Hi –
I was unable to find a good set of instruction to replace my Volvo wheel bearing assembly so I just decided to give it a try and document the steps the best I could. I have a 2005 Volvo XC90 2.5T FWD and this was the back left assembly. I understand that this process is similar on the front assembly and on other years and sub-models.
Diagnose the issue… If your bearing is going out you will hear a load roaring noise that gets louder the faster you go. An easy way to tell which wheel has the bad bearing just make a series of right and left swerves. If you swerve left and the amount of noise reduces then it is the left bearing and vice versa.
It is possible to have more than one bearing making noise so replacing a bearing may only reduce part of the noise. In my case replacement of the back left stopped all noise!
Buy the replacement part. I paid about 125$ for mine. You will find that this part will go up to 300$ plus. This is only due to brand but both the cheap and expensive part will work. I went cheap!
To Replace the Hub Assembly:
1. Loosen wheel lugs
2. Jack up car and support with jack stand
3. Remove tire
4. Remove brake tension bar on caliper
5. Remove caliper pads and caliper arm
6. Remove rotor set screw
7. Remove bolt and washer in center of rotor
8. Hammer rotor to loosen and remove
9. Unbolt 4 bolts on hub assembly
10. Remove hub assembly
11. Reverse steps to complete

 

Good work.

 

What tool did you use to remove the caliper arm. I can't seem to get enough torque on it. And the wheel hub bolts are recessed behind a heavy rubber boot so I can't get a socket in on them. Thoughts for how to pull those out too?

 

Just thought I’d add an easy tip here to get the hub assembly free. First, use a standard gear puller to break any rust between the cv axle and the spline on the bearing. You won’t be able to push in far enough to actually pull the bearing loose but at least you’ve eliminated one seizure point. To get the actual bearing assembly off, I put a pipe wrench on lugnut flange right at top dead center (Bdc works as well). Then I put a jack up under the pipe wrench and jacked it up. This will load the suspension some but eventually it will really start to pry on the bearing. If it doesn’t crack loose, hit the lug flange sideways with a hammer and it should pop off. This is kinda sketchy so wear safety glasses and keep your hands clear!