So a Little hairng of a couple of "bad Xterra" days for me.
My wheel bearings are shot, and have been for a while. So on Tuesday, I decided I'd replace the bearings, as well as pick up the bolts I needed for the Body lift.
Started off going to my local hardware sotre and Home Depot (in Reading) - and they don't carry the bolts in a 6" length at either store. Home Depot didn't even carry any 7/16th bolts at all.
So I drive to my Dad's shop, and check the local car parts place and the Ace hardware store there - the Hardware store doesn't have any bolts in 6" length. The car part place has them - at 4.50 a bolt - that's $30 for six bolts, excluding nuts and washers, and they didn't have those.
So I go to work on my X, and start on the Passenger side wheel bearing at 11:30am. Now I don't knwo the entire timeline, but I do know that by 12:15 I'm ready to pull the rotor off the spindle - and it doesn't want to come off. After prying, and eventually hitting the rotor with a rubber mallet, the rotor comes off - but the inner wheel bearing is still on the spindle. So I have a puller, but the puller arms are to big to fit between the sheild protecting the ABS sensor and the bearing. I try aother puller, and those arms fit, but too short in order to get the puller onto the axle to pull the bearing off. So I go to take off the sheild, which is held on by 3 Phillps head screws - and they won't budge, and I start to strip one. SO I realize I could cut the bearing off with my dremel - and go searching for it only to come to the realization that I left it in my apartment. So I take the short puller arms, and get them lined up, and using some spare metal pieces, try to rig the puller with the short arms so it is long enough - and I manage to warp the bearing, but not get it off.
I'ts about 3:30 or so, and my father comes by with a tool he has, a punch-screwdriver or something like that, you hit it with a hammer, and it compresses and can start a stuck screw to loosen - and that works, but it takes a while and the 3 screws that hold the shield on are now toast. Off to the heardware store, and I pick up 6 bolts, figuring the other side is going to be just as big of a pain in the ass, and go back - I get the puller, pull the bearing off, pack the new bearing, insert the new seal, put the rotor on the spindle, and go to put the new outer bearing on - and it won't fit. It gets jammed just over the threads where the locknu goes. Off comes the rotor, and figuring maybe I had the outer bearing angled, I try again - and it doesn't fit.
I try the old bearing (which is also taost) and it fits, and I check the part number stamped on the bearings and they are the same.
So at about 5 pm, off to the parts store where they mic the old bearing and the new bearing, and behold - two different readings. They pull out another new bearing out of a box, compare that with the new bearing - and behold - two different readings. I got a faulty part. I got the part at a different store, but this store, a Carquest, is nice enough to let me exchange the faulty part for a good one.
Back to the X - it's just after 6:00 now, and getting drker and colder - after a little TLC, I manage to get the new (properly sized) Outer bearing in. It's cold, dark and I start putting everything together - everything seems to be going well, and I put the hub on, put the tire on, spin the tire and - play in the rotor - and it dawns on me that in my rush to finish up, I forgot to preload the damn bearing.
Off come the hub, and I preload the bearing, rotate the rotor, loosen the locknut, hand tighten it, and then secure everything down, put the Hub back on, spin the wheel - everything is golden.
except after putting all the stuff I need to use away it's 8 pm - and I still haven't done the drivers side - whcih I'm going to guess is going to be just as much as a project as the passenger side was.
So I do a little work for my dad at his shop, go home, eat dinner, and get to bed a little after midnight.
I worked at the Post Office yesterday, and was planning on picking up my Body Lift Pucks after work at the UPS place in Lyynfield, but I start getting a headache during work, which turns into a migraine, and that results in an upset stomach.
So I finish work, head home, take a nap, go pick up my Pucks at UPS, go back home and sleep.
I got my bolts today, after getting out of work late because I had to do stuff today I didn't do before I left yesterday. But it's going to snow tomorrow, and I still haven't done my drivers side bearing.
Ok, I feel better - I just needed to rant a little
My wheel bearings are shot, and have been for a while. So on Tuesday, I decided I'd replace the bearings, as well as pick up the bolts I needed for the Body lift.
Started off going to my local hardware sotre and Home Depot (in Reading) - and they don't carry the bolts in a 6" length at either store. Home Depot didn't even carry any 7/16th bolts at all.
So I drive to my Dad's shop, and check the local car parts place and the Ace hardware store there - the Hardware store doesn't have any bolts in 6" length. The car part place has them - at 4.50 a bolt - that's $30 for six bolts, excluding nuts and washers, and they didn't have those.
So I go to work on my X, and start on the Passenger side wheel bearing at 11:30am. Now I don't knwo the entire timeline, but I do know that by 12:15 I'm ready to pull the rotor off the spindle - and it doesn't want to come off. After prying, and eventually hitting the rotor with a rubber mallet, the rotor comes off - but the inner wheel bearing is still on the spindle. So I have a puller, but the puller arms are to big to fit between the sheild protecting the ABS sensor and the bearing. I try aother puller, and those arms fit, but too short in order to get the puller onto the axle to pull the bearing off. So I go to take off the sheild, which is held on by 3 Phillps head screws - and they won't budge, and I start to strip one. SO I realize I could cut the bearing off with my dremel - and go searching for it only to come to the realization that I left it in my apartment. So I take the short puller arms, and get them lined up, and using some spare metal pieces, try to rig the puller with the short arms so it is long enough - and I manage to warp the bearing, but not get it off.
I'ts about 3:30 or so, and my father comes by with a tool he has, a punch-screwdriver or something like that, you hit it with a hammer, and it compresses and can start a stuck screw to loosen - and that works, but it takes a while and the 3 screws that hold the shield on are now toast. Off to the heardware store, and I pick up 6 bolts, figuring the other side is going to be just as big of a pain in the ass, and go back - I get the puller, pull the bearing off, pack the new bearing, insert the new seal, put the rotor on the spindle, and go to put the new outer bearing on - and it won't fit. It gets jammed just over the threads where the locknu goes. Off comes the rotor, and figuring maybe I had the outer bearing angled, I try again - and it doesn't fit.
I try the old bearing (which is also taost) and it fits, and I check the part number stamped on the bearings and they are the same.
So at about 5 pm, off to the parts store where they mic the old bearing and the new bearing, and behold - two different readings. They pull out another new bearing out of a box, compare that with the new bearing - and behold - two different readings. I got a faulty part. I got the part at a different store, but this store, a Carquest, is nice enough to let me exchange the faulty part for a good one.
Back to the X - it's just after 6:00 now, and getting drker and colder - after a little TLC, I manage to get the new (properly sized) Outer bearing in. It's cold, dark and I start putting everything together - everything seems to be going well, and I put the hub on, put the tire on, spin the tire and - play in the rotor - and it dawns on me that in my rush to finish up, I forgot to preload the damn bearing.
Off come the hub, and I preload the bearing, rotate the rotor, loosen the locknut, hand tighten it, and then secure everything down, put the Hub back on, spin the wheel - everything is golden.
except after putting all the stuff I need to use away it's 8 pm - and I still haven't done the drivers side - whcih I'm going to guess is going to be just as much as a project as the passenger side was.
So I do a little work for my dad at his shop, go home, eat dinner, and get to bed a little after midnight.
I worked at the Post Office yesterday, and was planning on picking up my Body Lift Pucks after work at the UPS place in Lyynfield, but I start getting a headache during work, which turns into a migraine, and that results in an upset stomach.
So I finish work, head home, take a nap, go pick up my Pucks at UPS, go back home and sleep.
I got my bolts today, after getting out of work late because I had to do stuff today I didn't do before I left yesterday. But it's going to snow tomorrow, and I still haven't done my drivers side bearing.
Ok, I feel better - I just needed to rant a little
. 
