1996 BMW 328i E36 Rear Wheel Bearing How to

So I just replaced the wheel bearing on the driver side of my car, having replaced the passenger side about a month ago, and the road noise I had before is completely gone. I figured if one was worn out they both would be, especially considering the mileage. So this is how everything kinda went, and apologies for lack of pictures, didn't have a memory card but I'll try to get some from the internet to illustrate along the way, but this isn't an easy repair. Also everything here is referencing from the driver side so if you doing the passenger side some things will have to be reversed, and there may be other slight variations.

Update: Originally I used this article, although the pictures aren't all in order they do help a ton.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=642032


The Problem/Diagnosis...
There was a loud noise that sounded like a bit of a whirring/quiet thumping between around ~15km/h ~75km/h. It seemed to come from the back of the vehicle and could actually be heard better from the interior rather than exterior. After jacking up the rear end I noticed that one tire (rear passenger side) had movement perpendicular to the car. That was the bearing I replaced previously and figured I might as well replace the driver side as well along with hoping it would cut down on some more room.

Part Numbers:
www.PelicanParts.com (Fantastic Supplier, and they ship to Canada really quick and cheap)

33-41-1-130-617-M34   Wheel Bearing (Rear)    $45.00 USD
33-41-1-132-565-M36   Axle Shaft Nut               $6.00 USD
33-41-1-138-648-M58   Snap Ring (Circlip)         $1.25 USD
34-21-1-161-806-M9     Brake Disk Bolt              $2.25 USD          (Not necessary, my old ones were in fine shape but someone recommended it somewhere)


Tools needed:
Below are most of the tools needed and the specialty ones your average backyard mechanic may not have...


Flat head screwdriver (Prying)
7mm Allen Wrench (Brake Caliper)
6mm Allen Wrench ( Brake Rotor Bolt)
30mm 12 point Socket (Axle Nut)

15mm Socket (Brake Caliper Support)
13mm Socket (Sway bar/Exhaust)
17mm Socket (Tire Studs)
Torx E-12 (CV axle)
Circlip Pliers (remove/install circlip)
Slide Hammer (Remove drive Final Drive Flange)
BMW B90 tool (remove bearing + i think you can use it to remove the Final Drive Flange)
or Build custom Bearing tool.... (I did to mimic this tools functionality)
Dremel (cut Race off of Final Drive Flange)
Misc tools (Sockets, Drivers, Torque Wrench, Pliers, Screwdrivers, Jack stands, etc.)


Dis-assembly Process Overview:

1. Remove Tire
2. Remove Brake Caliper
3. Remove Brake Caliper Support Bracket
4. Remove Brake Rotor
5. Remove Final Drive Flange (Wheel Flange)
6. Remove Sway Bar Bolts/Lower Sway Bar
7. Remove Exhaust supports/Lower Exhaust (Only necessary on Drivers side)
8. Remove CV Axle
9. Remove Emergency Brake
10. Remove the Bearing Assembly

1.) Tire Removal
Simple, Remove the 5 bolts holding on the Wheel, 17mm.

2.) Remove Brake Caliper
To remove the brake caliper you must first remove the tension clip on the front face, simply use a screwdriver and pry it off. Then use a 7mm Allen wrench to undo the caliper. I then used a piece of tie wire to hold it up and out of the way and avoid putting undue strain on the brake line.

3.) Remove Brake Caliper Support Bracket
The brake caliper support is pretty easy to get off. Just take out the 2x 15mm  bolts and it should come right off.

4.) Remove Brake Rotor
This is super easy, just take out the bolt with a 6mm Allen key. Then I just lightly tapped the Rotor off using a small hammer, adding a block of wood helps avoid any undue damage.

5.) Remove Final Drive Flange (Wheel Flange)
Glad everything has been easy up until now, this is where things got really difficult for me. First take a screwdriver and straighten the pinched metal on the Axle Nut. Using a 12 point 30mm socket you can remove this. Next you need to attach a slide hammer and beat on the Flange till the end of time. It literally took me nearly 1500 strikes before it came off thanks to some rust. I first tried using a puller, mounted off of a support I bolted to the flange but the jaw broke from the pressure before the flange even came close to moving. Alternatively I do believe one can use the BMW B90 tool to do this as well as pull the bearing/install the new one. Worth considering but it's about $300 on ebay so probably not worth it unless you can borrow it or if your going to do both sides.

6.) Remove Sway Bar Bolts/Lower Sway Bar
To get the sway bar out of the way there is one bolt and nut located just back about 6" or so behind the spring mounted horizontally, and another nut to remove if you  reach around the spring toward the center of the car mount vertically, both 13mm. After you take these off the Sway bar can lower somewhat allowing enough clearance to get the CV axle out.

7.) Remove Exhaust supports/Lower Exhaust
 Using a 13mm tool you need to loosen off the two clamps at the back as well as a small hose attached to the exhaust. Towards the middle of the vehicle there are two rubber clamps to remove which  allow the exhaust to swing down to get clearance for the CV axle.

8.) Remove CV Axle
To get the CV axle off use an E-12 Torx  to undue the 6 bolts from the differential. I was able to get 3 at a time above the swing arm assembly using about ~2-3' of extension. I had to leave the tire on the ground to hold everything in place, then jack the car up and rotate it before setting it back down again to hold it steady to get the last 3. Once all the bolts are out just feed  the axle out using the clearance gained from lowering the sway bar and exhaust.

9.) Remove Emergency Brake
I removed the emergency brake so I would have a solid surface for our homemade diy bearing puller (hopefully I can post the concept as it saves like $200 on buying a BMW one) to push against, if your using a proper puller you may not have to. So to get the E-brake off undo the spring on the left side, then you gotta get the clip on the left of and it should allow the two parts to split and come off. Leaving just a metal part attached to the brake cable which is easy to leave out of the way.


10.) Remove the Bearing Assembly
To get the Circlip out I tried Circlip pliers but they didn't work so well so it resorted to using screwdrivers to bend it out and then pull using vice grips. For the bearing, I used our home made tool and it worked great, essentially we mimicked the behavior of the "BMW B90" tool. All it did was have 1/4" flat plate and a sprocket hub with the same OD as the bearing on the back of a piece of 3/8 or 1/2 inch threaded rod. On the front it had spacers to pull it away from the bearing, and then another piece of flat plate. When the nut was tightened on the front it would push against the area where the E-brake was and pull the bearing out the front. I'll try and post a writeup on it to help in the future.


Reassembly:
Essentially you just do everything in reverse but remembering to clean up all the parts along the way. Also, when pulling the Final drive flange it is most likely that the inner race from the old bearing came out attached with it. So look on the back and if it's there simply cut it out with a Dremel. It took one cut off disc and I cut perpendicular to the race and barely marked the flange at all. Once it's cut I used a Flathead screwdriver to crack it and pry it open a little and it slid right off. Also after putting the Final drive flange back on use a new 30mm 12 point bolt and don't forget to pinch in the sides with a screwdriver or punch.

Cleanup:
 I greased the outside of the bearings and the Final drive flange and it helped go back together a bit easier. Remember to clean up the splines on the CV axle and Final drive flange, mine had rust and a few small metal shavings in them that would have made assembly a pain. This is also a good time to clean up the brake rotors as well as the E-brake. I also tensioned the E-Brake a bit by using the metal gear on the right side. Helps hold the car much better now while parked, and doesn't rub when I drive.


Conclusion:
The road noise is gone and now I have two new bearings in the car. :) It's a lot of work but worth it if you don't have the money to drop to get a mechanic or dealership to do the fix. If you have all the parts and tools you can do this in a day. The longest part for us was hammering off the drive flange. Hopefully these instructions give a little clarity if you want to attempt this stunt on your own.



Disclaimer. Use these instructions at your own risk :) I take no responsibilty for any misinformation as there is potential to do damage to your vehicle, or persons during this, or if things don't get put back together correctly.