Rear Wheel Bearing Removal Help Needed

[eurotic]

Well I tried searching and perhaps I am search challenged but I can't find the information that I need. I was hoping to find a DIY for removing the rear wheel bearings in my 2012 S4.

From the bits I have gathered it sounds like I need to remove the bolt that holds the knuckle to the lower control arm. To do that I need to get the spring out. I tried to use a spring compressor but there just isn't nought room to make it work. So I tried to follow the instructions for installing coilovers which suggest you can drop the subframe. However I can't remove the lower bolt from shock so that I can get the suspension to droop out enough to get the spring out. I tried with a regular ratchet, then a 24" breaker bar, then an impact gun. Nothing is making that bolt budge.

Perhaps I am going about this wrong. I was getting short on time so I wrapped it up for the night. But one of the thoughts I had was to not remove the spring completely but just release as much tension as I can and I should be able to remove the suspension bolt that is preventing me from getting access to the wheel bearing bolts. Since I can't get the bottom bolt out for the shock, maybe I could disconnect the top.

Before I do anything else I thought I'd reach out here to see if anyone has any words of wisdom, thoughts, or better yet, a link to a DIY?


Shawn

[Lbsigman]

Check your PM

[littleredwagen]

I did this not long ago. I did it without loosening the subframe. Steps I Took:
1 remove center cap and loosen outer axle bolt
2 jack up the car
3 remove brakes and rotors
4 remove the lower shock bolt.
5 place jack under the spring pad and compress the spring
6 marked position and removed upper control bolt (which doubles as the camber adjustment so mark its location on the knuckle so it puts the alignment back roughly where it was)
7 I used heavy duty zip ties to keep the spring compressed and lowered the jack
8 put spring compressors on spring as a safety measure
9 remove toe rod bolt from the knuckle
10 remove really long lower control arm bolt nut and spacer
11 remove knuckle by pulling off the axle
12 brace the knuckle to loosen the 4 triple square bolts holding the hub/bearing to the upright.

after pressing out the hub from the bearing and pressing the hub into the new bearing install in the reverse order. Make sure and torque the bearing bolts correctly otherwise you will need to take it all apart again

if you have problems loosening the lower shock bolt place a jack under the knuckle and place some load on it it might help loosen it up since you are removing downward pressure on the bolt.