Ford Focus 2: replacing the hub with your own hands

Ford Focus 2 is a very popular car in Russia. His popularity he won thanks to high reliability, maintainability and budgetary price. Among car owners there is an opinion that it is much more difficult to repair a foreign car than the VAZ. It is not always so. Especially when it comes to a car like the Ford Focus 2.

Replacing the hub or bearing is an operation that even a novice mechanic can perform. How to do it - read in our today's article.

Symptoms of a malfunction

How to determine this breakdown? Everything is very simple. As well as at any other bearing, at deterioration here there is a characteristic hum. With increasing speed, it increases. But how to determine on which wheel the replacement of the hub bearing is required? "Ford Focus-2" is put on the lift. Further, the wheels hung from one side to the other alternately shake. If there is a play on one of the wheels of the Ford Focus 2 car, replacing the hub will be inevitable. If there is no lift, you can use a jack. However, you will have to hang out each wheel separately, and this will take a lot longer.

Features of hub construction

Note that on some cars this element is not collapsible. Not exception is the "Ford Focus-2." The hub replacement is performed entirely, even if only the bearing is out of order. Interestingly, the element changes in collection only on the last generations of "Focus". The bearing of the hub FF-1 varies separately. As for our case, you have to buy the hub assembly. It costs about three thousand rubles. On cars "Ford Focus-2" replacement of a nave is executed in pairs, that is the repair cost increases at once to six thousand. This can not be avoided, since these elements wear out almost identically. If you replace only one bearing, the next one will soon be buzzing. Also note that distinguish hubs, designed to work with ABS and without it. Before buying it is worthwhile to find out if such a system is installed on your machine. It is not costly to replace the rear hub. "Ford Focus-2" in terms of maintainability received a lot of positive feedback.

Analyzing the features of replacing the element entirely, we can distinguish the following advantages:

• The minimum risk of incorrect bearing installation (because it is already pressed in the factory).
• Ensuring the maximum resource of the element, since the manufacturer itself is responsible for the quality.
• Easier replacement, as well as significant time savings for work.

Preparation

Place the vehicle on a lift or flat surface. Also prepare the following set of tools:

• Screwdrivers.
• Set of heads from 12 to 18.
• Spanners.
• Gloves.
• The puller.
• Wheel chocks and a jack (in case the work will be carried out without a lift).

Getting Started

So, how is the front hub bearing replaced? "Ford Focus-2" is installed on the lift or jack. Next, the wheel is removed from the desired side. If you hang out the wheel on the jack, put the car on the handbrake and set the chocks. Now you need to remove the brake pads and cylinder. Then it is required to unscrew the central hub bolt. Next, using the puller, remove the steering tip. If your car is equipped with an anti-lock braking system, turn off the ABS sensor. Remove brake caliper. We hang it on the spring. It is not necessary to remove the brake hoses or drain the fluid. Next, remove the ball joint, swivel fist and shock absorber strut (because here the suspension type "McPherson"). On the fist there will be an ABS sensor - we also turn it off. Then press the hub with a puller. It is recommended to clean the rotary cam from dirt beforehand. Now it remains only to press in the new hub and install all the parts in the reverse order.

note

Some car enthusiasts use a hammer or a sledge hammer to press the hub. To use such tools is extremely dangerous. You can damage the new hub, swivel fist and other suspension elements. To install this element, use a special press. However, this is available only in large workshops, and buying it at one time is unprofitable. How to be in this situation? If you do not want to contact the service, you can use a mechanical puller. The cost of this tool (if you consider a simple, mechanical option) does not exceed one and a half thousand rubles (work at the STO stand from 2.5 thousand rubles, so the device will pay off already at the first use). The set includes a special mandrel, power washer and screw. With proper handling, even without dismounting the rack and the rotary cam of the hub, the hub can be replaced. "Ford Focus-2" with their own hands to repair is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. How to use a mechanical puller? From the kit, you need to select the mandrel of the correct size and install the device on the bearing. Rotating the power screw in one direction or another, you will press or remove the element. When installing the hub, it is important to avoid distortions. Establish a rotary fist so that an element moved along an axis of the bearing.

Torque

It is important not to overtighten the wheel bearing nut . The manufacturer recommends tightening with a force of up to 181 Nm. To do this, it is recommended to use a torque wrench. However, in the absence of such, you can adjust the tightening "by eye". Tighten the nut until the wheel in the suspended state rotates slightly in the tension. Loosen the nut a couple of turns. Then shake the wheel from side to side. There should be a slight backlash. This is normal, because with a strong tightening of the cage of the hub bearing simply dissipates. Always leave a small gap. In addition, lubricate the "Lithol-24" nut and install the cover. On this procedure, the replacement can be considered complete. Check how the car behaves itself. The roar must disappear. The machine itself should not go to the side. If there are any vibrations, check the tightening torque of the hub.

Conclusion

So, we found out how the hub is replaced independently. "Ford Focus-2" - a very maintainable car, so such an operation as the installation of bearings, under the power of any car owner. The main thing is to use a puller for this, and not a sledgehammer. Only in this way can guarantee the long and harmonious work of the new hub.

And another important point - during operation, check the lubrication in the bearing of the hub. The mechanism is destructive - overheating, friction, road dust. All this negatively affects the resource of the element. If there is no lubricant under the lid, supplement it with Lithol. If you adhere to these recommendations, the bearing life of the hub will be about 150 thousand kilometers.