Alternative Method for Rear Bearing Replacement?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jimolson, May 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM.

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  1. jimolson

    jimolson Member

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    May 1, 2006
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    Location:
    Indianapolis, USA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    About a year ago I replaced both rear wheel bearings on a Midwestern 2009 that had seen a lot of salty roads. What should have been a 3 hour project ended up consuming an entire Saturday.

    The problem is that the bearing assembly "rust fuses" itself to the stamped steel plate that serves as the brake mounting plate. There's a ~3" hole in the plate that binds to the tapered wall of the bearing.

    We pounded all types of thin metallic wedges (mostly flat blade screwdrivers) into the narrow air gap between the plate and the bearing assembly in a effort to separate them. But it was quite a chore, one that would be tough to do without a floor lift to give room to swing a hammer.

    I now have to do this task on another Gen 2, and this time without the floor lift. I'm regretting accepting the task.

    Has anyone attempted to separate the bearing from the back plate by driving bolts backwards through the threaded feet on the bearing? If the holes in the back plate are manually blocked with something thin like a steak or putty knife, these bolts should shove the back plate off the bearing.

    The challenge will be to find the correct bolt length that will fit between the bearing's feet and the wheel mounting flange.
     
    #1 jimolson, May 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Location:
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    2010 Prius
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    IV
    This was my approach: first get the bearing loose from the beam axle, however you do that. Of course the brake backing plate came along with the bearing. I didn't let the bearing come very far out from the axle, 'cause of course the backing plate still had brake cable and line attached. But without too much violence to the line, I could pull the bearing maybe most of an inch away from the axle flange.

    That was enough room to thread some bolts back into the bearing 'feet', from behind, but not through the axle flange, just from behind the feet, so the bolt heads were back against the axle flange. Now the bearing is kinda loose, resting back against the flange but with some distance between, enforced by the bolts.

    Then I just took a drift, or narrow metal rod, and touched it to the backing plate various places around the feet and edge of the bearing, all while tapping the drift with a hammer. This neatly drove the backing plate gradually away from the bearing and back toward the axle flange until it was loose. Didn't mar the backing plate much at all; it was fine to reuse.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, May 3, 2025 at 6:21 PM
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