i have an 81 GL wagon. my front end chatters a little on the freeway and makes some rumbling noise. when i have the wheels off the ground on a jack i can wiggle the front tires left right and up down. the strut doesnt move but you can see where the CV axle wiggles on the back side. is there a bearing in there that i can replace?

 

on a side note as the car warms up sometimes the needle indicates that it gets super warm and then cools back down to operating temp. is this a bad thermostat?

 

-ben

Sounds like bad front wheel bearings. For each wheel you will need (2) 6207-2RS-C3 ball bearings and two seals. After you remove the wheel, brakes, and axle, you can drift the bearings out with a punch. Put the new bearings in the freezer overnight and they should go in with minimal effort.

 

I get my bearings from McGuire bearing downtown - $10.12 each but that's with my company discount.

 

And yes - I would replace your thermostat. Get one from the dealer as they are superior quality.

 

GD

(nice touch on the freezer action) thanks for reminding me of that - I'll be doing both sides of mine soon

schucks has them for $25, i guess this is monday afternoons project

 

good call on the freezer thing! i have used a torch to expand something a couple of times but the freezer is a new one for me.

You need two per wheel so if you do both wheels you are looking at 100 bucks - plus the ones from shucks won't be -2RS (sealed) so you would need grease and you will be packing them yourself..... no thank - not for that kind of money. Lets see.... you are in lake-o so head over to applied industrial off tualitin-sherwood - call first and make sure they have them in stock though as they aren't as big as McGuire.

 

The freezer trick works good when you would rather avoid heating something or when you don't have a big enough torch.

 

GD

haha everything i do to this poor car i keep track as a percentage of its value

 

i think im going to pull the worst wheel apart right now because im bored and it will help me make sure that i dont end up getting sold the wrong thing.

i have an 81 GL wagon. my front end chatters a little on the freeway and makes some rumbling noise. when i have the wheels off the ground on a jack i can wiggle the front tires left right and up down. the strut doesnt move but you can see where the CV axle wiggles on the back side. is there a bearing in there that i can replace?

 

on a side note as the car warms up sometimes the needle indicates that it gets super warm and then cools back down to operating temp. is this a bad thermostat?

 

-ben

Hi,

It might just be the big nut on the axle is loose, sometimes they do that, also be sure to check that the taper washer is not worn or have a groove so it fits tight against the hub flange. the warm up thing is probably the thermostat. good luck

Liquid Nitrogen workes well too.

Also check out the lower ball joints as when the are worn they will allow the wheel movement you described, if your gona fix it fix all the problems so you can drive with confidence...............G

Liquid Nitrogen workes well too.

 

Pics?

Liquid Nitrogen workes well too.

 

In all seriousness I wouldn't try that - at least not with a sealed bearing as I'm not sure what would happen to the rubber seals and the grease inside. I'm pretty sure some greases will break down if you freeze them like that and I would be concerned about the differential contraction rates of the steel and the rubber seal. I think you would probably regret the results. As I don't have any liquid nitro to play with I can't say for sure.... I would rather wait for the deep-freeze to do it's magic.

 

GD

yeah i felt the wiggle and though it was ball joints so i have already done those.

 

im just going to drive into mcguire bearing because they have what i need and cheaper !

yay for friends with lifts and hydraulic presses !

LOL i do have liquid nitrogen to play with. We use it where i work to shrink fit parts.

LOL i do have liquid nitrogen to play with. We use it where i work to shrink fit parts.

 

 

I've used it too, for close tolerance bolts, bushings and plain bearings. I agree with GD. I wouldn't use it in this case, a deep freeze is good enough for these guys.