FERRARI 348 REAR WHEEL BEARING REPLACEMENT

BY RIVEE

Parts you’ll need to re-assemble:

2 new bearings (inner and outer hub) New seal (at dust cover) New lock nut.

1. Remove wheel. 2. Remove the 2 bolts holding the brake caliper and remove. Be careful to count the shims between hub and caliper on top and bottom bolts. (no need to disconnect any brake lines. I just took a piece of wire and tied it out of the way) 3. Remove two centering bolts from wheel hub 4. Slide off the brake disc 5. Remove the ABS sensor wire from side of hub (remove bolt and it pulls out) 6. Remove the three bolts holding hub to wishbones 7. Remove 6 bolts that hold long axle shaft to hub assembly and move out of the way. 8. Remove hub.

Now the fun begins

1. First, you need a good vise because the lock nut holding the spindle on is very tight. 2. Clamp the hub to your vise and remove nut with special socket. (I made my own out of another socket. I carefully measured the opening between each leg of nut and cut in between them). 3. Make sure socket you use is the same outside diameter as the outside diameter of the lock nut. (fig 1) (outside diameter)

(fig 1)

4. take a puller and pull off flange for axle coupling (notice a 3mm spacer inside and under lock nut axle flange)( fig 2)

(fig 2)

5. Using a brass drift knock out splined short axle shaft. You will notice a spacer about 3 inches long. This is the ABS sensor gear. Notice the orientation of it. The short end goes towards the engine when re- assembling (fig 3) This must go back in the same way it was removed.

6. remove 6 nuts that holds on bearing dust cover 7. Now you have a hub with only bearings remaining. (unless bearings came out with spindle or flange) 8. remove bearings with puller (either from hub or spindle/flange)

After cleaning all parts and inside of hub, you’re ready to re-assemble with new bearings and seals.

You will notice that there is a spacer and dust seal on the short axle spline. Remove for cleaning but don’t forget to replace them afterwards. The seal goes around spacer, not on top of it.

Re-assembly:

Before re-assembly, make sure you pack the new bearings with a good quality bearing grease and lightly grease the bearing races on hub and bearings

1. On the engine side put new bearing into hub. 2. place new bearing onto short axle shaft and press it down close to seal and spacer (leave ¼” space before contact with seal) 3. Place axle spindle into hub and press axle spindle and bearing into hub making sure the sensor spacer (fig 3) is already in hub. 4. Put new seal into dust shield (do not grease insides of cover where seal is inserted) 5. put a light bead of water sealing sealant where dust cover bolts down 6. Put on dust cover 7. Put nuts and washers on cover and tighten. 8. Fill void between spline and new dust seal with good wheel bearing grease 9. Press axle flange into dust cover and hub... 10.Put new locking nut on spindle and torque down to 221 ft/lbs. 11.install hub onto wishbones 12.First pack long axle end with good high temp bearing grease then re- connect long axle to hub with 6 bolts. 13.The rest is the same as when removed except in reverse order.

Hope this helps and everything went smoothly for you. It saved me some substantial coin in doing it myself.

It’s been a couple of years now and no problems and no more bearing whine.

John