BMW E36 M3 Front Hub Replacement HELP!!

[hissinm3]

Hey guys,

Here's my scenario......

I have a 96 M3. I took it to get the tires changed about 4 months ago. All was well.... 2 day ago.. i go to take the front wheels off to put my snow rims and tires on... and I cant get the wheel lug nuts off, they are barely budging. So I take the car to my friends shop so I can use his air gun.... the nuts are still barely coming off.... finally, after about 15 min.. the result is 3 broken lug nuts on the left and one on the right.

My friend told me that the guy who put the tires on, put the nuts on way too tight and that is what caused the problem. So now the broken parts of the lug nuts are in my hub and there is no way to get them out.

I bout the hubs new and now i need a write up or DIY to put them in. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Bump

Help!!

[rcM3]

I've never seen a write-up for this, but Bentley would be a good place to start if there isn't one on bimmerdiy.com

[Temp1981]

+1 to bentley
But lets see if iirc, now that you have the wheels off, take off the brake caliper, i believe it is 7mm allens on the back of the caliper. Hang the caliper with a coat hanger of some wire from you spring, you don't want to strech or damage your brake line. Now remove the retainer screw in the caliper, it is by the lug holes. Now you need to take a flat screwdriver and take off the center cap of the hub by prying it out, i would get new ones, you will likely kill them taking them off. You will need a huge socket to get the hub nut off i think i used a 1 13/16 or something like that, i could not find a metric one that big. The hub nuts are on really tight like 195 ft-lbs i think, but i would check with the stealers service department, or the bentley. You should now be able to pull the hub. You will need to have a knife edge gear puller as well, because the inner race of the wheel bearing will probably stick to the spindle. After that you should be able to slap it all back together.

Sorry i have no pics of when i did the new hubs, so try pelican parts DIY, ir google "Bimmer DIY".

[RRSperry]

There is most certainly a way to get them out. It's called HEAT. I'm assuming you have the wheels off.

Drill a hole for an ez out and then use heat, (propane, Mapp gas, Oxy-acetylene) to heat the area around the bolt. it will come right out.

[JaredM3]

There is most certainly a way to get them out. It's called HEAT. I'm assuming you have the wheels off.

Drill a hole for an ez out and then use heat, (propane, Mapp gas, Oxy-acetylene) to heat the area around the bolt. it will come right out.

Your better off drilling them out then chasing it with a tap...Heat will kill the bearing...

[RRSperry]

No it won't... Unless you heat the entire hub cherry red...lol It won't take much.

[JETninja]

The front hub with bearings is very easy to remove, you do need a 46MM (or 1 11/16ths") socket....

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502712

[L3000C]

The front hub with bearings is very easy to remove, you do need a 46MM (or 1 11/16ths") socket....

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502712


thats a big socket.. LOTS of torque too lol

[JETninja]

You can buy a 12pt 1 11/16th's at most any Sears for $15. 1/2" drive. (that equals 46.02mm) I just lent mine to a local here. My Craftsman Tq wrench only goes to 150lbs, so I got a cheater bar and a breaker bar after getting them to 150lb and stood on them to give it more. (250lbs is the spec)

[hissinm3]

If I buy a new wheel hub, the bearing is already inside rite?? so i wont have to cut the inner race part????

[///AlpinePower]

If I buy a new wheel hub, the bearing is already inside rite?? so i wont have to cut the inner race part????

yeah - just yank the old one off the spindle. then align and tap the new one on.

[hissinm3]

about how long does the job take you think? estimate?

[RRSperry]

Have you got a really big torque wrench?

[hissinm3]

I can get one.... lol

[Stück]

Sounds to me like you need to tow the car to a shop and send the bill to the tire shop that damaged your car.

[Mr M3]

Hey guys,

Here's my scenario......

I have a 96 M3. I took it to get the tires changed about 4 months ago. All was well.... 2 day ago.. i go to take the front wheels off to put my snow rims and tires on... and I cant get the wheel lug nuts off, they are barely budging. So I take the car to my friends shop so I can use his air gun.... the nuts are still barely coming off.... finally, after about 15 min.. the result is 3 broken lug nuts on the left and one on the right.

My friend told me that the guy who put the tires on, put the nuts on way too tight and that is what caused the problem. So now the broken parts of the lug nuts are in my hub and there is no way to get them out.

I bout the hubs new and now i need a write up or DIY to put them in. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Bump

Help!!

Don't stuff around with the old gear. Get rid of them ASAP. If you're not experienced with hub replacements get a qualified mechanic to do the work for you. You'll only compromise your own safety. It's not an expensive exercise, and if your mechanic is a good bloke he'll instruct you with a step by step guide to do it properly. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. The wrong way can often be the result of ignorance and/or limited cash. If you can't afford to it, save, otherwise catch a bus.