Time for some repairs..

[brendan.melanson]

I need a wheel bearing, but its riding pretty rough and slugish. After the wheel bearing and an oil change should be good?

[petrified.rabbit]

it depends on what rough and sluggish means?

if the wheel bearing is making it rough, then it should be fixed by replacing the wheel bearing, you would want to check bushings and mounts as well though..

the sluggishness might be sightly improved with an oil change, i always seem to feel like an improvement after one. but its "undefined as a fix" for sluggishness.. you might just need a tune up, or something else.

[brendan.melanson]

Alright, am I able to change the bearing myself from home? I just got a new one today. Is it safe to drive around even with the broken one? I've put around 1,000KMs on it in the last two days with it like that but after giving the tires a little spin it sounded a little worse.

I got a new bushing on that side, I know what a bushing sounds like when it's either going or gone. I didn't check mounts though, don't have money for that kind of repair yet so hopefully after the bearing I'll be good.

[petrified.rabbit]

the bearing may need pressed, but you could pull the spindle, and then take the spindle and new bearing to a ______ store (like firestone, mr tire etc) and have them press it for you if need be. Then you put it back in yourself.

[brendan.melanson]

How would I go about doing that, just jack up the car in the driveway, take off the wheel and then what? There's a garage down the road from my house that would have a press.

[petrified.rabbit]

just take all all the bolts attached to the spindle :P

it would be the ball joint, two top strut bolts, axle nut, brakes caliper, rotor, abs sensor if you have one, and the tierod end.
might be good to disconnect the sway bar end link so you can move the strut around..

[brendan.melanson]

****, last time I disassembled my wheel area to change my control arm bushing I finished off the damaged ball joint and needed to leave my car at school to change that.

Do I need a press for sure to do the bearing? We don't have one at school, and I don't have the money to get it fixed by a mechanic.

[petrified.rabbit]

"freshly" installed balljoints usually pop back out easier than old ball joints..

but you could leave the joint in the spindle since it is new, and unbolt it from the arm.. it wont be in the way.

[brendan.melanson]

Alright, any chance I could get the bearings in without using a press?

[ontarian_frog]

You might be able to get it out with a punch and hammer, but there is no way you're going to put it in without a press, puller or bearing installer.