Wheel bearing change
 

Well my front passenger side and my rear driver side wheel bearings are shot and just started to cause a huge amount of humming in the vette. For those that have changed them, what do i need to know before getting started this weekend? I will more than likely go to Autozone to pick them up but while im there do i need new axle nuts when i change them or anything else im missing to add to the wheel bearing change? Will i need to do another alignment when im done? Any advice is much appreciated!

They are "package" bearings. Wheel hub, sensor ,and inner/outer all in an assembly...Get Timken bearings if you can. Probably have skf in the car. Not like the good ole days.



Seems a little odd two would be bad at the same time to me though.

So did i, the rear one is obviously grinding when i lift it up and turn the wheel i can feel it as i rotate. The passenger front assembly you can hear and feel a feint grind which is probably why my steering wheel is vibrating once i pass about 40mph.

Good luck..there will some sticker shock... :eek:

This guy made it easy for me to do the front! As hawkgfr mention already the bearings aren't cheap. I went ahead and replace both fronts while I was at it.

Yeah those are the videos i was referring to. Looks easy enough. Autozone has fronts for like 98$ and back for 117$

Got all 4 Timken bearings from Amazon. OEM went bad at approximately 100k, Timken going on 115,000 with no problems.

OP you will need new axle nuts as they are one time use. Also get some red threadlocker. I used the old axle nuts as jamb nuts to lock the new axle nuts in place. No problems at all.

Backs are a little easier than the front, but pretty easy overall.

Good time to replace shocks if needed. :thumbs:

Good quality T55 torx bit.

Ball joints, particularly the lower ones, can sometimes be very stuck. If the tapered bore is a little galled, beating on the side of the joint is unlikely to shock it free. I am not a fan of pickle forks. The best solution in my opinion is the GM ball joint tool and a heat gun. With the tool cinched up tight and the heat gun roaring away, a tenacious joint will eventually pop apart.

I've haven't done this project, but it looks to me after watching the video, that you could get the bear/hub out with only removing the tie rod. Is it really necessary to take the whole thing off? Those star/allens look accessible from the backside.

I didn't remove the whole thing.

The lower ball joint (which is usually the toughest) is directly in front of the bottom bearing screw. In the rear, the half shaft crowds all three screws and has to be partially withdrawn. It's not much more work to remove the entire upright.

If you don't have a good way to clamp it to your bench, though, it would be easier to leave it attached to the car because those screws are on tight.

I had to remove the front but not the rear. A vice is a must.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I do have a vice so it will be put to good use this weekend. I will just remove the whole thing and change the bearing out. Doesn't look too bad.

Probably too late, but don't use the cheapies from Autozone, unless you enjoy changing them. Between 120K miles and 140K miles I went through 3 on the LR, before they comped me on their premium brand. A dealer changed the fronts at 98K under warranty and I'm at 155K now with no front problems on them.

It apparently must cost an extra dime to produce the 3 hub mount holes with the pattern rotated about 10-15 degrees, since that would allow the bolts to be removed without additional disassembly. :toetap::banghead:

Wayback is correct about getting a new axle nut and loctite. I agree to use the old nut as a jamb nut. I draw a line through the nut and axle for a quick visual to check if it loosened.

I did not ask this, but what are the torque specs for everything that i am removing i.e. tie rod bolts ball joints axle nut etc..?

I'm surprised a heat gun would produce enough heat for this even if you left it on the spot for hours.

I changed my rear without a vice, i used an impact wrench to remove the torx screws from behind. I did the work on the tail gate of my truck. Not much to it. Be sure to clean any oil or grease from the threads on the axle and use loctite on the threads. torque the axle nut to 140 ft. lbs. some say 160.

Alright the Timken rear wheel bearing came in today. When i put it all back together, i put RED Loctite on the threads of the axle and also on the wheel bearing 3 Torx screws? What is the torque spec for those 3 screws?

NEED HELP!

i cannot for the life of me get the lower ball joint free or the upper ball joint...now my lower ball joint screw is tilted and stuck under the cv axle and i cant get enough play to remove it...WTH do i do!?!