ToniJ1960

I took my Vette to Midas to find out why the steering wheel is jerking and the car shakes.

They had it up in the air and the back passenger tire was moving a lot even when he just had one hand on it. He said its the wheel bearings, and it was $300 each side to change them. Plus alignment. According to them and another place I called, you have to do an alignment after theyre replaced.

I just watched ayoutube and ddnt see anything that shows why an alignment would have to be done. Maybe later it would be a good idea but is it absolutely necessary right away?

The video made it look not so hard, of course it looks that way.

He said you need an 18 mm socket to take off the caliper, t55 torx and 36 mm for the axle.

Why is a 36 mm axle socket twice as much as a 35 mm

QCVette

I replaced mine on my '94.

The costs can vary widely. I have seen the wheel bearing hubs from $43 to over $200 each. Try searching for threads on this since there has been a lot of discussion (and different opinions) on what parts to use.

When I did mine it took a couple of hours for me to do one side. Figure the shop labor rate if you take it somewhere. There are also a lot of good threads on here that describe and show pictures.

You might want to consider getting the new teflon washers while you have it apart. They used to be about $7 or $8 at the dealer. When they fail, they will make a clicking noise when starting (sometimes).

If your car was aligned when the bearings were good, then you may not need an alignment. On mine I did not align it after replacing the bearings and it was fine. The only issue will be tire wear. You can watch your tires to see if you start having a problem, or for peace of mind and to make sure about tire wear you can align it.

Good Luck.

floridamale

I would also look at the U-joints and rear bushings if they have never been changed 29 years is a long time and if they are cracked and worn you might as well do those also as long as you are in there, you will not get a good alignment if they are bad. There are also teflon washers that should be replaced as well, also look at the brake pads. The reason for a new alignment is because you have to loosen and move things to get the hubs off and they want your money carefully mark things and you might get away with out one.

ToniJ1960

I found the part for about $80 here, most places are selling Duralast ones. And found someone who said he could put it in for $70.

Is there anything I need to grab while Im getting the hub that this person may not have or that has to bought seperately when its being replaced?

Silver96ce

You can get a Timken at Autozone for 110.99 and a $20.00 gift card for online orders. I'd spend the extra for the Timken.

nobodycls

Make sure it is not the links for the rear toe! You will normally hear associated noise with a bearing bad enough to allow easy wheel movement, and the wheel will move in all directions equally, not just one way. (I have a hard time trusting repair shops, seen too many rip-offs and mis-diagnosed problems) You will require an alignment after disassembling the rear suspension, but you can set it pretty close yourself. And as others have said, bushings are probably bad too. Here's what mine looked like -
http://s790.photobucket.com/user/***...F0527.jpg.html
That is with 98,000 miles on the car.

hooked073

floridalmale hit it on the head replace the ujoints while you are there. unless they have alredy been done

QCVette

You don't need to disassemble the rear suspension. If you do, then I agree it should be aligned. I did mine without dissasembly.

I copied this from an earlier post (in blue) and followed it when I did mine.

Make sure you raise both rear wheels off the ground and trans in N when you do it.

I had to rotate the halfshaft a couple times to allow access to one of the #55 Torx bolts behind the knuckle that hold the hub/bearing assembly in place.

Pretty simple. The hardest part is breaking the Torx bolts loose.

Remove wheel.
Remove cotter pin, castle nut, spindle nut, washer.
Remove caliper (I just let it hang there).
Remove Torx bolts from back side.
Remove Hub/Bearing assy. if they don't fall off by themselves.
Remove flange.
Teflon washer should now be exposed and sitting on the collar of the halfshaft spline. Mine was missing altogether.
Replace washer with smooth side facing inboard.
Lube splines.
Assembly is reverse with torque specs from FSM.


Good Luck.

nobodycls

Sorry for the confusion, I had bushings and u-joints on the brain when I said that. I am very happy with the way the wheel bearings were done on these cars. Just don't cheap out on the torx sockets, it will make life miserable.

WVZR-1

The '84 & '85 have an additional inner seal that others don't, if you actually do end up doing rear hubs you want to do the washers that have been mentioned and you'll need the inner seals also.

The washers mentioned are 14076924 and the seals are 14046941. Timken, SKF, National will be able to cross-over the seal number.

ToniJ1960

And so now, in case he doesnt do it and I decide to try myself, whats the best place to put a floor jack under the car in the rear. Do I jack up one side at a time and place jack stands?

Also this teflon washer, should I be able to pick it up when Im getting the hub or does it have to be ordered?

Where all will it need to be greased and what type of grease? Do the bearings come already packed? I remember on my other car thy had to be packed but that was front wheel bearings.

nobodycls

I use a block to jack it up by the leaf spring supports in the center, since it holds the weight of the car anyway. That way you can put both jackstands under the lift points at the same time. The wheel bearings will be sealed, requires no packing.