I know this is an elementary question, but I've never done this before........my bearings have never been repacked, so they need to be done.

Are there bearings on all 4 wheels? or just the front?

 

You can repack the front bearing easily. It is just as easy to replace them and not that expensive. As far as the rears, I don`t think that there is anything that we can do for them while the trailing arms are installed on the car.

 

The front bearings are a pretty easy job to repack/replace..but a little messy. You can probably buy a new set of bearings for under twenty bucks and they come pretty much pre greased..If you want to repack the ones on the car, clean them thouroughly with varsol and inspect them for pitting or heat damage. They turn a little purple if they've been heated up. Pitting is pretty visible. Clean the spindle and apply a liberal amount of grease. When replacing them either new or repacked, do not overtighten the nut. Hand tighten and give the nut a partial turn to seat the bearing properly. Loosten off the nut and then hand tighten once again. Line up the cotter key to the nearest slot without loostening it off. If you have to... slightly tighten the nut to the next closest slot. Slide in the cotter key. Make sure you check for play by tugging the wheel in and out to make sure it doesn't travel in and out on the spindle. It should also spin fairly freely when you have tightened it up. Place a good supply of grease in the bearing cap and tap it on. Make sure you use a good High Temp bearing grease. Remember....Any time you are working on your car with the wheels up, never do it with a jack only..Support it properly in the proper locations with jack stands and make sure it can't slip..Never trust a hydraulic jack by itself..Play Safe..we don't need anyone hurt while working on their car...cause that's just no fun.. Can't help ya with the rears..That's s job I have yet to tackle. Good Luck...get greasy... :thumbs: :flag


[Modified by WhyFly, 7:32 PM 4/9/2003]

 

Whyfly. Glad to see you didn't tell him to back off the nut to the nearest cotter pin hole. :) :)
The back involve alot to grease with total dismantalling of the rear axel assembly.
Just a thought . If you really wanted to put grease in there could you not remove the half shafts, the cotter pin, the axle nut and slide the splined shaft off and pump a little grease in around the outer bearing?
This certainly would involve alot of work but if you were really desperate.
When I did my trailing arms I drilled and taped a hole for a grease fitting so I can just pump extra grease in if I want. This can be dangerous because excess grease in the axles could drive the seals out.

 

Thanks..Yea..loostening the nut is a common mistake to make. I like your idea of the grease nipple for your rears..I might have to consider that this winter when I do my rear axles and T arms....Thanks for the idea!!..Hope ya don't mind if I copy it... :thumbs: :flag

 

The first set of rear wheel bearings I replaced back in 1974 (there-abouts) I packed the spindle support completely full of grease, thinking: more is better. My parking brake subsequently failed. When I took the rotor off, the linings were soaked in grease... which oozed out from the spindle support when it heated up.

Lesson: don't fill the rear bearing spindle supports to capacity with grease.

If you force grease into the inner bearing, you will not grease the outer bearing unless you force the grease all the way through the support... which will fill the support to capacity, and can also unseat the outer seal. There is a tool marketed specifically for this "bubba".

Food for thought.

 

I haven't been under my '79 yet to check it out but,, don't Ecklers,etc sell a "sleeve looking thing w/ a zerk fitting" to grease the rear bearings? Do the T-arms have to be removed even with this tool?

 

Bingo.

That's the tool that only greases the inner bearing... unless you fill the entire cavity with grease and force grease into the outer bearing... as I described directly above.

Personally, I wouldn't use it because of the grease expansion and leakage problems it causes when used to grease both bearings.