4 New wheel bearings and I still have play!!?
 

Okay, I see everyone wondering about the $63 wheel bearings for the rear. Well I have bought 2 new ones through GM and they were still loose. I called back and got two more from GM and guess what? They are still loose!!! The new ones are no better than the ones I took off. If anyone knows what I am doing wrong, PLEASE let me know. I even talked to a service manager and he said there should not be any play. Help, Please!!

:willy:

If the bearings are torqued to 175 ft lbs, there "should" be no play. There usually is just a tick of play though. I see it all the time.

I torqued the bearing to knuckle bolts to 66 lbs.-ft. and the spindle nut to 164 lbs.- ft. just like the manual said. I even checked three times. The lug nuts were torqued to 100 lbs.-ft. If I grab the wheel at any position it has play (12/6, 9/3, 10:30/4:30 you get the idea). I can even see and hear the movement. I just can't believe I got 4 bad bearings from AC Delco.

:willy:

That makes for a real bad day. Have ac-deco call the rep. They may pay labor to redo it. You must ask. They will never offer to do it.

I bought them through our shop and put them on myself. The parts girl at the dealer is going to choke me. I am going to look at it again today and if all else fails, the service manager i talked to wants to see it on Friday. He said he could warranty the parts for me so I would not have to bug our parts girl again, but I am sure he will want to charge me to look at it. If it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. I just want to drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:willy:

What a bummer. I'd imagine there is "some" normal play, but what is the limit? Last time my tires were up in the air I checked and there was a very slight amount of movement detectible. I definately would be pissed if I have been through what you have to find out it was "normal" in the first place.

The manual says to remave the caliper and bolt the rotor back on. Than put a dial indicator on the rotor to the knuckle, push in and out, read the measurement. .0005 in is the tolerance. When I checked the originals like that I got about .0004, but when I rock the wheel I got .0007 and .0008. I did this for inspection and told the mechanic what I found. When I got the car back, he said "Yeah, they are junk." So I got new ones. The new ones do not have the same in/out play, but they do rock and feel just like the old ones. The really funny thing is nothing makes noise, but it feels like the wheels are going to fall off. Everything I have ever been taught tells me the bearings are bad. I just don't know!!

:willy:

It is hard to believe you have 4 defective bearings, all with excessive play. Can you see the play in the two bearings that aren't on the car? That play at the wheel HAS to have another cause. Tie rod ends, strut rod bushings, dog bone bushings?

RACE ON!!!

All three torx are tight? Do you feel friction when you turn the bearings by hand?

Not sure on your car but 30 years of playing around with cars tells me those play numbers are all reasonable, sorry to say you might have been fixing a non problem.

:(

With the wheel off and the rotor bolted to the hub I can see and feel the movemant between the knuckle and the bearing. I also see the axle shaft moving behind the knuckle. With the axle being the upper control arm on this suspension the bearing would be it's outer mounting point and I would think it should hold the axle tight in place. The movement is in all directions, not just front/back, or top/bottom. The only thing I see that would allow that kind of movement would be the bearing.

And yes, I checked several times with a torque wrench on all bolts to be sure. I even tighted everything in steps and sequences so that nothing was cock-eyed. When I feel the bearings out of the car they feel tight without any movement, but when I rotate them in my hand they do seem a little looser than I have seen on other bearings of this design. Usually it takes a little effort when they are new. Not a forcefull effort, but some resistance seems correct. The original bearings felt pretty tight by themselves. One side was a little more free than the other. But that side showed the bigger number when I rocked it.

:willy:

Hmmmm....for as long as I have been on the forum it seems people have always had play in new bearings no matter. I went through the same thing as you, first set play, second set play. Checked on here and people told me it was normal for these cars even with new bearings so I just lived with it.

Everyone I talk to tells me they should be tight and that any movement is too much movement. The fronts are tight. Even the Chevy service manager I talked to said they should be tight.

:willy:

I am pretty sure almost every c4 will have a little play. Here is one of the replys to a thread about my play.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...8&postcount=42

Check the trailing arm end links. I had play and thought I had bought junk bearings. I replaced the stock worn bushings with urethane bushings and it all went away.

Well, we just looked at it again and you can definitly see movement from the outer axle yoke in the back of the knuckle. The thing that is goofy is there is no in/out play, but if you grab the wheel or rotor the thing will rock all over the place. If we put pressure on the yoke of the axle the movement goes away. I just find it hard to believe that the General spent time and money to figure out mounting points, angles and lengths to keep wheel alignment throughout the suspension travel to let it get all mess up by letting the wheel flop around like that. I mean the axle is your upper A-arm so to speak and the bearing is it's mounting point. It has to be tight?

I'm going :crazy:

I did napa bearings last year in the rear, and autozone front bearings this year. ZERO play !!!

Did you replace the washers that go between the splined end of the yoke and the inner side of the bearing(s)? The service manual says to replace them if they show wear.

If so, I'm inclined to go with the "within normal specs" idea. A bearing has to have some play or it won't spin freely.

Okay I am getting both answers that there should not be any play and a little play is normal. I feel that there should not be any play regardless of the condition of the axle or even the presence of the axle being in place. The axle acts as the upper control arm, why should there be any movement.

Does anybody know Dave Hill's phone #?

I put four new one on from Pep boys in 2002. The car is an Auto-xer only and has seen 12 track days and not street driven at all. I had play in the front left, pulled it off, took it to Pep boys and they warrentied it no questions. I have zero play in all four. The originals had 70k on them and did not have any play. I replaced them out of principal as the car was rebuilt with all the delrin and poly bushings. No play is how I've always learned it.