Loose rear wheel, believe it is the bearing. How do I repair it?

Are you working on the front wheel or rear wheel drive model?

I have little experience with front wheel drive models but once the drive shaft or propellor shaft has been removed, bearing replacement is fairly straightforward. I believe the drive shaft bearing is retained with a shrunk-on collar while there is no special retainer of the propshaft centre bearing and is easily pulled off once the two shafts have been separated.

Hi Terry,
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Bad wheel bearing. I do believe yours are pressed in. You can remove the spindle and take it to a shop and have them replace the bearing.

Hello, some of the Front wheel drive cars used a rear suspension system which requires an Alignment just the same as the front end. You can get the rear Alignment separately but it is usually a packaged 4 wheel Alignment. Jack up the back end of the car and turn the wheels and check for them turning hard. This will indicate a brake or bearing problem.

The rear wheels do have an Emergency brake which can cause problems dragging even when not used. The bonded lining falls off the brake shoe when it rusts and the lining falls onto the rotating parts and gets ground up. Sometimes you will hear a noise like loose rust as you stop and start at low speeds. You can also have a sticking rear Caliper or drum brake.

The rear hubs have bearings which can fail; usually you will hear noises or have vibrations when the bearings are worn loose. Your best bet is to remove the rear brake rotor and visually inspect the Emergency brakes and feel the turning of the rear hub bearing. If you do not have the rear brake assembly on the car it will be easier to work on the bearing. Bearings are made 2 ways. The Sealed bearings are replaced as a hub unit. The Serviceable bearings have removeable bearings and races.

You want to have the rear bearing in good shape before having an Alignment. The Sealed bearing hubs are the easiest to replace by removing and replacing only bolts. The Serviceable bearings can require punching out and installing a new race, then packing the bearing with grease.

Some shops do both Brakes and Alignment and some just do the brakes. You can fix what you can handle before getting an Alignment or pay for both jobs. I hope you find my solution very helpful.

the bolt on the cv halfshaft but sounds like you lost a wheel bearing if you loose the bearing the shaft can pull out

The 4 Bolts that Hold the HUB in Also Hold the Backing Plate
Hub Replacement - Rear (Front Wheel Drive/Drum)

Removal Procedure

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the tire and wheel.
3. Remove the brake drum.
   1. Remove and DISCARD the wheel bearing/hub bolts.
   2. Remove the wheel bearing/hub.
   3. Disconnect the wheel speed sensor electrical connector (2).Installation Procedure
   4. Connect the wheel speed sensor electrical connector (2).
      1. Install the wheel bearing/hub. Caution: These fasteners MUST be replaced with new fasteners anytime they become loose or are removed. Failure to replace these fasteners after they become loose or are removed may cause loss of vehicle control and personal injury. Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice in Service Precautions.
      2. Install the NEW wheel bearing/hub bolts.
      • Tighten the NEW wheel bearing/hub bolts to 80 Nm (59 lb ft) .
      1. Install the brake drum.
      2. Install the tire and wheel.
      3. Lower the vehicle.

It sounds like one of your wheel bearing needs to be replace, most likely one of the rear bearing may have gone dry and needs to be replaced soon as possible before you have a total bearing failure and loose a wheel. With the car parked, go to each wheel and push back and forth on the top (side to side) you should be able to hear and feel which wheel has the play since it's will feel and sound different from the other wheels. The rear wheel bearing can be replaced with simple tool and under 1 hour if your good with tools and the front will have to be brought to a shop since your going to need am impact gun to remove the front axle nut from the wheel hub. Good luck and hope this helps. Keep me posted if your going to replace the rear wheel hub your self and i can give you the instructions to replacing the hub. I believe the rear hubs goes for around $170.00 at Auto Zone and they can give you the step by step instructions too. 

Jack it up..take off the wheel and look, ASAP! Is it grinding when you spin it? Is there visible oil leakins or visible metal shavings. Sounds like a bearing to me.

What year miata?

you need to remove cv axle,makes things easy,i believe the wheel bearing is a "cassette" style.three or for bolts on the backside of knuckle holds bearing assembly in