Florida GM Club

Adam

Wheel Hub Brearings
Ok some of you peeps have mentioned wheel bearing problems.. Well for those of your brave enough to do this at home heres some help. (TIP: get a Haynes repair book..its VERY worth the $12)

Tools
=====
-36mm axel nut socket (loaner from Autozone)
-WD40 or other penetrator (everything will be rusty)
-13mm short socket (I always preferred the 12 point but whatever)
-13mm wrench (convenient for the tight spaces around CV axel)
-Flange Axel FWD puller (loaner from autozone OEM27037)
-coat hanger or wire (to hang caliper aside)
-jack stands (highly don't recommend just using your regular jack only to hold car up)
-3/4 drive torque wrench capable of 250ft/lbs or more..or impact gun capable of 250ft/lbs or more..
-1/2 inch drive breaker bar
'Slide Hammer Hub puller (loaner from autozone)'

1. remove wheel and put on the spare.. The 36mm axel nut socket won't fit in the center hole. lower the car and with a 3/4 inch breaker bar loosen the nut. (now this is factory torqued at over 250ft/lbs. so this will take some serious work) I used a impact gun and just slowing and carefully loosened the nut careful not to break it or strip the threads. WD40 works good here.

2. once nut is off lift car, remove spare tire, and secure on a jackstand.

3.remove the brake caliper mounting bracket.. I found that its not necessary to remove the caliper and what not.. unbolt the bracket using the 13mm socket and a breaker bar. Slide the caliper off the rotor and hang caliper aside with a piece of coat hanger or wire. Remove the rotor.

4. Attach the hub puller to the hub using 3 lug nuts. make sure to tighten the lug nuts evenly (I did 1/4 turn each nut a time until tight) otherwise you may attach puller crooked and it could damage he lug nuts. tighten the slide hammer to the axel. do not push the axel in too much yet just get it started. (note: AZone puller used a 19mm socket or wrench for turning of center bolt )

5. there are 3 bolts on the back of the steering knuckle right close to where the CV joint goes into the hub. Use your 13mm socket and breaker bar to remove those bolts. (becareful not to damage the CV boot while doing this.. I found if you turned the steering wheel one side to another it was easier to get in there and access the bolts..

6. disconnect the Wheel Speed Sensor connector and unclip it from the bracket.

7. keep a good hold on the hub and begin to use the puller to seperate the hub from the axel.. CAUTION:BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO PULL ON THE AXEL TOO MUCH.. ONE OR BOTH OF THE JOINTS COULD BE PULLED APART INSIDE IF YOU PULL ON THE AXEL TOO MUCH. Once the axel has been removed from the hub carefully thread the wheel speed sensor wire thru the knuckle. the sensor bracket will also come off.

8. Push the Wheel speed sensor thru the knuckle hole and guide the axel into the new hub. (make sure you put the sensor bracket back on too)

9. installation is reverse removal.. tighten hub bolts, then install rotor, slide caliper back into place and tightn bolts, put spare tire back on lower car, tighten axel hub nut to factory specs.. which I know is over 250ft/lbs.

Now once everything together I put my wheel back on however with the car still raised up I put the car in neutral and spun the wheel freely just to listen for any clicking or scraping of the brakes.. This was to make sure the brake caliper didn't need adjusted and to make sure there wasn't any damage to the CV axel.

Disclaimer
It is always recommended that you tighten all bolts to torque specs. I didn't have a smaller torque wrench and the impact gun wouldn't fit.. so I tightened the bolts down as close to as tight as it was for me to remove them.. I can post all torque specs if requested. Also note that I am not a certified mechanic nor to I consider myself a guru of any sort.. This is to be for reference purpose only.. I accept no responsibility for any damages or injuries should you try this on your own.

I recommend that if you have any reservations about performing this work that you find a mechanic buddy who could do this and pay them cash, beer, IOU, whatever.. This thread was basically for the purpose of informing you of the bolt and nut sizes and basic tools needed to do the job.

Once I got all the tools it took me about an 90 minutes to change one hub.. this would probably be considered slow.. but oh well. Most dealers or mechanics would charge you 2+ hours labor anyways.

'CAUTION:BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO PULL ON THE AXEL TOO MUCH.. ONE OR BOTH OF THE JOINTS COULD BE PULLED APART INSIDE IF YOU PULL ON THE AXEL TOO MUCH.'

Adam

DISCLAIMER: My How To's are meant to assist owners and the specified car. I am not to be held liable for any damages that are associated by not following the instructions. If you see a project as too big a task, do not attempt it. Some How To information comes from other sites, mechanical friends, and other credible sources so the information should be very accurate. Being that not all tasks were done by myself, I cannot stand behind the guide 100% or held liable for any issues that arise.