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Replace ONLY defective bearings. A good used bearing may actually be better than a new bearing. The front wheel bearings in one of my '82 245s have about 350k miles on 'em.
Always, always, always, keep the components of a used bearing together -- never intermix the parts. Once they wear together, they stay together.
Remove your front wheel bearings, one at a time, wash 'em, repack 'em, and reinstall 'em. The cups can stay pressed into the hubs.
Pack wheel bearing grease into the rear axle bearings.
If you must replace a wheel bearing, you also replace the bearing cup -- which is the outer part of the bearing assembly and comes with it when you buy it. These are pressed into the hub. You can knock out the old cup using a brass drift punch (about 8"-12" long) and a hammer. I've done a million this way.
You can install the new cup by tapping it into place using a brass hammer, and then you temporarily use the old cup on top of the new cup to drive the new cup home -- to "seat" it in the hub. Then you drive the old cup back out again using the brass drift.
It's easier done than said.
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)
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