Which rear wheal bearing??

[ejrempel]

It's been a while, but I'm back with another question. I could barely hear myself think in my '86, the tires are howling that loudly, and a tire shop manager asked me if it might be a rear wheel bearing. I said, 'Naw, not my car'. So, I hit the open road and do the turn to the left, turn to the right test to see what I could hear. Lo and behold, when I turn to the right, the howling briefly goes away. Turn left, noise stays. So, have I got bad tire alignment, or a bad bearing, or is something going south in the dif? Your comments and experience eagerly anticipated.

[ejrempel]

Tell ya what. I'm willing to read searches, but nothing good came up. Where do I go on this board to get rear wheel bearing solutions?

[raidoman]

I had a howl in my 87 and it wasn't the bearings. The rear diff lube needed to be changed and the posi additive added. Did that and went to a parking lot to do about a half hour fo figure eights to get things working properly again--no more howl. Now, to check the bearings, jack the rear end up and grab the outer edge of the tire and try to wiggle it. If there is any play, put in new bearings and get the Delco ones-not the Chinese cheapies. I had outer edge tire wear and went for 4 wheel alignment-tire shop guy was up front and told me to check the bearings before he would align. Got bearings from Mid America and spent an afternoon installing. No more rear tire wear that is not driver induced.

It's been a while, but I'm back with another question. I could barely hear myself think in my '86, the tires are howling that loudly, and a tire shop manager asked me if it might be a rear wheel bearing. I said, 'Naw, not my car'. So, I hit the open road and do the turn to the left, turn to the right test to see what I could hear. Lo and behold, when I turn to the right, the howling briefly goes away. Turn left, noise stays. So, have I got bad tire alignment, or a bad bearing, or is something going south in the dif? Your comments and experience eagerly anticipated.

[3dale1]

I had a howl in my 87 and it wasn't the bearings. The rear diff lube needed to be changed and the posi additive added. Did that and went to a parking lot to do about a half hour fo figure eights to get things working properly again--no more howl. Now, to check the bearings, jack the rear end up and grab the outer edge of the tire and try to wiggle it. If there is any play, put in new bearings and get the Delco ones-not the Chinese cheapies. I had outer edge tire wear and went for 4 wheel alignment-tire shop guy was up front and told me to check the bearings before he would align. Got bearings from Mid America and spent an afternoon installing. No more rear tire wear that is not driver induced.

That is good info. When I bought my car, it had a lot of creaking and groaning when coming to a stop which I assumed was a rear brake problem. After ruling that out and thinking I better check the rear, adding a tube of posi fluid and gear lube quieted it down. Caught it in time, 20K later and all is still good with the D36.

[ejrempel]

I had a howl in my 87 and it wasn't the bearings. The rear diff lube needed to be changed and the posi additive added. Did that and went to a parking lot to do about a half hour fo figure eights to get things working properly again--no more howl. Now, to check the bearings, jack the rear end up and grab the outer edge of the tire and try to wiggle it. If there is any play, put in new bearings and get the Delco ones-not the Chinese cheapies. I had outer edge tire wear and went for 4 wheel alignment-tire shop guy was up front and told me to check the bearings before he would align. Got bearings from Mid America and spent an afternoon installing. No more rear tire wear that is not driver induced.

Thank you for responding. I will change the rear end fluid and put in some posi additive and break it in. Do you need special tools to do the wheel bearings? Mid America, eh?

[LT4man]

I use synthetic gear lube. You don't need that much so the price differential (no pun intended ) is not very much.

Mid America Motorworks is a good source for many parts. Their customer service is top notch.

You can also call Chris May at Superior Chevy 1-800-728-8267. Tell him Greg from Chicago told you to call.

You can get the posi additive from any good parts store or either of the two sources listed above.

I believe you will need a torx bit to remove the bolts that hold the wheel bearing assembly.

SAVE THE

[raidoman]

Thank you for responding. I will change the rear end fluid and put in some posi additive and break it in. Do you need special tools to do the wheel bearings? Mid America, eh?

No special tools other than large (55 I think) torx bit and torque wrench that will hit 165 ft lbs or more. Usual assortment of sockets and extensions. The three torx bolts that hold the bearing in place on the hub are reached from the back side and pull out from the front. The bolts are tough to reach but patience and good torx bit will do it. You will need to support the brake caliper and half shaft so some wire coat hangers are useful to make hooks. My bad bearing came out in two pieces and fell apart in my hands. Mid America had the parts.
Let me know if I can offer any assiatance.

[lone73]

Another thing to keep in mind if you do the rear bearings is that you'll need to apply a thin coat of antiseize between the aluminum surfaces that mate up. I believe it goes between the aluminum rear knucke (thats the big piece that the bearing bolts to) and the aluminum brake caliper bracket... been a while for me. If you don't put antiseize in there it could develop a very irritating creaking sound every time you come to a stop very shortly after the install.

I had my bearings replaced by a local vette mechanic and this problem developed soon afterward. After learing about what was causing it I ended up replacing them by myself again... and doing it right.

I also bought my bearings at Autozone for about $100. Put them on at about 30K miles. I now have 170K on the odometer, and still going.... It probably didn't the need bearings replaced at 30K miles back then but that was this mechanics prognosis for another noise it had.
good luck
.
.
.