Bent front lug bolt...hub removal/replacement

bignosejim · 03-08-2012, 04:45 PM

As the title says, I bent a front lug bolt the last time I put my wheels on. I found this out when I was removing my wheels for CDV delete and brake fluid flush.

I tried to retap the old hub, but my harbor freight tap set was softer than the hub. It ended up destroying my M12 by 1.5 mm tap. So I ordered a new hub, dust cover, hub nut, and lug bolts from GetBMWparts and waited for a week.

In the meantime, I did some research and found this youtube video for guidance (it has two parts):
http://youtu.be/OU2xSBvXA5g

The old hub came right off...leaving the inner race behind

Removal was easy with this 3 arm puller, I just put a socket extension in the hub to brace against.

Here's the naked stub shaft

It seemed like forever until I got my new parts in the mail. Here is the inner bearing dust shield

I used a bearing race installer to install the new hub. I made sure that the race installer only contacted the bearing surface and not any part of the hub.

Two days later, I finally had the 20 minutes of spare time to put the brakes back together and take her for a test drive.

Next time the wheels come off....new wheel studs are going on. they're cheaper than hubs and make tire changes easier.

Finnegan · 03-09-2012, 11:31 AM

Wow, you're sure getting in some wrench time on the new baby!

Nice work. This is a pretty good DIY too! I think it may find a better home in the DIY section than the general forum--maybe ask a mod to move it? (Just takes a PM.)

03-08-2012, 04:45 PM	#1
bignosejim Lieutenant 40 Rep 400 Posts Drives: 2007 IB M Coupe Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: DFW iTrader: (0)	Bent front lug bolt...hub removal/replacement As the title says, I bent a front lug bolt the last time I put my wheels on. I found this out when I was removing my wheels for CDV delete and brake fluid flush. I tried to retap the old hub, but my harbor freight tap set was softer than the hub. It ended up destroying my M12 by 1.5 mm tap. So I ordered a new hub, dust cover, hub nut, and lug bolts from GetBMWparts and waited for a week. In the meantime, I did some research and found this youtube video for guidance (it has two parts): http://youtu.be/OU2xSBvXA5g The old hub came right off...leaving the inner race behind Removal was easy with this 3 arm puller, I just put a socket extension in the hub to brace against. Here's the naked stub shaft It seemed like forever until I got my new parts in the mail. Here is the inner bearing dust shield I used a bearing race installer to install the new hub. I made sure that the race installer only contacted the bearing surface and not any part of the hub. Two days later, I finally had the 20 minutes of spare time to put the brakes back together and take her for a test drive. Next time the wheels come off....new wheel studs are going on. they're cheaper than hubs and make tire changes easier.
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03-09-2012, 11:31 AM	#2
Finnegan Dog Listener 701 Rep 7,850 Posts Drives: Z4M/. Z3M, E36/46 M3 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Teaching the dog to slalom iTrader: (22)	Wow, you're sure getting in some wrench time on the new baby! Nice work. This is a pretty good DIY too! I think it may find a better home in the DIY section than the general forum--maybe ask a mod to move it? (Just takes a PM.)
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