Replacing the rear wheel bearing on a first generation Mazda Protege is a very easy job. No pressing–no special tools of any kind, really–are required. Unlike the front wheel bearings, which require a press or a lot of hammering to replace, the rear wheel bearing comes as part of a bearing/hub assembly (Beck-Arnley # 051-6018).
To replace the hub/bearing assembly, remove the wheel, brake caliper, and brake rotor. The caliper is held in place with 2 14mm bolts.
- With the caliper and rotor out of the way, access the retaining nut by removing the retaining nut cover. Use a screwdriver or (better) a small chisel and gently hammer at the lip of the cap, as shown here.
- Remove the cap.
- Using a 36mm socket, remove the retaining nut. You may also use a 1 3/8 socket. If you don’t have a socket of this size, your local Sears, hardware store, or tool shop will likely have a shelf of impact sockets that run this large. The axle nuts for many cars are this size, so a 1 3/8 or 36mm socket is a good thing to have.
- Grasp the hub/bearing assembly and pull it off. It is not a press fit and should slide off the post very easily.
It’s a simple as that. Slide the new hub/bearing assembly onto the post. Reinstall the nut, then reinstall the rotor and caliper. All told, you should be able to do the job in about 30 minutes.
on June 26, 2008 at 3:04 pm Greg wrote:
This tutorial was a lifesaver! Please note that to get the nut off of the hub assembly you will need a 1 3/8 inch socket. That is not a size that a weekend mechanic would have lying around. But it is better to know what you need so you don’t have to reassemble the car to drive and get one! Thanks for a great tutorial!
on June 26, 2008 at 3:10 pm Clint wrote:
Hi Greg. I’m happy to hear that this post helped you. I’ll change the article so that it mentions the 1 3/8 socket. We’re metric guys over here, so sometimes we forget to put in the standard equivalents. Thanks for your comments.
on February 17, 2009 at 2:40 pm Jake wrote:
Clint,
This post is very helpful! I was just wondering if the bearing will come out of the hub without a press, for those replacing just the bearing. Thanks for your help!
on April 18, 2009 at 7:20 pm Wheel Bearings wrote:
Thanks for this great tutorial!
Jake, you can not get the bearing out of the hub without a press, and if you do get it out, you can not replace the bearing. You must replace the entire hub.
I used this tutorial and USA made bearings from Mazda Wheel Hub Bearings
for my Mazda.
Thanks!
on August 22, 2009 at 1:47 pm anthony wrote:
what about the procedure for the front wheel bearings
Thanks
Anthony
on June 17, 2010 at 9:21 am Ernie Adams wrote:
On my protege the rear bearing retaining nut was not 36mm or 1 3/8. the size was 32mm or 1 1/4.