Banjo axle rear wheel bearing replacement steel wheels

Removal
Chock the front wheels, jack the rear of the car up, secure on axle stands and remove the rear road wheel on the side that the bearing needs replacing. To remove the brake drum undo the two Phillips locating screws and pull the drum off. If it is being held on by the brake shoes then it will be necessary to release the brake shoe adjuster, thus allowing the drum to come away. It may also be necessary to give a gentle tap with a soft-faced mallet to help it on its way. With the drum removed undo the single screw that locates the half-shaft in place and pull the shaft out of the axle casing taking care not to loose the bearing spacer and rubber seal in the process. At this stage you will probably find that some oil will release itself from the axle. Take care that oil does not drop onto the brake linings and result in contamination and therefore non-effective rear brakes. This now reveals the hub nut and in traditional Blue Peter style, to look like one I made earlier. Once made you will keep it forever and turn the nightmare of undoing the hub nut into almost a pleasure. With the nut off, release the locking ring and pull the whole hub assembly off. The hub will be tight so it is better to use a slide hammer to help it off.

Operations can now move to the workbench and vice. Place the hub, studs down, in the vice taking care to protect the machined face and the studs on the hub. Using a drift punch out the main bearing and prize out the oil seal with a screwdriver. Now clean up the whole hub assembly ready for the new oil seal and bearing.

Refitting
Gently tap the new oil seal into the clean hub making sure that it seats properly down into the hub. The new bearing can now be drifted in to the hub. To do this I used an old bolt, but take care to only put force on the outer part of the bearing, because if you put pressure in the middle you stand a good chance of causing damage. As with the oil seal ensure that the bearing is seated fully home. Clean up the running surfaces of the axle and slide on the hub assembly, complete with new oil seal and bearing, back onto the axle. It may be necessary to use a block of wood to protect the surfaces of the hub and tap the unit onto the axle. Once on far enough, slip on the locking ring and screw on the nut.

Now torque it up using your newly made special tool to 180lb/ft and bend over the lock tab edge onto one of the flats of the nut.

All that remains is to replace the paper gasket that sits between the hub and half-shaft making sure both surfaces are clean. Remember that the spacer and rubber gasket must also be installed before the shaft is slid in. When all is place slide in the shaft checking that the locating holes line up with threads in the hub and finally fix with the screw. Push back on the brake drum and, again, locate and fix with the Phillips screws. Check the adjustment of the brake shoes and adjust if necessary.

Refit the road wheel and with the car level check the level of the rear axle oil and top up as necessary. This will replace any oil lost out of the axle during replacement. The last task is to test drive the car to check that there are no unusual noises and on your return there is no sign of an oil leak dripping down the outside of the back plate.

Carefully removing the hub cap from road wheel to reveal the wheel nuts	Releasing securing screws for the brake drum
The special tool made for the job of undoing the eight-sided nut	Bending back the locking ring tab
Removing the whole hub assembly from the rear axle stub	Here you can clearly see the new oil seal having been installed and seated before the bearing is drifted in
Drifting in the new bearing	Bending over the lock tab to secure the hub nut and ensure that it does not come off
Putting on the locking ring note the securing tab in the hole on the axle	Half-shaft slides in with a new gasket, spacer and rubber washer in place take care all the holes line up, including the one for locating screw