To operate, the wheel bearings on your vehicle's wheels are packed with special grease. Depending on your particular model, you may be able to re-pack wheel bearings, if they are still in good condition and are not the sealed type. It is a good idea to inspect wheel bearings and replace dried and contaminated grease at least once a year. Doing so will increase performance and service life.
After carefully removing the bearing from the wheel, clean the bearing and race with solvent to get rid of old grease. Do so over old newspaper or a drip cloth, as this step can be messy. Let the parts dry completely before moving to the next step.
Inspect the bearing and race, checking for bends, chips, cracks, rust and worn spots. If you find any of those signs on the bearing or race, replace both with new ones.
Wash and clean your hands thoroughly or put on a pair of new latex gloves to avoid contamination of the grease and bearing. Bearing grease is sticky and can stain clothing, so be careful.
Put a small amount of high temperature wheel-bearing grease on the palm of your hand, about the size of a golf ball.
Grab the wheel bearing with your other hand, making sure the larger end of the bearing faces down.
Push the large end of the bearing onto the ball of grease with a slow sweeping motion. That forces the grease into the bearing cage. Repeat the process until you see grease coming out through the top of the bearing cage.
Rotate the bearing and repeat the sweeping motion until all of the rollers inside the cage are covered in grease and you can see grease coming out around the top of the bearing cage.
Apply a coat of grease all the way around the outside of the wheel bearing as well.
Apply a coat of wheel bearing grease to the bearing housing before installing it.
