Front Wheel Bearing Service/Change?

My 96 Roady has about 80,000 miles on it. I am taking it on its first big (1200) mile road trip in a few weeks. This is the first RWD car that is my daily for a very long time. I can't remember how often I should re pack the front wheel bearings, or for that matter, change them. Any thoughts? And, has the procedure changed since I last did it in the 1980's? Any new grease you guys like? Thanks for any help you can provide.

I think it should be every 30K miles for front bearings. I forget which brand grease I picked up at auto zone. I want to say it was something like Chevron or something but it definitely stated it was compatible with the grease GM specifies in my service manual. I don't think the procedure has changed any since you last did it in 1980.

Jack car up.
Remove tire.
Remove wheel bearing dust cap.
Remove cotter pin.
Remove spindle nut.
Remove wheel bearing slotted washer.
Remove outer wheel bearing.
Replace spindle nut.
Remove Rotor from spindle (Do this in a way that the inner bearing will snag on the spindle nut so that the bearing and dust seal separate from the rotor and remain on the spindle)
Remove spindle nut, inner wheel bearing, and dust seal.
Clean out the grease really well from inside the rotor, and off of the spindle.
At this point it would be a good idea to have the rotor turned if needed.
Check outer race of inner and outer bearings, pressed inside rotor, for wear and damage. Replace if needed.
Generously apply the new grease to the inside of the rotor making sure to coat both races and the side walls in between the races.
Repack inner and outer bearings with new grease. (You can buy one of those nifty little bearing packing tools to do this, or you can do it by hand.)
Install inner bearing.
Install dust seal.
Generously apply new grease to spindle.
Install rotor back onto spindle.
Insert outer bearing.
Install washer.
Install spindle castle nut and torque to appropriate specifications.
Install new cotter pin through castle nut and slot in spindle.
Install dust cap.
Install tire.
Lower Vehicle back to ground.
Test drive car.

scoffman wrote:

(You can buy one of those nifty little bearing packing tools to do this, or you can do it by hand.)

By all means, get one of those things. It's one of the handier little widgets I've seen, and it really excels at getting the old grease out of the bearings. I don't think it was really expensive either.

You left out the part about removing the brake caliper. They have SAE hex bolts (I believe 7/16 inch).

Brake cleaner works good for cleaning the parts. Do not spin the bearings without lubricant on them, you can damage them.

You do not have to grease the spindle, or the inside of the hub. The bearings do not run on the spindle or hub, but on races supported by the spindle.

Torquing the nut includes; spinning the hub while torquing to 12 lb. ft., loosening the nut, retightening finger tight, and backing the nut off to the first hole that intersects the castle nut slots (there are 2). If you do not follow the directions for proper clearance, you will shorten you bearing life appreciably. There must be a little clearance for the grease to fit between the parts, or you will be running metal on metal with no lubrication, even with grease on the bearings.

I would suggest wearing nitrile, surgical, or some sort of rubber gloves if you are hand packing the bearings, even if you are using a tool to pack them. The grease really stinks.

Wow, thanks guys. Last time I did it I packed them by hand, and it was so long ago, I don't think the thin gloves we use today even existed! I appreciate the tips.

The hex drive is 3/8s and definitely repack those bearings and torque to specs Mark.Get one of those little green records book to keep in the car and record everything!Have a great trip and
be safe!

Fred Kiehl wrote:

You left out the part about removing the brake caliper. They have SAE hex bolts (I believe 7/16 inch).

DOH! I new I forgot something.

I was always under the impression the more grease the better so I've always greased the spindle and in between the races. I think next time I will try less grease.