Crowhater

OK what is the trick? Last night I took everything apart to replace the front wheel bearing and I did not have the correct torxs bit for the job. I believe it is a T55 but I will buy a complete kit today. How do you get at the bottom bolt? The lower control arm nut is right behing the bolt. Do I have to remove the lower control arm to remove that bolt?

Fasthotrod

I think that you mean the ball joint nut that connects the spindle to the lower A-arm, right?



If so, then yes... you need to support the lower A-arm and remove the nut, then press the ball joint out of the A-arm socket to gain access to the hub bolt. Install the new hub and tighten the bolts to spec, then re-install the lower ball joint into the A-arm and tighten it to spec.

More info here.

Crowhater

Last night when I discovered that my T50 torx socket was to small for those bolts I was not happy. A little voice in my head said just weld a nut to the top of each of the bolts and turn them out with a wrench. Then I remembered that this in my Vett not my truck so I said screw it and poured myself two fingers worth of American Honey and watched some TV.

JwT

This info is in the DIY section. I just replaced my front bearings several weeks ago. It's a pain in the you know what to get the lower ball joint loose just because it's been torqued there for awhile. You have to tap on it with the nut high on the threads so you don't ruin them. Getting the screws holding the bearings loose is no picnic as well, they are installed with red torque paste. Take your time and have a lot of breaks...you'll get them done. Oh one other thing...don't even try the rear bearings, they have to be done by a good mechanic or the dealer.
Just my 2 cents.....

JwT

HOXXOH

The trick for wheel bearings is to let the dealer do it under warranty.

Even if you've modded the crap out of the engine/trans/body/etc it'll still fit within the 5yr/100K. The possible exceptions are if you have a non-GM sway bar, brakes, or non-standard size wheels.

I had both fronts replaced at 98K. Noises started showing up around 77-78K and diagnosed as bearings then. Since it wasn't real bad I opted to wait, as long as the problem didn't become a rapid failure. The dealer was well aware of the mods and drag racing. Even the Z51 sways on my F55 car were not a problem. Full disclosure has always been the way to avoid future problems.

BTW, I was prepared to do the job myself. It just looked like more work than I wanted to do.

Crowhater

Let see I have changed the wheel size, the tire size, the rear diff is different, the gear ratio is different, the trans and engine mounts are different, the trans is the same but it has been built, the torque converter is now a stall converter and the engine is different than the factory engine. For some reason the dealerships seem to think I have voided my warranty.

HOXXOH

Contrary to popular belief, your entire warranty is not voided when any single item is modded.

Although the terms can be changed, GM document ID: 1879343 with an effective date of 12-28-2009 deals with the powertrain coverage codes for warranty work. It's a 29 page document and each item can be subjected to individual consideration.

Since you have changed the wheel size, your wheel bearing warranty is probably history. I have a lot of mods too, but I still have original wheels.
However, none of your mods have any link to possibly voiding your fuel tank sending unit, for instance. Of course, the dealership may tell you that your entire warranty's been voided, which tells you they're either ignorant, lazy, or just want your cash. You never know unless you ask.

Ryan07

I don't see how a wheel bearing warranty would be void by changing the wheel size. If the cars alignment is right and the wheels are balanced, where is the problem? The bearings simply roll...

SUB VETTE

Offset might be different on an after market wheel causing a different stress load on the bearing (at least that's probably what a dealer would say to justify rejection of warranty coverage).

Ryan07

They might say something like that.

Crowhater

Oh the joy is back!!!!!! I replaced the wheel bearing on the front last night and I got the car I remember back. Having the front and the back wheel bearing bad made so much noise and the car had a vibration. Now the ride is sooth as glass and the car is quiet again. I also noticed my gas mileage has gone up or so the dash tells me. When I spun the front hub in my hand it sounded like it was grinding rocks. 22,000 miles on the car and both the front and rear pass side wheel bearings fail. I have never hit anything or used the car on a road course. The car goes to the 1/8 mile track about once a month and it is driven to work a couple times a week.