This AI-generated draft has not been independently verified for your vehicle. Confirm engine, trim, build date, tool fitment and torque specifications against the relevant service information before buying tools or starting work.
On the 11th-gen Civic the front wheel bearing lives inside the aluminium steering knuckle rather than bolting on as a simple flanged cartridge, so this is a full teardown job: axle nut, caliper, rotor, tie rod, ball joint and strut bolts all have to come apart before you can get at the bearing. From there you either drop the knuckle and use a shop press, or leave it on the car and use a hub tamer style puller kit. Both work; the press gives a cleaner, squarer install, the puller kit saves you separating the strut.
The one thing people get wrong is the ABS encoder ring. It is a magnetic strip built into the inboard seal of the bearing, and it is easy to nick with a punch, scrape on the bench, or install facing the wrong way. The result is a car that drives fine but lights up ABS, VSA, hill-start assist and sometimes the EPB, and you get to do the whole job twice. The second most common mistake is reusing the staked axle nut — buy a new one with the bearing.
| Item | Type | Product search |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum Raise the front of the car at the front jack point. | Required | search retailer |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Support the car on the pinch-weld points while the wheel is off. | Safety | search retailer |
| Lug wrench or impact socket 19 mm, 1/2 in drive Remove the front wheel; loosen lugs before lifting. | Required | search retailer |
| Axle nut socket 32 mm, 6-point, 1/2 in drive Removes the front driveshaft spindle nut (verify 32 mm on your car before buying). | Required | search retailer |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in The spindle nut is staked and torqued near 180 ft-lb. | Required | search retailer |
| Punch and hammer 3-4 mm pin punch, 2 lb hammer Un-stake the collar of the spindle nut before loosening it. | Required | search retailer |
| Socket set 10, 12, 14, 17, 19 mm, 3/8 and 1/2 in drive Caliper slide bolts (12 mm), ABS sensor bolt (10 mm), sway bar link (14 mm), caliper bracket and knuckle hardware (17/19 mm). | Required | search retailer |
| Combination wrenches 14, 17, 19 mm Hold the nut side of the strut-to-knuckle and ball joint bolts while turning the head. | Required | search retailer |
| Hex key set 6 mm Holds the stabilizer link stud from spinning while the 14 mm nut turns. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Impact driver or JIS screwdriver JIS #3 / Phillips #3 Backs out the two rotor retaining screws, which are usually seized. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Bungee cord or wire hook Hang the brake caliper so the flexible hose is not loaded. | Required | search retailer |
| Tie rod / ball joint separator Pickle fork or 2-jaw puller-type separator Pops the outer tie rod end and lower ball joint out of the knuckle. | Required | search retailer |
| Cotter pin / split pin New pins for ball joint and tie rod castle nuts Honda castle nuts use one-time-use cotter pins. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Hydraulic shop press 12-20 ton with bearing plates Presses the hub out of the bearing and the new bearing into the knuckle (off-car method). | Required | search retailer |
| Bearing/hub puller kit On-car FWD hub tamer / bearing removal kit Alternative to a press; pulls the bearing in and out with the knuckle still on the car. | Required | search retailer |
| Bearing driver / press adapter set Set covering 60-90 mm outer diameter Press only on the bearing outer race when installing, never on the inner race. | Required | search retailer |
| Snap ring pliers Internal, heavy-duty, straight and bent tips Removes and refits the snap ring that retains the bearing in the knuckle. | Required | search retailer |
| Slide hammer with hub puller 3-bolt / 5-lug hub adapter Pulls a stuck hub flange out of the bearing if the press method leaves the inner race behind. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Bearing separator / splitter 2-4 in jaw Removes the inner race left on the hub flange after pressing the hub out. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Spindle nut, caliper bracket, knuckle and lug torques. | Required | search retailer |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Caliper slide bolts, ABS sensor bolt, smaller fasteners. | Recommended | search retailer |
| Penetrating oil Free the rotor screws, axle nut and ball joint tapers. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Wire brush and brake cleaner Clean the knuckle bore and hub flange so the new bearing seats square. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Anti-seize or bearing mounting compound Thin film, aluminium-safe Light coat on the knuckle bore only, to ease installation and prevent future seizing. | Consumables | search retailer |
| Front wheel hub bearing assembly 11th-gen Civic front, with magnetic ABS encoder ring The replacement bearing; check whether your parts number is a press-in bearing plus hub or a bolt-on flanged unit. | Parts | search retailer |
| Spindle (axle) nut New self-staking nut The staked nut is one-time-use and must be replaced. | Parts | search retailer |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Press work throws metal chips; brake dust and penetrant are messy. | Safety | search retailer |
Tool sizes are the same across the whole 11th-gen range: the 2.0L K20C2 (LX/Sport) and 1.5L L15B7 turbo (EX/Touring/Si) share the same front knuckle, hub bearing, 32 mm axle nut, 19 mm lug nuts and 12/17 mm caliper hardware. Si and Sport Touring hatch cars have larger front rotors and a different caliper bracket, but the bracket bolt size and the bearing itself are unchanged. Wheel bolt pattern is 5x114.3 on all 11th-gen Civics.
| Wheel lug nuts (19 mm) | 80 ft-lb (108 Nm) |
| Front spindle/axle nut | 181 ft-lb (245 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Brake caliper bracket bolts to knuckle | verify in the service manual |
| Caliper slide (guide) bolts | verify in the service manual |
| Strut-to-knuckle bolts/nuts | verify in the service manual |
| Lower ball joint castle nut | verify in the service manual (tighten then advance to next slot for cotter pin) |
| Tie rod end castle nut | verify in the service manual |
| Stabilizer link nut | verify in the service manual |
| ABS wheel speed sensor bolt | verify in the service manual |
No, but you need something equivalent. A hub tamer / FWD bearing puller kit lets you pull the hub and bearing with the knuckle still on the car. Without either a press or that kit, you cannot do this job — the bearing is an interference fit in the knuckle.
It is a 32 mm, 6-point, one-time-use staked nut on the common applications, torqued around 181 ft-lb (245 Nm). Confirm the size on your car before buying the socket, since a few Honda applications use 36 mm.
Almost always a damaged or reversed magnetic encoder ring on the inboard bearing seal, or a speed sensor that was knocked or left with a gap. Scan for a wheel speed sensor code, confirm the dark encoder seal faces inboard, and check the sensor bolt is tight and the bore is clean.
You can replace just the bearing — the hub flange and knuckle are reusable if the bore is not scored and the flange splines and studs are good. Buying a loaded knuckle assembly is a shortcut some people take to avoid press work, but it costs considerably more.