Replacing the Rear Hubs on the C7 is not an easy job for most people. Here is a step by step process after getting the car jacked up and secured:
1. Remove axle spindle nut. Have an asst step on the brake to help hold it in place. Use 36mm 6pt spindle nut socket. Torque spec is 184 lb ft. This is a single use nut. The new ones look different than the old. Only $4 at the dealer.
2. Remove brake pads from the caliper
3. Upper and Lower caliper bracket bolts. 15mm Torque spec is 162 lb ft
4. Hang the caliper with wire or bungy to avoid pulling on the brake line.
5. Rotor positioning screw. Be careful. These can rust and be easily stripped. T30 Torx. torque spec is 13 lb ft
6. Pull the rotor off. Make sure the parking brake is off before trying to pull on the rotor.
7. On Z51, remove the brake cooling duct. There are 3 small torx screws attaching it to the back of the knuckle. Not easy to see, but you have to get that air deflector out of the way.
8. Remove the wheel speed sensor from the front of the knuckle. 10mm bolt, then it pulls right out.
9. Remove the parking brake cable bolt from rear of knuckle. It can be done leaving the parking brake cable attached but it would be easier if you can disconnect the cable from the parking brake and get it out of the way. But how to disconnect that cable is not obvious and I have read you need a scan tool to do it. Removing the 10MM bolt holding the parking brake cable to rear of knuckle allows you to more easily rotate the knuckle once you remove the ball joints.
10. Ball joint removal tool. I bought the harbor freight tool, but the jaw is too narrow. Use a large file or other tool to widen the jaws from 3/4" to 7/8" to get it on the upper and lower ball joints. Also note that when reassembling you will need to hold the ball joint stud with an allen wrench to tighten the nut. Support the lower control arm with a jack and raise it to remove the angle and allowing the axle to be removed from the hub.
11. Remove tie rod ball joint from rear of knuckle. Loosen the 18mm nut. use the ball joint separator to push the ball joint stud out. Torque spec is 22 lb ft
12. Remove upper ball joint. These are tight. Loosen the 21mm nut. Use the ball joint separator tool. Do not hammer on the control arm. Torque spec is 22 lb ft
13. Push/pull axle out of the hub. You may want to pre-soak this to free it up. With the upper ball joint removed and pulled from the upper control arm you can tip/rotate the knuckle to get the axle out.
14. Remove lower ball joint. 18mm nut. Torque spec is 22 lb ft
15. If you left the parking brake cable attached, support the knuckle on a stack of wood, etc.
16. Remove the hub from the knuckle. The 3 hub bolts are TIGHT. 13mm and torqued to 96 lb ft with red threadlocker. I broke a 13mm Craftsman socket that had done a lot of work for over 40 years. Try using a torch to heat the knuckle to ease the removal process. I recommend using a 13mm 6 pt IMPACT socket. The head of these bolts is only 5mm thick so you need to make sure you are dead-on to avoid slipping and rounding the head.
17. Reverse the process to reassemble. Again, be careful with those hub bolts. I bought new bolts. $9 each at the dealer. Use the 6 pt impact socket and good luck getting them to the 96 lb ft torque spec.
Not a simple or easy job and maybe that is why the Chevy dealer quoted 4 hours of labor. All because a




lug stud broke!

 

How the heck did a stud bolt break? Before I start on these kind of projects I spray some anti -seize spray on the different threaded parts and joints.

 

Unfortunately a broken stud is not uncommon on C7 especially for people who are swapping wheels regularly, That is a lot of torque stressing the stud each time on and each time off. Figured if one stud broke others would too. Since replacing the studs requires getting to the back of the hub, I decided to just replace the hub which would include 5 studs and new bearing while I was at it.

 

Anti-seize before? How? I put anti-seize on the threads of the stud and torque it to 80% of stated value since we are not going into wet torque.

 

Sorry I misspoke. I meant penetrating spray.

 

Thanks for posting. Good info to have!

 

No worries. Just wanted to make sure. I kinda like Kroil but there are other good ones. I don't use it on lug nuts since there is no need if I make sure they don't stick with anti seize on the threads.

 

same just broke two actually. Took off and drilled hole nothing in the way but bolts wont clear knuckle so i got two new hubs and all new arp studs to replace it. Hell with it and gm lugs are weak the threads where already problematic. . Hub go bad but for 100$ each i couldn’t put the old hubs back.