The 10th-gen Civic does not use a bolt-on hub unit like a Ford or GM. The bearing is a press-fit cartridge sitting in the aluminum-ish steering knuckle, held by an internal snap ring, with a separate hub flange pressed into it. That means either dropping the knuckle and using a shop press, or buying an on-car bearing press kit and working in the wheel well. If you have neither, the realistic DIY path is a complete loaded knuckle, which bolts on with the same hardware and takes about 90 minutes a side.
The two things people get wrong: installing the bearing with the magnetic encoder seal facing outward, which kills the ABS wheel speed signal and lights up the dash, and pressing the hub in with the force going through the ball races instead of supporting the inner race. Both mistakes feel fine on the bench and show up as a growl or an ABS light within a month. Also buy a new staked axle nut before you start — it is a one-time-use fastener.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum Lift the front of the car and support the lower arm. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair Support the car while the wheel and knuckle are off. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Block the rear wheels before lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 19 mm thin-wall, 1/2 in drive Remove the front wheel without marring the alloy. | Required | shop |
| Axle nut socket 32 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the front spindle/axle nut; confirm size on your car (some are 24 mm or 36 mm). | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in The staked axle nut is torqued to about 181 ft-lb and is usually corroded. | Required | shop |
| Impact wrench 1/2 in drive, 500+ ft-lb Fastest way to break the axle nut and knuckle bolts loose. | Recommended | shop |
| Small chisel and hammer 1/4 in flat chisel, 2 lb hammer Unstake the collar of the old axle nut before loosening. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 10, 12, 14, 17, 19 mm 6-point, 3/8 and 1/2 in drive Wheel speed sensor bolt (10 mm), caliper slide bolts (12 mm), caliper bracket bolts (17 mm), tie rod and strut hardware (17-19 mm). | Required | shop |
| Combination wrench set 12-19 mm metric Hold bolt heads while turning nuts on the strut and ball joint. | Required | shop |
| Hex/Allen bit 8 mm hex, 3/8 in drive Removes the rotor retaining screws and some sensor fasteners. | Recommended | shop |
| Torx bit set T30-T40 Some splash shield and sensor bracket screws are Torx. | Recommended | shop |
| Needle-nose pliers and side cutters Remove and install the ball joint / tie rod cotter pins. | Required | shop |
| Tie rod / ball joint separator Fork or screw-type puller Separates the tie rod end and lower ball joint from the knuckle. | Required | shop |
| Hub puller / slide hammer kit 5-lug bolt-on puller The old hub flange usually stays in the bearing and must be pulled out. | Required | shop |
| Internal snap ring pliers Large, 90-degree tips, up to 3 in The bearing is retained in the knuckle by an internal snap ring. | Required | shop |
| Hydraulic shop press 12-20 ton Presses the old bearing out of the knuckle and the new one in squarely. | Required | shop |
| Bearing press / bushing driver set Metric discs 40-85 mm Bear only on the bearing outer race when pressing in, and on the inner race when pressing the hub. | Required | shop |
| On-car bearing press kit Front wheel hub bearing removal/install kit Alternative to removing the knuckle if you do not have a press. | Recommended | shop |
| Torque wrench (high range) 1/2 in drive, 50-250 ft-lb Axle nut, caliper bracket bolts and lug nuts are all high-torque. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench (low range) 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Caliper slide bolts, sensor bolt and tie rod nut. | Recommended | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire Hang the brake caliper so the hose is not stretched. | Recommended | shop |
| Penetrating oil Free the axle nut, bracket bolts and rotor screws. | Consumables | shop |
| Wire brush and brake cleaner Clean the knuckle bore and hub splines before pressing. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize / high-pressure grease Light film on the knuckle bore and axle splines; keep it out of the bearing seals. | Consumables | shop |
| Front wheel bearing Press-in cartridge bearing with magnetic encoder ring The failed part; the encoder side must face inboard toward the ABS sensor. | Parts | shop |
| Wheel hub flange Front hub, 5-lug Recommended with a new bearing; pulling the old hub often damages the inner race seat. | Parts | shop |
| Axle spindle nut New staked nut One-time-use staked nut; do not reuse. | Parts | shop |
| Cotter pins Honda ball joint / tie rod size New pins required for the tie rod and ball joint nuts. | Parts | shop |
| Safety glasses and gloves Pressing and hammering throws metal chips and old grease. | Safety | shop |
Tool sizes are the same for the 2.0 K20C2 and the 1.5 turbo L15B7 — the knuckle, bearing, axle nut and caliper hardware do not change with engine. Si and Type R models use larger brakes: the Type R front caliper and its larger rotor use different caliper bracket hardware, so check bolt sizes there, and Type R wheels use a different lug pattern and hub.
| Wheel lug nuts | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Front axle/spindle nut | 181 ft-lb (245 Nm), then stake the collar |
| Caliper mounting bracket bolts to knuckle | 74 ft-lb (100 Nm) |
| Caliper slide (guide) bolts | 25 ft-lb (34 Nm) |
| Damper/strut-to-knuckle bolts | verify in the service manual |
| Lower arm ball joint nut | verify in the service manual (then fit new cotter pin) |
| Tie rod end nut | verify in the service manual (then fit new cotter pin) |
| Wheel speed sensor bolt | verify in the service manual (about 7-9 ft-lb, aluminum threads) |
Lug nuts (19 mm), caliper slide bolts (12 mm), caliper bracket bolts (17 mm) and the press-fit bearing design are solid for this generation; double-check your axle nut size (32 mm on most, some cars use 24 or 36 mm) and confirm the strut, ball joint and tie rod torque values in the Honda service manual before final assembly.
No. It is a press-fit cartridge bearing retained in the steering knuckle by an internal snap ring, with a separate press-in hub flange. There are no four hub bolts behind the knuckle like on many domestic cars.
Most are 32 mm and staked in place, torqued to about 181 ft-lb. Measure yours before buying a socket, since some Honda applications use 24 or 36 mm, and always fit a new nut.
Yes, with an on-car front bearing press kit that pulls the old bearing out and draws the new one in while the knuckle stays on the car. Otherwise remove the knuckle and have a machine shop press it, or install a complete loaded knuckle.
Almost always the bearing was installed with the magnetic encoder seal facing outboard instead of toward the wheel speed sensor, or the seal got wiped/magnetized during installation. Pull it back apart and check seal orientation before chasing wiring.