Ducato Wheel Bearings

Good Morning Craicers
Hessy requries a new wheel bearing and I am requiring assistance with your experience and excellent knowledge in repairing her and getting the MOT.

The bearings have been sourced from France and on the way , I bought a Hub as well - however the Fiat garage informed me yesterday that it is the bearing which is shot and they would have difficulty getting all parts, due to the vehicle being 23 years young.

I have got assistance/loan off a set of hydraulic spreader pullers which should be capable of the job, but i have never tackled such a job before and i am slightly dubious - hence my thread.

I intend to replace both sides as i am sure that the other one is soon due the same attention, but one at at time and if i mess it up first time, i have a spare set of bearings as back up.

I have read of the world web that the spiltting of the hub from knuckle is a bit of bother and the placement of the bearing is v important ??

Is there a depth / tolerance for the bearings on the hub? Could i mark a line/measure where the old one was placed and put it back there or is it more exact?

Also - Hessy has a 16 inch wheel differing from the standard 15 inch - Does the hub change or are they the same? As only 1/2 inch increase in radius - i am thinking that they would be the same?

Any assistance/pointers / mechanical knowledge extremely welcome.
And for back up - Any mechanics who have experience in a Fiat Ducato 290 Chassis.

The HUB would be the same, been a long time since I changed a bearing, a very long time

Do these help............

Sorry I can't help with this.
As John has said, might be better taking to the guys who do his work. My concern about tacking a job like that at home is if you can't finish is yourself you can't move the van either.

You sound like you know what you are doing so maybe you will be fine.

I've done a helluva lot of them , mostly on 03-06s ,the 95-02 is all but identical . So I imagine the 290 is similar too ? The bearing seats against an end , and is located with a circlip , so no measuring needed . The biggest problem is actually pushing the old one out , I have a big old hydro press from farm machinery days , and I still only just about manage. I often have to break up the bearing cage and remove the rollers , push out the centre , then heat and press outthe outer. Never failed yet , mind.

Jack , prop , etc , remove wheel , track rod end , caliper and carrier , disc , bottom balljoint , driveshaft from hub , and the 4 bolts holding suspension strut to hub.

I don't honestl;y know , it's about as old as Noah , Ithink he used it to press in the pivot for the rudder on the Ark....
yep , a snig of a disc , I use the thin discs designed for stainless steel. Actuallu on a 290 , you won't need a balljoint breaker , IIRC , the track rod end is on an arm bolted tothe upright with 2 pf the 4 bolts holding the damper to the hub. and the bottom balljoint is bolted to the hub with 4 bolts.

Don't the grease usually come with the Rubber Booth? I think I would use locktite instead of grease on the bolts in case they loosened

I always use a dab of copper grease , and tighten them properly , and never have them loosen on me. I'd be wary of studlock there , that and rust after a few years would make them very hard to open again! The only place FIAT use studlock on in the hub area is on the bolts holding on the caliper carrier.

I would get the alignment checked once its all back in place, just in case.

There are two types of front wheel bearings, one type is the single, wide bearing shown earlier, the other type is two taper rollers seperated by a spacer. The spacer is supposed to be selected from various lengths to adjust the free play in the bearings. If fact, the spacers aren't often available, I adjusted mine by means of an oilstone. Make sure you have the correct parts before dismantling anything.

There is a website http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com/pages/index.jsp where you can look up part nos etc.. for Peugeots, there is a similar one for Citroen and I'm sure that there must be one for Fiat. They are all basically the same van.

Frank

No, it's a short tube and yes, theoretically it should be the same length but "the book" says that you select the correct spacer to give the required end float. I doubt that it ever gets done in a real world garage.

No circlips on my Boxer, it's the single bearing type that has the circlip AFAIK


Do you know about this site?
http://www.findpart.org
Type your part number in and it will try to cross match it with other manufacturers.
Hope it goes well, that nut is bl**dy tight!

Rgds
Frank

Great advice Frank - Thanks

I bought two nuts separately with a hub just in-case they were required. I also got a CV Joint - but going to return it.
With the bearing kits - there are nuts supplied, but there are extras now and worst case scenario - i use the one i took off

Wonder is it a left hand screw or right hand? - Extra nuts allow the thread to be determined before you ring the head off it

The site is http://eper.fiatforum.com/ - but it will check the one you suggested for further purchases and replacement parts
Thanks all

At least you got it and probably a lot cheaper than if they had it.

Be careful with those strut springs. The normal DIY spring compressors have a tendancy to slip round and release the spring! Mine are so-called heavy duty ones with twin claws at the top but they still slip.
I used three luggage ratchet straps to compress mine last time I replaced the top mount bearing.
Not that I am recommending this method - just saying that's how I did it.

Frank

Jeepers Frank - Aint Half

I used a upsizer from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch drive for the mega 41mm nut -
Stuct a cross bar on it and a 2 metre pipe

Lift Lift
Cross Bar 1 tjavascript:void(0);urns into a banana bar

Ok - try another German T bar - banana again

That is a tough nut.

Searching for a 3/4 inch breaker bar local to Belfast
HELP

You have some spare nuts, do you have a Dremel or similar? if so, cut a slot in one of the nut's flats, not quite all the way down to the threads, but almost, that should take the sting out of it. Especially if you drive a wedge in to split the nut off.

If you've no Dremel, a line of small holes, say 1/8" as close together as possible should help. Mind the threads on the shaft though!

Frank

Good Morning and thanks for these solutions.

I have spare nuts - Never said that before

Got Dremmel and destruction of the old nut underway after coffee.

Dunno why i like to preserve these things =) But this is the sensible solution
Thanks Frank and Mad Max for the support and advice. Motorhome Criac is great
Keep you posted

Before you tackle the other ine bring it to a truck tyre shop and get the lads to use air gun to loosen 42mm whilst your foot is firmly on the brake pedal, then just re tighten with your own tbar and put split pin back in until you get it home/work shop, then it should be easily opened an hour later or so not a blister in sight

As jack would say I didn't come up the Lagan in a banana boat

Ah mad max you have got some of my brains now too?