Update on wheel bearing noise

I had very loud roaring in my front end area somewhere that sounded like bad tires. Rich and Bob diagnosed it as defective wheel hubs. I ordered two AC Delcos from Rich at a good price and car has been sitting for two weeks while I was waiting for a good chance to do them.
So tonight was the night my daughter's boyfriend volunteered to help. I started before he got here and it took me almost two hours to do the right side. I broke one 13mm and one 15mm Craftsman socket and a 3/8 universal. Boy those bolts are tight if they've never been removed. Only took us about 40 minutes to do the left side and only broke one 15mm SK 1/2'' drive socket on that side.
Good news is that it fixed my problem and we didn't screw up anything else. Now it is quite as a mouse.
It only cost me $317 and one ticket to the Atlanta race next weekend. Much cheaper than the $700-800 I was quoted by a dealer about two years ago.
One side note: neither bearing had looseness or any play whatsoever but they were bad.
Thanks to Bob and Rich for their help.

You're welcome and glad we could help. Yeah, those caliper bracket mounting bolts and hub bolts/nuts are a PITA and hell on tools. Thats why I stick with Sears Craftsman on tools.

What torque value did you use on the axle nut for preload?

I'm getting ready to help a friend in the local club do his '98 GT. He stripped out one of the lug nut studs on the hub and snapped off a second one. I guess thats what he gets for not using a torque wrench. Only has 4 lugs holding his driver's side wheel on. Same process except we're removing the hub just to extract and replace the 2 damaged studs. At least I'll get some more free beer. :cheers:

Glad we could help you out wlkjr, and we love hearing a happy ending.

I'm sure I will need all you guys expertise in the future, especially with the age and miles on this car and the relatively few problems that I have encountered.
I wasn't as surprised at breaking the 3/8" drive Craftsman sockets as they were kinda thin looking, but I didn't expect to crack the SK as it was a lot heavier built and 1/2" drive. Good thing I have about 3 sets of everything.
As for the torque values, we couldn't get the torque wrench into the area to torque the hub bolts or the brake caliper bolts, so we just snugged them down really well. I printed out the thread with the torque values and I think we did 150 lbs on the axel nut and 100 lbs on the lug nuts. The 36mm socket was a little loose on the nut but had no problems breaking it loose.
Although I'm not a drinking man, if I was close enough I'd be compelled to buy y'all a cool one.

Makes you wonder about the quality of tools nowadays. Craftsman break too but for me it is easy to run over to Sears and get an immediate replacement.

150 ft-lbs is good and what GM calls for on OEM. :bigthumb:

Good success story and money saver. Glad it worked out for you.

I figure I saved over $400 and have the satisfaction of doing it myself, with a little help, and feeling like it was done right. I'm not a great mechanic but I do manage on these small things. I wish I was confident and competent enough to tackle a gasket job as I think my mother's 01 Century with the 3.1 has a gasket going South. The potassium levels were extremely high according to the oil analysis I recently had done. I hate to break the news to her because she only has 1 payment left. Any estimate on how much that might cost?

I figure I saved over $400 and have the satisfaction of doing it myself, with a little help, and feeling like it was done right. I'm not a great mechanic but I do manage on these small things. I wish I was confident and competent enough to tackle a gasket job as I think my mother's 01 Century with the 3.1 has a gasket going South. The potassium levels were extremely high according to the oil analysis I recently had done. I hate to break the news to her because she only has 1 payment left. Any estimate on how much that might cost?

The 3.1 intake gasket job is not that bad to DIY. I'll be doing a UIM/LIM job on an Alero with 3.4L which is similar. Putting in polished and ported upper and lower intake manifolds. Other than the cost of lower fuel injector o-ring seals, the upper plenum gasket, lower intake gaskets, new intake hardware such as the bolts, EGR gasket, valve cover gaskets, and possible throttle body gasket cost on parts is not that bad.

Lots of posts on the 3.1 intake job in the GP forum.

Cost with parts and labor with a general mechanic or dealer can range from $450 - $850.

Fel-Pro now sells an intake kit that includes a re-designed improved intake gasket, valve cover gaskets, and the coolant transfer pipe o-ring. The part number is MS98003T, but it only fits 99-up 3.1 Vin-J (not Vin-m) and all 97-up 3.4 Vin-E. You'll still need the EGR gaskets (70766 and 70790) and the distributor drive o-ring (70800). I always install a small block Chevy distributor gasket (70194) on the oil pump drive as well as added insurance against leaks. I personally have never needed to loosen the injector rail on these engines to do the intake job, but it's not a bad idea to change the injector o-rings while you're in there. You can re-use the bolts, as long as you wire brush the old sealant off the threads and apply new lock-tite. They aren't a torque-to-yield or anything like that. GM suggests replacing the bolts because their bolts come with thread-lock pre-applied, but it isn't required. I just did one of these this week, I do them over the course of 2 days. Tear down took 2-1/2 hours, 1/2 hour of cleaning, then I bolt the intake back down and let it set overnight to allow the thread-lock and RTV to cure. I reassemble the next day about 1-1/2 hours including the oil change and you're done.

What is the cost on that Fel Pro kit Rich? 3.4L Vin "E".

I got new bolts all around for the UIM and LIM. In my case, I have to pull off the fuel injectors due to a manifold swap. Depending on the mileage of the car it is always a good idea to do the fuel injector seals but I would not do the top injector o-ring to rail unless there is visible signs of fuel leaking. But I agree if he wants to re-use the old bolts that is not problem. Torque value on intake manifold bolts is low. If you let the bolts soak an hour or two in Gumout or fuel injector cleaner it makes it easier to get the old threadlock off.

That kit runs $69.99 Bob. I used it on the job I just did and it's a lot nicer than the original plastic gasket set. The improved one is metal/rubber, and will not crack around the coolant ports like the original plastic ones do. Since you're putting in a proted intake, I would probably spend the extra $$ on the new bolts and of course the injector o-rings, since the rail has to be removed to transfer to the new manifold.

That kit runs $69.99 Bob. I used it on the job I just did and it's a lot nicer than the original plastic gasket set. The improved one is metal/rubber, and will not crack around the coolant ports like the original plastic ones do.

Would that be the approximate cost for an '01 3.1 also? How long would it take an old fart to accomplish this task and how bad could I mess something up attempting this myself? I know I'm never going to turn into a real mechanic.

That kit runs $69.99 Bob. I used it on the job I just did and it's a lot nicer than the original plastic gasket set. The improved one is metal/rubber, and will not crack around the coolant ports like the original plastic ones do.

Thanks Rich. Price looks good. What does GM offer in a similar kit, if any? Or do you have to buy all gaskets separately if going with OEM? I believe GM had some sort of improved gaskets because the dealer replaced the original gaskets under warranty per the GM TSB out on the 3.4L intake problem.

BTW - Sorry for hi-jacking the message thread. Even I need help too. :lol:

Hey wlkjr, I didn't know you were an old fart. A lot of us are. :bigthumb:

BTW - Sorry for hi-jacking the message thread. Even I need help too. :lol:

Be my guest. I'm trying to soak up as much as possible. I find all this to be very beneficial. Just make some pictures of this process.

with basic skills and a good torque wrench, this is a fairly simple job that I bet you can handle since you did the hubs. Cleanliness and organization are your friends here. I have a silver sharpie that I use to mark harness connectors and such as to what they hook to for ease of re-assembly ( I've done enough that I don't anymore on this particular job), but it makes re-assembly MUCH easier for a first timer. Label the plug wires on the boots with the pen so you don't have to think about where they go, and mark the wiring harness connectors with abbreviations like iac, egr, map, so you know at a glance exactly where they go (some harnesses are similar looking for components grouped together). If your car has the VIN-M 3.1 (the engine designation is the 8th digit from the left), you'll need to buy the separate gaskets.

Here is a good link to give you an overall idea of the work involved for the 3.1L VIN "M" Grand Prix or other GM "W" body cars. This guy did a lot of work on the procedure and it is worthy of taking note:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=526875

BTW Bob, the GM gaskets are all individual, no kit available.

BTW Bob, the GM gaskets are all individual, no kit available.

Would you go with the Fel Pro or GM gaskets? Can you PM me whenever you get a chance (no hurry) with cost of all GM gaskets. Thanks a bunch Rich.

Yeah, those caliper bracket mounting bolts and hub bolts/nuts are a PITA and hell on tools.

i used a 15mm closed wrench and a rubber mallet on the caliper bracket bolts...they were still a major PITA to get loose...lost a rubber mallet in the process....

i used a 15mm closed wrench and a rubber mallet on the caliper bracket bolts...they were still a major PITA to get loose...lost a rubber mallet in the process....
Good case for tools with a lifetime warranty.