Hi All,
I have a 2001 Mazda Protege 2.0 L.
I have previously replaced a front wheel bearing, and one of the rear wheel bearings is also starting to go.
When I replaced the front wheel bearing, I got two new wheel bearings (as it was a good deal and I figured I may need to replace another bearing soon). However, the wheel bearing which went next was a rear wheel bearing.
Rock Auto shows only wheel bearings for the front, and for the rear there is only the option of a "Wheel Bearing And Hub" assembly. I haven't been able to find a good tutorial video online about the replacement, but I did find this 12 year old thread which is walking through the process for a 2002 model. That thread seems to suggest "rear Bearing only comes in the Hub, No Choice" and lists some very expensive part prices.
mazdas247.com
However, the front wheel bearings I have (which worked well) came from Amazon, and when I originally looked up on Amazon specifically searching "rear wheel bearing" and matching my vehicle, I was recommended wheel bearings that look very similar to the front wheel bearings, in addition to hub assemblies. And I found a tutorial video here replacing a rear wheel bearing itself on a Mazda:
www.youtube.com
I am pretty convinced at this point that I can't use the front wheel bearing in the rear, but I wanted to get a second/third opinion before buying any extra part, especially given a bit of conflicting information and hub assemblies are more expensive than wheel bearings themselves.
I was also somewhat curious to better understand why the front and rear process would be different. I've been pretty happy with the way most other parts of the Mazda Protege have been pretty easy to maintain/replace, so having a difference from the front and rear here, and forced more expensive hub purchase on the rear, seems surprising to me. If anyone has insight into why such a design decision would have been made I'm very curious to better understand it.
Thanks so much!
I have a 2001 Mazda Protege 2.0 L.
I have previously replaced a front wheel bearing, and one of the rear wheel bearings is also starting to go.
When I replaced the front wheel bearing, I got two new wheel bearings (as it was a good deal and I figured I may need to replace another bearing soon). However, the wheel bearing which went next was a rear wheel bearing.
Rock Auto shows only wheel bearings for the front, and for the rear there is only the option of a "Wheel Bearing And Hub" assembly. I haven't been able to find a good tutorial video online about the replacement, but I did find this 12 year old thread which is walking through the process for a 2002 model. That thread seems to suggest "rear Bearing only comes in the Hub, No Choice" and lists some very expensive part prices.
HOW TO: Protege Rear Bearing
I noticed that my rear tire was "Wobbly" Makes sense, the Chassis has over 160,000 Km on it and the car is a 2002. The rear Bearing only comes in the Hub, No Choice. It is not a press fit, anybody can do this job in under one hour. There are Two Parts. Hub with ABS Ring $250.00 Cdn Hub...
However, the front wheel bearings I have (which worked well) came from Amazon, and when I originally looked up on Amazon specifically searching "rear wheel bearing" and matching my vehicle, I was recommended wheel bearings that look very similar to the front wheel bearings, in addition to hub assemblies. And I found a tutorial video here replacing a rear wheel bearing itself on a Mazda:
Replace Your Rear Wheel Bearing Without a Press!
Hey everyone! I had to tackle this job over the weekend so I figured I'd film it and help out any of you that might need to do the same job soon. Feel free t...
www.youtube.com
I am pretty convinced at this point that I can't use the front wheel bearing in the rear, but I wanted to get a second/third opinion before buying any extra part, especially given a bit of conflicting information and hub assemblies are more expensive than wheel bearings themselves.
I was also somewhat curious to better understand why the front and rear process would be different. I've been pretty happy with the way most other parts of the Mazda Protege have been pretty easy to maintain/replace, so having a difference from the front and rear here, and forced more expensive hub purchase on the rear, seems surprising to me. If anyone has insight into why such a design decision would have been made I'm very curious to better understand it.
Thanks so much!
