Help an idiot out, please. I haven't work on a car that had bearing you have to grease in decades.
If I get the terminology wrong, please don't roast me.
When you remove the rotor you take out the outer bearing. Then the inner bearing is in the rotor. How do you remove the inner bearing from the rotor? Do you need a press? There is a rubber seal there I can see. I would like to replace that. What is it called?
​​​​​​​Help is greatly appreciated.

 

C3 front brakes? Inner bearing comes out by hand. You can use a seal puller to remove the seal, or just tap it out gently with a screwdriver and a hammer. If your bearings are worn, you will have to tap out the inner and outer races. I use a brass punch and a hammer to get those out (just tap from the opposite side to push the race outward.) Make sure you pack both bearings with axle grease before reassembly.

 

Do you have a shop manual? It'll be the best $30- you ever spend. My inner bearings stayed on the spindle, but my seals were shot.

I used Timken 9406s wheel bearing seals. I bought a wheel bearing grease packer at Amazon.

 

The inner seal just needs to get pried out - use whatever tools you have, screw driver, hammer (the claw portion), etc. You'll destroy the seal in the process, but as you mentioned, you plan to replace it anyway. Once the seal has been removed, the bearing will come out. Here is what the seal looks like: https://www.mamotorworks.com/Corvett...-each-628483-1

 

Where is a good place to buy the shop manual?

 

Probably e bay: Here's one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Chevy-...k/303377612619

Oops, just realized you didn't post your year. But the manuals all look the same, just search for your year...

 

How do you know if the bearings are bad? The car has 27k miles. They don't make any noise. They seem like they roll smooth. They had plenty of grease when I took them apart. The car has been driven around 1000 miles in the last decade or so.

 

RockAuto, same for the bearing seals (and bearings, if you need them).

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...r+manual,10335

Get the one with the red cover. Also pick up an assembly manual, and owners manual if you don't have one.

BTW, my 80 show 17k miles, but I have paperwork showing it was serviced 20 years ago at 98k miles, so it's been around the horn at least once. If your brake pedal is worn, it is something to consider. Otherwise, make sure the bearings don't have flat spots or notchiness. The shop manual has pictures of what to look for.

 

After cleaning the old grease out of the bearings (I usually use a can of carb cleaner), just inspect the rollers for scoring/scratching (and look at the race in the hub also). If nothing noticeable, then they are probably fine. And make sure you put the bearing back into the same side that you removed it from.

Good info from Bikespace on the manual - I never even thought to look at Rockauto for the manual.

 

The good news is this was a 1 owner car and the original owner is my mechanic. It was pretty much a toy to street race and never used as a daily driver.

 

Probably all original miles in that case.

Let us know how it goes!

 

Here's the way taught the GM mechanics at the dealerships to pull out the bearings and seals - we would demonstrate this to the mechanics at the GM Training Centers. It takes 5 seconds:

• Remove the outer bearing and remove the rotor/hub/assembly.
• Put the bearing retaining nut back on the spindle and thread it on several turns.
• Put the rotor/hub assembly without the outer bearing back on the spindle, slipping the assembly over the nut so that the nut is located in the middle cavity of the rotor/hub assembly. The nut will go through the inner bearing.
• Let the hub/rotor drop down on its own weight and then pull it straight out towards you. The nut will "catch" on the inner race of the inner bearing.
• Give the entire assembly a hard yank, and the inner bearing with the seal will pop right out without damaging the seal or the bearing.

The bearing can then be lubricated, placed back into its race, and the seal can be tapped right back into place again. Lube the outer bearing, and re-assemble the entire thing without having to buy a single part.

Charge the customer full book flat rate rate for labor and the list price of the seal that was never installed (this part was not advocated by GM Training Center, but we knew the dealers were doing it)

You can get the GM Factory shop manual and the assembly manual from every Corvette parts supplier in the country. Do not buy the Hayes or Chiltons manuals - they are complete junk and absolutely useless - full of incorrect and incomplete info.

Lars

 

Why are you wanting to replace the bearings if they run smoothly? I would replace the seal, re-grease the bearings and put it back together. If you clean and inspect the outer races of the bearings carefully their appearance will give you a good indication whether they should be replaced. There are lots of pictures online of what good or bad bearings look like. If the original bearings have not become contaminated by water or dust etc and the milage is genuine they should have many more miles of life in them. JMPO. The critical thing is when you reassemble the hubs that you get the bearing preload correct, there was an update on this procedure from what was listed originally but I can't find that document at the moment

Taper roller bearing outer races.
Although this old bearing is showing some signs of wear I wouldn't call it knackered JMPO

 

I got them out. A piece of wood and a gentle tap and they dropped right out.

My plan is to clean up the bearings and put them back in and put a new seal. Unless I find some bad wear and then replace of course.

What the right way to clean them? Is carb cleaner good? Is there a better way?

 

I used a Lisle 34550 bearing packing tool that forces the old grease out with new grease. When clean red grease flows, you are done, but it takes a LOT of force.

 

Maybe I am wasting parts but I always replace any bearing that comes off the Corvette or any vehicle. I have a complete set of spare bearings and seals on the shelf waiting for next time I service the wheels. The same goes for the seals, I replace them without bothering to clean or rejuvenate them. The new parts are readily available and inexpensive for the most part.

The Lisle Tool mentioned above is a very nice tool to have and use. I have an older tool that forces the grease into the bearing using the pressure from the grease gun. Use a high quality grease which helps the parts last longer and can handle the heat.

I have a freestanding parts-washer that I installed a Silicone Oil pan heater on the bottom of. It makes the grease cutting agents work better heated up to 125*. The only problem is you should not heat up petroleum based products or you get fumes. I stick with water based de-greasers and it wipes every bit off the part the first time. I use it on everything and get the parts clean with less effort.

As for the Shop Manuals I use the ones printed by Helm Publishers. They have become more expensive but are still worth every penny. I have the Helms manuals for both my C3 and my C4. Don't try a Haynes manual or any other inexpensive knock off. I used a Chilton's manual once and ended up being told by the book to put a part inside the engine that was supposed to be under the flywheel. It is just not worth using a non-factory manual. For our 2011 Camaro they wanted $475 for the set so in that case I bought a CD with the whole set on it on Fleabay for $20. I made a copy of the CD and stuck it in the car so my daughter can use it if needed. I kept the original so I could help her with the Camaro if needed.

Best regards,
Chris

 

Carb cleaner will work, any degreasing agent will work including the type you spray on and wash off with water, however if using anything where water is involved, after you have them clean you need to coat them with grease or some oil immediately to prevent rust forming.