A few rear bearing questions...

[hooziewhatsit]

This is on an '87 wagon, SPFI, 5spd, yadda yadda, not my daily driver, so no rush to get it fixed.

 

Just got this car for a friend and have the rear drums off to check the brakes.

 

Start pulling on the axle stub, and what the heck? The tip moves almost 3/16"s up-down/left-right as well as in/out. All of the other wheels are fine - no movement at all.

 

finally get the rear axle out, start taking off of the control arm bolts, when I notice if I push an inner ring 'thingy' back into the hub, the up/down movement stops, but the in/out slop is still there. I checked the other side, and it doesn't move at all, although the axle is still on that side. When I put the outer hub back on it, all movement stopped.

 

So, my question is, are these bearing toast? maybe toast? replace them while it's easy? don't worry about it? This is for a friend who wants a reliable replacement for a Hyundai she used to have.

 

 

second question: How the heck do you guys get the rear axle out so easily? I had to undo the top of the strut, then push down on the hub to get enough slack to barely get one end off? My mechanic from a few years ago said I would have to drop the rear diff to get them off.

 

thanks,

-Dave

[pyromanic]

Hey Dave, how ya doing?

 

I think yer old mehcanic friend might have been talking about dropping the mustache bar to get the axles out, which is really easy, fast and works like a champ for getting the rear axles out.

 

Remember I was doing rear bearings the day you guys came out for the trans? Nevertheless, I'm going to defer advice on that to those who have more experience with the rear bearing setup. But I suspect some play like you describe is normal when the castle nut is off. Not sure though. Don't listen to me, I could be wrong.

 

I will say this however. At the very least, they (rear bearings) should probably be removed, cleaned and examined for pits, discoloration or any other defects. It it was my car, I'd bite the bullet and put in new ones if I didn't know the age/miles of the old ones. Forunately, unlike the front ball bearings, they are of the Timken tapered style, and CAN be checked out once you get the old grease out. The trick is going to be getting the old ones out. I bet there IS a trick, I just didn't know it. Driving the old races and spacer out was kind of a PIA, but I got it done, and everthing seems fine.

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Just got this car for a friend and have the rear drums off to check the brakes.

 

Start pulling on the axle stub, and what the heck? The tip moves almost 3/16"s up-down/left-right as well as in/out. All of the other wheels are fine - no movement at all.

 

finally get the rear axle out, start taking off of the control arm bolts, when I notice if I push an inner ring 'thingy' back into the hub, the up/down movement stops, but the in/out slop is still there. I checked the other side, and it doesn't move at all, although the axle is still on that side. When I put the outer hub back on it, all movement stopped.

 

So, my question is, are these bearing toast? maybe toast? replace them while it's easy? don't worry about it? This is for a friend who wants a reliable replacement for a Hyundai she used to have.

 

 

second question: How the heck do you guys get the rear axle out so easily? I had to undo the top of the strut, then push down on the hub to get enough slack to barely get one end off? My mechanic from a few years ago said I would have to drop the rear diff to get them off.

 

thanks,

-Dave

[hooziewhatsit]

hey pyro, I do recall you just doing them on your car, I just didn't figure I'd be doing some myself so soon

 

 

I kinda figured I should just take the time to take them out and inspect them. The car has 259K miles on it. I have receipts from the last 100k, and it doesn't include any rear wheel bearings, so, for all I know, they're original. At $50 a side for both bearings and the seal, I can't really go wrong with just replacing them.

 

In your opinion, are they easier to do with the rear arm still in the car, or loose?

 

thanks,

-Dave

[Ross]

There will be a lot of play with the nut/hub removed. Thats normal.

 

I have had no problems with doing them with the arm on the car.

[pyromanic]

My Haynes manual said that it would be "slightly" easier to remove the arms for the job.

 

I didn't.

 

After doing the job, I agree with Haynes. "Slightly". Not worth it in my opinion.

 

Don't forget that there are two different styles of bearings used in these rigs. Doesn't seem to matter which ones are in there, or which ones go back in. But if a feller didn't know about that quirk, it could get real confusing.

 

Also, if you wind up with the "two bearings in a sleave" style, remove the new bearings from the sleave, clean the "preservative lube" out, and repack well with the grease of your choice. And there is a plastic "keeper" involved that you throw away, IF I remember correctly, which I often do not.

 

Pyro

 

PS, My webber is getting funky on cold mornings, am reconsidering SPFI swap. Aint that a pisser?