If you’re starting to experience noise coming from the wheel area of your E46 M3 that gets louder as the rotation spins faster, you may have a bad wheel bearing. You can test your wheel bearing by taking off your wheel and rotor to test for any irregular play, rotation and noise. It’s very important to take care of any wheel bearing issues because it can lead to a full lock up while you’re driving on the road. In this DIY we will be doing just the front wheel bearings.
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Tools Required
- 7mm allen
- Schwaben 46mm socket - 003302SCH03A
- Flat head screwdriver
- Hammer
- 3-jaw puller
- Long breaker bar
- Wheel bearing - 31222229501
- Dust cap - 31206777789
Install Directions
1. Remove caliper
1.1 Get your car on a nice even surface and jack up the front end to remove the wheel and access the brake caliper/rotor.
1.2 Remove your brake caliper and rotor.
Disclaimer: This DIY does require you to lift your car so please use proper tools and follow all safety procedures if you choose to attempt. This guide is for your reference only. We are not liable for any damages or injuries that result from this guide.
2. Remove wheel cap
2.1 Get a flat head screw driver and pry out the center cap. If you do a clean pry you can re-use the center cap. I’ll tell you right now though, there’s a good chance yours is gonna be a bit mangled after chiseling it out.
3. Pry metal security tabs
3.1 Get a flat head screw driver and hammer out the two metal tabs that are bent inwards towards the center lock.
4. Remove 46mm nut
4.1 I tried using my Li-ion Milwaukee impact driver to remove the 46mm nut, but it wasn’t enough. I had to use a large 4 ft pry bar. You can also try using the handle bar from your jack if it fits over the ratchet.
5. Remove old wheel bearing
5.1 This is the trickiest part. You need a 3-jaw puller to remove the old wheel bearing from the spindle. I recommend getting two different sizes to borrow from your local auto parts store because the jaws need to reach the wheel bearing. The first one I borrowed did not and I ended up making another trip.
6. Remove left over wheel baring parts
6.1 There’s a really good chance your wheel bearing isn’t going to come out in once piece. In my case, half of the bearing got stuck on the spindle and I had to use a smaller 3 jaw puller to remove this.
7. Grease up the spindle and wheel bearing
8. Install new wheel bearing
8.1 Once installed, torque the 46mm nut to 214 ft-lb.
8.2 Use a flat head to pry back the security tabs back in to the center hub.
8.3 Reverse the order to install your caliper and wheel back on.
I bought EVERYTHING on the list plus a 36mm socket that rests against the nut when using the big puller. I also bought a smaller 4″ puller. Sure enough the race and other parts were left behind. But, oops, no bailing wire to hold the jaws together. NO PROBLEM!! LOL. My buddy took my 3 foot long giant pry bar and with almost no effort popped the race off easy as opening a beer can!! I bought Red Line grease from ECS too. The Schwaben socket was 20 or 25 bux from ECS. The 36mm Tekton on Amazon was 11 bux. The pullers were on Ebay. We put an adapter in the drive end of the 36mm so the 8″ puller jaws pulled the bearing off straight. I bought my buddy several beers after what he did. What a pal!
PS. To get the nut off we anchored the hub with out giant pry bar. I have a two foot long extendable breaker bar. No joy. So my buddy who weighs 250lbs STOOD on the breaker bar. The nut popped loose. Love have big buddies. He is smart as a whip too.
Haha I can imagine your friend standing on the break bar. Glad you had a better experience. I’ve been holding off on the rear bearings because I hear it’s a lot more difficult than the fronts.
He is a big boy. Bigger than me, and I am 6’4″, 240lbs. He was my torque wrench for TIGHTENING the new nut too. LOL