Polaris RZR 900S Wheel Bearing Change

Replacing the front wheel bearing on a Polaris RZR makes your ride much safer, and should be taken care of before it leads to more expensive repairs. 

It's not uncommon for the wheel bearings on a side-by-side to wear out quickly. Replacing the front wheel bearings on a Polaris RZR is pretty straightforward, and here's what you need to get the job done.

Tools and Parts - Polaris RZR 900 Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

  • 8/8th ratchet and extension
  • 15mm, 18mm, 27mm sockets
  • 19mm deep well socket
  • 15mm wrench
  • Punch tool
  • Hammers
  • Breaker bar

Polaris RZR 900 wheel bearing

Motion Pro wheel bearing driver set

How to Replace Polaris RZR 900S Front Wheel Bearing

Step 1. Remove the wheel, the cotter pin and castle nut from the axle.

Polaris RZR front wheel bearing change

Step 2. Remove the brake caliper assembly, and zip tie it to a suspension control arm where it's out of the way so it's not hanging by its brake line.

Polaris RZR 900S brake caliper assembly

Step 3. Remove the steering arm ball joint nut. Use a soft blow hammer to release the ball joint from the knuckle if necessary.

Polaris RZR 900S steering arm ball joint

Step 4. Remove the upper and lower control arm ball joint nuts from the knuckle.

Step 5. Pull the knuckle off the axle, and pull the wheel hub and brake disc assembly apart from the knuckle.

Polaris RZR 900S steering arm ball joint

Step 6. Remove the retaining circlip from the inside of the knuckle. Use a punch tool to knock the circlip free if it has become fused in place. Discard the old circlip, and use a new circlip when installing the new bearing.

Polaris RZR front wheel bearing replacement

Step 7. Place a metal cup (or something similar) that has a larger diameter than the wheel bearing under the knuckle, and a bearing driver that is the same diameter as the wheel bearing over the bearing. Press the bearing down and out of the knuckle.

Polaris RZR UTV front wheel bearing removal

Polaris RZR wheel bearing removal driver

Step 8. Thoroughly clean the knuckle with contact/brake cleaner, and use red threadlocker to coat the surface of the knuckle where the new bearing will sit.

Polaris RZR 900 wheel bearing knuckle

Step 9. Install a new wheel bearing into the knuckle using the cup and the bearing driver, and pressing the bearing down into the knuckle.

Polaris RZR 900S wheel bearing removal

Step 10. Install a new retaining circlip into the knuckle.

Polaris RZR 900 wheel bearing knuckle circlip

Step 11. Coat the axle splines, the inside of the wheel bearing and the splines within the wheel hub assembly with anti-seize or grease.

Polaris RZR 900 wheel bearing and splines

Step 12. Put the knuckle back over the axle, and reconnect the upper and lower control arm ball joints to the knuckle. Reinstall the upper and lower ball joint nuts, and tighten them a couple of rotations.

Polaris RZR 900 steering knuckle

Step 13. Reinstall the hub over the axle, and reinstall the washers and castle nut. Torque the nut to 180 foot-pounds, and reinstall the cotter pin.

Polaris RZR 900 front wheel axle

Step 14. Reinstall the steering arm ball joint into the knuckle and tighten the nut a couple of rotations.

Polaris RZR 900S front wheel bearing change

Step 15. Apply red threadlocker to the control arm and steering arm ball joint bolts. Torque the control arm nuts to 42 foot-pounds, and the steering arm nut to 30 foot-pounds.

Polaris RZR 900 S control arm and steering arm

Step 16. Reinstall the brake caliper assembly, apply red threadlocker to the bolts and torque them to 30 foot-pounds.

Polaris RZR 900 S front wheel bearing replacement

Step 17. Reinstall the wheel, and torque the wheel nuts to 120 foot-pounds if you have aluminum wheels, or 60 foot-pounds if you have steel wheels.

Polaris RZR UTV front wheel bearing replacement

The steps for changing a wheel bearing on a Polaris UTV vary slightly from model to model. Here's how to replace the wheel bearings on a Polaris Ranger 900XP.