Replacing the support bearing Lada Kalina with your own hands

In the last article, I talked about choosing front suspension components for my Kalina. And here I will try to describe in more detail the entire procedure for replacing these parts, starting from struts and springs, and ending with supports and their bearings. All this can be done in three hours, if there are no special problems with rusted nuts. To perform this repair you will need the following tools:

1. Balloon wrench
2. Hammer and pry bar
3. Jack
4. Open-end wrench size 9 and socket wrench size 22 (for unscrewing the top nut of the strut and holding the rod)
5. Socket wrenches 17, 19 or similar heads with a crank
6. Pliers
7. 13mm socket head with ratchet or wrench
8. Penetrating lubricant
9. Spring ties

Support bearing design

The front strut support bearing itself is enclosed in a rubber separator of a specific diameter. The inner race is directly connected to the shock absorber rod. The working element of the product is metal balls arranged in one row around the circumference. The part is protected on the top and bottom sides by thick rubber gaskets.

Further disassembly of the front suspension into elements

To replace, for example, the front strut support bearing, the entire module must be disassembled. Initially, you need to compress the springs of the suspension element. To compress the springs, you need a tension device.

These devices can be purchased at almost any auto store. We install the tie elements on different sides of the spring onto the coils and then, using a wrench, begin to screw the bolt into the elements. The springs must be compressed symmetrically by turning the bolt on one side and performing the same operation on the other side.

After the spring releases the support, you can completely unscrew the nut from above.

Now you can remove the strut support together with the support bearing. It is best to remove the bearing and support in one piece, since the bearing balls may fly apart in different directions, and then you will have to do unnecessary work.

By removing the support and bearing, you can easily dismantle the spring.

And at the very final stage, it is necessary to remove the bump stop boot from the rod. This is done by simply applying force and pulling upward.

Thus, the front suspension element is completely disassembled.

Support bearing faults

The main sign indicating that a bearing has become unusable is a characteristic knocking sound. It is expressed in the form of dull knocks coming from under the hood of the LADA Kalina, or more precisely, from the location of the pillars.

This soundtrack “tells” the driver about:

• presence of damage (rupture) or deformation (wrinkling) of the rubber gasket;
• failure of the working element of the support (bearing).

The reasons for bearing failure are as follows:

• complete resource exhaustion;
• penetration of dirt or moisture into the working area;
• exposure to extreme loads;
• mechanical destructive effects from a faulty shock absorber.

When to change bearings in Kalina?

On average, the service life of supports (bearings) in a Lada Kalina is 50-100 thousand km, if you know which is better when purchasing them. Its value greatly depends on the operating conditions of the car. Based on this mileage, the owner is recommended to replace the supports (on both sides) without waiting for signs of malfunction to appear.

You cannot neglect replacing worn supports or bearings, as this is guaranteed to cause damage to shock absorbers or other components of the LADA Kalina chassis. How is replacement done without removing the rack?

Price of support bearings

The cost of a bearing “starts” from 300 rubles. The assembled support is more expensive: from 1.2 to 3.0 thousand rubles. Saving is not recommended: you should choose either original products or imported analogues from famous brands (FENOX, TRACK, ASOMI, SS-20). Which is better, everyone determines for himself.

The replacement is not difficult, but if the owner is inclined to service his Lada Kalina purely at the station, then the technician will ask about 500 rubles for the service. Approximately this amount will have to be “sacrificed” for subsequent adjustment of the wheel angles.

Replacing support bearings on Lada Kalina

• jack and wheel wrench;
• pliers and open-end wrenches (“9”; “13”, “17”, “19” and “22”).
• a puller that allows you to disconnect the steering tips;
• a set of spring ties (2 pcs.).

Bearing replacement procedure

1. We install the Lada Kalina on a level area and brake it with the handbrake and the engaged gear in the box.
2. We loosen the wheel tightening torque and jack up the body.
3. We remove the wheel.
4. Unscrew the nut of the steering unit tip.
5. Unscrew it (key to “19”).
6. Using a puller, remove the ball pin from the socket in the swing arm of the strut. If there is no puller, the finger can be knocked out.
7. Disconnect the stand from the steering axle. Use a key set to “19” to turn 2 nuts. If the bolt heads need to be supported, then use the key set to “17”.
8. Using a “13” wrench (preferably a socket), unscrew the fasteners (3 nuts) of the support to the body cup.
9. We remove the support together with the shock-absorbing strut.
10. We compress the spring with zip ties until the upper part is released.
11. Unscrew the central nut of the support using a “22” wrench. Use the key set to “9” to hold the rod.
12. After removing the support, we resort to disassembling it. We remove the front strut support bearing and change it.
13. We put the unit back together and proceed to a similar procedure on the other side of the car.

The first stage is dismantling the front pillar

If your ultimate goal of repair is to replace the support bearing or front struts on Kalina, then you will have to remove the entire suspension element. Initially, you need to get under the hood with a wrench and loosen the nut that secures the support to the strut. To do this, take a spanner type wrench and place it on the nut, then take a second 9 wrench and place it on the rod nut. Now, holding the rod from turning with a 9 mm open-end wrench, release the nut by 22 (make several turns).

Next, you need to jack up the front part of the Kalina to free the wheel from the load and dismantle it.

After this, you need to remove the brake hose from the eyelet.

Then we apply anti-rust agent to the bolts, securing the strut and knuckle.

After 10 minutes have passed since you applied the anti-rust liquid, unscrew the nut on the tip. After unscrewing the tip nut, using a hammer and a pry bar, release the tip.

You can also remove the tip using a special puller. Further actions involve unscrewing two bolts located at the bottom of the rack. You can unscrew the nuts of these bolts using spanners or sockets. As a rule, after difficult unscrewing of the nuts of these bolts, difficulty arises in removing them from the mounting holes.

To immediately speed up the process of removing the bolts, take a wooden block and use a hammer to knock out the bolts through it. After the bolts are knocked out as much as possible with a block, we take a sample and begin to knock them out through the holes. In order not to damage the threads on the bolts when knocking them out, it is necessary to use a pin of a smaller diameter with a flat end, such as a bolt.

Now replacing the struts on Kalina requires unscrewing 3 nuts from the top. These nuts secure the front supports to the cup.

Two nuts can be unscrewed all the way, but the last third does not need to be unscrewed all the way. After disconnecting the strut and steering knuckle, unscrew the third nut. This is how the removal and subsequent replacement of the front struts of a Lada Kalina is carried out.

Let's sum it up

Having completed the repair procedure, we go to the service station to adjust the wheel alignment. We “listen” to new supports (bearings) on the road, initially choosing those that best suit your car, making sure that there are no extraneous sounds.

Front support struts and support bearings are integral components of the chassis. Thanks to shock absorbers and struts, impacts coming from the wheels are softened, and vibration and swaying of the car body is also reduced. However, nothing lasts forever; unfortunately, due to constant high loads, the racks and support bearings fail. Delay or untimely detection of non-working struts or support bearings is fraught with serious consequences; if you do not replace failed parts in a timely manner, there is a possibility of complete destruction of the chassis. A faulty chassis increases the likelihood of an accident significantly, so do not delay repairs and regularly monitor the condition of the struts, suspension, silent blocks, and support bearings.

Before you start replacing, find out how to check the VAZ support frame.

Today we’ll talk about how to replace the support bearing of a Lada Kalina with your own hands.

What is the danger of a breakdown and when is replacement needed?

Many car enthusiasts underestimate the importance of this unit and ignore the knocking noise of the support bearing. This, in turn, can end very badly.

For example, during the next collision with a hole, the support may break. As a result, the car pillar breaks through the hood. If this happened at low speed, then the only costs are material.

It will be necessary to straighten or change the hood, paint it, and so on. It is much worse if such a situation occurs while moving. In this case, the consequences can be more tragic.

If the support gear malfunctions, many motorists do not know what to do correctly and what to do in such a situation. Here the answer is clear - the front strut supports need to be replaced.

If there is an obvious knock, there can be no talk of any repairs (more expensive). Many beginners are afraid of such work, considering replacement to be too complicated a process.

In fact, all manipulations take a minimum of time. The main thing is to know exactly the sequence of actions.

Be careful and do not ignore the appearance of suspicious knocking noises. Remember that such problems can not only lead to additional costs, but also pose certain health hazards. Good luck on the roads.

Replacing the support bearing Lada Kalina is impossible without:

1. Special wrench for removing the support bearing.
2. A puller for pressing out steering tips (although sometimes it is possible without it).
3. Special couplers for compressing (uniting) springs.
4. Hammer and set of keys.
5. Support bearing Lada Kalina.

Replacing the support bearing Lada Kalina - detailed guide

1. I’ll share a little trick, the fact is that in most reports on replacing struts or support bearings that I have come across, the support nut is unscrewed after removing the strut. You need to clamp the stand in a vice and “dance with a tambourine” for a long time. I think this is wrong and recommend unscrewing the nut right away. Place the “reinforcement pipe” on the special wrench and unscrew the support.

Selection of manufacturer

Below I will describe in more detail the agony of choice, since before purchasing I had to read probably more than 1000 posts on this topic on various forums and blogs, including lkforum and DRIVE2.

• SAAZ is a passed stage, to which you never want to return again. Of course, I understand that you need to save on the components that go on the assembly line, but not to the same extent? Take the same suspension, only on a VAZ 2110-2112, and I have never heard such symptoms there, including on my “twelfth”, which I drove for more than 3 years. I simply don’t understand why they couldn’t make a similar design on Kalina.
• Kayaba (KYB) is originally a Japanese brand that has a good position in this industry. But there is one important BUT - you will never get Japanese quality, since the lion's share of the goods that go to the domestic market from this manufacturer are produced in China. I'm not saying that the Chinese do their job poorly, but with a flow like theirs, the defect rate can be quite high. And the reviews online are quite mixed, so this confused me.
• ASOMI is our manufacturer that develops suspension parts for VAZ and GAZ cars. They make some pretty good components, but there is one significant drawback that put me off buying their parts. The fact is that this manufacturer provides a 12-month warranty, but only on the condition that you install the parts at a specialized service station. I don’t need this, I’ll do everything myself, and if something is wrong with the suspension, who will I complain to then?
• SS20 is a domestic manufacturer of suspension and steering parts. I think that 99% of all Kalina owners have heard about this company and a considerable part have experience in using components of this brand! Even here on the blog there are many positive reviews from many owners. As for personal experience, I rode on the SS20 suspension on some of my friends’ Kalinas, and compared to my car, this is heaven and earth! No knocks on the rebound, moderately stiff and at the same time excellent road holding, even with quite strong maneuvers at a decent speed (Comfort-Optima). In general, I was hooked on this particular suspension, especially since no manufacturer provides such a huge guarantee. For struts it is 2 years, for springs and supports 4 years. And the most important point is that you can install it yourself without fear of warranty problems! And one more thing - even if you don’t have a receipt or warranty card in your hands, the guarantee is still valid according to the number that is stamped on the parts!

How to identify a malfunction

Are you bothered by some strange sounds in the chassis? Can you clearly hear its knocking while driving? This means that you urgently need to assess the condition of the suspension, since it is possible that you had to deal with:

• bearing damage;
• damage to the gasket.

There can be many reasons for the failure of support bearings, and they are the same for the vast majority of cars, including the Lada Kalina. First of all, we are talking about problems such as:

1. Wear of the element (as a rule, the service life of support bearings on the Lada Kalina is designed for 50,000 - 100,000 km).
2. Getting dirt and dust inside, which is very important for most of our regions where there are practically no roads.
3. Damage due to excessive load on the shock absorber.
4. Failure due to damage to the shock absorber itself.

IMPORTANT!

Please accept this information as mandatory! After you have carried out work on installing new front struts on the Lada Kalina, you should immediately visit a vehicle technical inspection station to carry out work on the vehicle's wheel alignment, since during the work all the previously established angles were violated. Neglecting this can cause not only rapid and uneven wear of tires and mechanisms, but also lead to a traffic accident.

The support bearing is one of the leading elements of the suspension of any car, and the Lada Kalina is no exception. The movement of a car is associated with constant shocks from the suspension, especially on our roads. This part allows you to absorb the vast majority of loads, taking them upon yourself and distributing them evenly, so that the suspension and body remain in working order.

However, like other components, support bearings wear out over time, after which it is time to replace them. Today we’ll talk about what reasons can lead to a malfunction of this suspension element, how to determine their presence and how to replace it with a Lada Kalina.

We change bearings correctly!

Actually, there are no difficulties in changing the bearing on Kalina. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions that we will give below, and you will be able to deal with this trouble without any problems. So, to replace these components you need:

1. Place the car on a flat surface and put it in gear.
2. Remove the wheel from the side from which the bearing will be replaced.
3. Remove the tie rod end nut. To do this, you will need a 19 mm wrench and pliers for removing the cotter pins.
4. Use a special puller to remove the tip pin from the stand. If you don’t have a puller at hand, you can knock it out by prying it from below with a small crowbar.
5. We tighten the nuts securing the strut to the steering knuckle. To do this we will need a 19mm wrench and possibly a 17mm wrench to support the bolt heads.
6. Remove the nuts securing the shock absorber to the body. To do this, use a 13 mm socket wrench.
7. We remove the shock absorber, install it on the tie spring and compress it until its upper part appears.
8. Remove the nut of the upper shock absorber support. To do this you will need keys for 9 and 22.
9. We are replacing the bearing.
10. We assemble and install the shock absorber in the reverse order.

As you can see, the procedure is absolutely elementary and will not take much time; the most important thing is to do everything in accordance with the steps indicated above. If any points remain unclear to you, it is advisable to watch the video instructions for replacing the support bearing with and without removing the strut. Remember, you should not delay in eliminating malfunctions of this kind, because they can lead to more serious consequences, and you will need to spend a lot of money to eliminate them.

Guide to assembling new parts into a suspension element

At the very beginning, you need to put a bump stop on the suspension rod, which comes with the boot.

If you are going to install new springs, then initially they need to be tightened in the same way as the old ones. After the springs are tightened, we put them in place. In this case, you need to make sure that the spring falls into a special recess.

Having installed the spring, you need to prepare the support with the bearing. To do this, insert a bearing into the support.

A special flange is installed on top of the bearing and a rubber seal is installed on top of the flange.

We mount the assembled element onto the suspension rod and tighten the fixing nut.

When tightening the nut, you should control the rod so that it does not turn. It should turn out that the upper coil of the springs fits completely onto the sealing rubber. Thus, the front suspension of the Lada Kalina is assembled.

After completing the assembly, the tie elements should be removed from the spring. It is important to find the marking arrows on the spacer that indicate the direction of movement of the machine. Now we insert the entire stand assembly into the glass. After three bolts fall into the holes, screw the nuts on top. Next comes the most painstaking process of getting the strut into the steering knuckle. After that, we twist everything and tighten it to the end. Replacing Kalina front struts is not a very difficult process if you do everything correctly and in the right sequence. When you take on the suspension bulkhead from the second side, everything will work out much faster. And finally, after completion of work with the replacement of front suspension elements, it is necessary to carry out a procedure to regulate the alignment. This procedure will be carried out very quickly and efficiently in a car service center. Doing this yourself without skills is quite difficult and can only make things worse. It is best to go to a car service immediately after completing work on replacing the suspension elements. If you delay this, you will most likely have to change the tires as well. Tire wear is not the worst thing, but since all corners are broken when reinstalling the suspension strut, you can get into an accident when turning.