I'm finishing up installation of new rear wheel bearings I got from wheelbearings.com. There was a note in the box that said to torque the spindle bolt to 180 lb ft. The FSM says about 165 lb ft. Threads I read last week went from low to high to not even using a torque wrench. Another said there was a Service Bulletin from GM that the torque should be 182 - 195 ft lb. I tend to lean towards the FSM and have sent an email to wheelbearings.com to see if the note was meant as a generic setting recommendation. I'd appreciate any recommendations on which setting to use. Thanks!

 

The spec for 84-94 was 190. For 95 & 96 it was 166. It is the same suspension and bearing for all years so I do not know why GM changed the setting for the last 2 models. Just for kicks, let me know if you have any kind of movement from the bearing after you have put the new ones in. Thanks.

 

I think the torque spec went down because you can over-compress the bearings with the higher setting, and cause premature wear/failure. But you probably won't notice the difference in wear for several years.

Worst comes to worse, torque it to 165ft-lbs. really, with the lock washer on there, that puppy isn't going anywhere.

 

Thanks for the replys. I have Mothers Day chores to do so I woun't finish the job until tomorrow. One concern I had was that the torque value might depend upon which bearing you installed and I think there are about three manufacturers. I'll be sure and provide an update once I get everything buttoned up.

 

Just figured I'd chime in here, I need to replace mine. How difficult is the job?

 

The amount of torque on the nut does not affect load on the ball bearings.

You could safely set the car down without those nuts in place if the halfshafts weren't also the upper suspension arm.

 

Follow the FSM. The difficulty depends upon a number of things:
1. How high you can get the car. I don't have a lift so it's Rinoramps in the front and floor jacks in the back. Pretty tight and I couldn't really get the leverage I wanted to torque the Torx bolts. But they are tight and I used locktight.
2. There are already threads discussing removal and installation but I would make sure you have all the tools and a torque wrench that ratchets and goes to atleast 180 lbs. Mine doesn't and I have to borrow one. The area for torquing the Torx bolts is very tight.
3. Have new spindle washers ($4.00 ea at the local GM dealer). My parts manual does not show the inner washer like my FSM does. The GM dealer doesn't have a reference to it either so I reinstalled my old ones. I don't think they are needed with the wheelbearings.com units but it woun't hurt anything.
4. I heated the threads that extended thru the bearing carrier with a propane torch and used an extention and 1/2" ratched to break the Torx bolts loose. That worked great. I did not remove any suspension members. Again, if I had the car higher I could have more leverage. Rotate the half shaft for better access and also to keep the bolt head and washer from hanging up on the U-Joint.
5. Do one bolt at a time. If you back one out too far and rotate the halfshaft it will get hung up. Lesson learned on wheel number one and it was frustrating to say the least.
6. The difficulty also depends upon how limber and strong you are. For me was a good weekend project with a few aches from laying on my back and a few interruptions for NASCAR, Beer, and grandchildren.

Good Luck.
Chris

 

The new bearings are in and after a short drive (15 miles) to work this morning feel very good. I can tell a difference even though my old bearings did not show any signs of wear or breakdown. Wheelbearings.com emailed me back on the question of 180 lb ft of torque which was on a info sheet included with the bearings. Mike (at Wb.com) recommended that I do torque them to 180 as they are aftermarket units. I torqued the spindle nut slowly and checked them at 165 and 180 (with the wheel on). By grabbing the wheel I could not feel any movement and they turn smoothly. I'm getting ready for a trip from Maryland to Tennessee this weekend so next week I'll jack the rear up and check again. This will be my first long trip in the Vette so wish me luck. I'll be packing a tool bag for insurance.
- Chris