) if you're asking on here I assume that you don't.

 

Having said that, either way it can be a right PITA to get the hub carrier (part 10) off the strut - most come off OK, but I've had a couple where you can't get the bolt out (part 13), one of which didn't move even when I spent an hour on it with a blowtorch after it was off the car (just to see if I could, rather than anything else).  It's possible to do the bearing without removing the strut from the hub, but it would need another helper to hold the lot in the press (and of course it'd all have to come off the car which isn't that bad, just 2 bolts on the strut top).

 

 

Too true, this was by far the biggest problem I had with both cars. Lots and lots of hammering and eventually they both came out. 

 

It's worth noting that the current set up will be of questionable strength so you may want to change it sooner rather than later. 

 

A timely reminder to any tyre fitters out there, don't do up wheel nuts using air tools!

Thanks guys. I don't have access to a press.... I wonder if it's worth running a tap through the messed up thread? Or is it always going to be compromised now?

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The problem with retapping is that in doing so you are removing metal from the holes. All gets a bit risky. If you can get hold of a front hub assembly and can spare a day, I would suggest changing it over like I did.

Would a Helicoil kit repair it in the short term or isn't that adviseable on a hub?

i wouldnt bother putting thread inserts in them like helicoils, to put it bluntly they are crap

 

i cant find some of the pictures at the moment

 

 

using the outer race casing of an old damaged wheel bearing to press the new bearing into the upright, when you push the new one in it's vital that pressure is only applied to the outer race surface only otherwise the bearing will seperate

 

 

it's then turned over, and the hub is pressed into the bearing, it's also vital here that pressure is applied only to the inner race this time... it's not very clear in this picture but that metal part i've used to push it in has been turned down in the lathe so that it only contacts the inner race

Yes I would be far happier with a replacement hub, agreed.

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Pretty difficult to drill the holes for a helicoil with the hub on the car I think?

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Retapped the thread and I'm happy the bolt (ie another "new" one) is now tight enough (ie properly tight). But if the car survives more than six months with my youngest lad (fairly doubtful) I will think about doing a replacement.

 

Thanks for all the help as always.  

I'd check it after a few miles, if I were you... once the hub has had a few heat cycles from the brakes in it, it may loosen up, so worth a check.

Edited 4 July, 201313 yr by djaychela

Sound advice gratefully noted. 

Still nice and tight after this...

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That is a long old drive in a Felicia!

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That is a long old drive in a Felicia!

/quote]

Sure was. Never missed a beat though.

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That's pretty much the same thing we did a couple of months ago! Southampton to somewhere near Invermoriston. Two thousand miles in five days and as you say never missed a beat

^ & my lad's taking the pee out of me questioning if the Felly will make it up to Gaydon, cheeky so & so!!

 

I'll just show him these & then start daily prayer for reliability