Mazda 3 Rear Wheel Bearing/Hub Replacement
Had a couple of Mazda 3’s in this week for daily driver service. The first one stopped for new brake pads all the way around, and this one for new rear wheel bearings/hubs. I had changed the pads on this 3 awhile back and noticed the bearings were very crunchy in the rear, so it was time to get them replaced. Since they are special order hubs, we had to leave them be at the brake change, and come back in once we had the right hubs. The bearings are contained in an entire hub assembly, you just unbolt the hub from the carrier, and replace with a new hub. No need to pack any bearings, or use any bearing pullers. A lot of newer cars have gone to this style. The downside is that they run a couple hundred bucks each, versus a traditional bearing set at about 25 bucks, or a sealed bearing at about 50-75.
We seem to be working from the floor a lot these days, lol.
With the brake rotor and caliper removed, you can see the outer section of the hub assembly which includes the wheel studs.
After removing 4 bolts from the backside, the hub comes off and the new one goes on. You can see the division between new hub and old carrier arm here.
And what the hub assembly looks like out of the car. The bearings are contained within and are not serviceable.
One Comment
Leave a commentScott Curtis
August 20, 2013 at 6:54 PM
This is great information. I have a 2009 that may have to have a replaced front passenger wheel bearing hub assembly. Is there any structural difference between the front and rear hub assemblies? I am trying to price some out on rockauto.com and they only have “rear” assembly. Thanks for the awesome info. I am hoping my 2009 is all built into one assembly. What year was the red mazda 3?