Front end noise

[wlkjr]

I have a roaring noise in the front end of my '97 GT. It seems to be speed sensitive getting louder the faster I go. I thought it might be the tires so I had them rebalanced and rotated to the rear. Still same noise. I suspect now that it might be the bearings. The car has 305,000 miles on it and never has had any work done to the front end. Any suggestions?

[BNaylor]

With your mileage I'd replace both front end wheel bearings (hub). Problem sounds consistent with worn out bearings. They don't last forever. Sounds like you got your monies worth out of it. 305K miles?

[wlkjr]

How hard of a job is that? What all is involved?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by wlkjr

How hard of a job is that? What all is involved?

Can be done DIY. Special tools will be required. A 36mm socket for the axle nut, breaker bar, hub puller to get the hub off the axle spindle, and a 0 - 200 ft-lb torque wrench. Not recommended to use air impacts tools as damage to new hub may result and use a new axle nut.

Car must be safety jacked up, wheel removed, and caliper unbolted and set aside, caliper mounting bracket, and disc brake rotor removed. Disconnect wheel sensor connector plug. The hub is secured to steering knuckle by 3 nuts which must be removed. Then hub puller is used to get it separated from the spindle. Replace hub assembly.

After hub is installed, torque hub/bearing nuts to 96 ft-lbs. The axle nut must be pre-loaded/torqued down to a range of 151 - 180 ft-lbs depending what hub manufacturer specifies. Then replace all previously removed parts. Caliper bracket bolts torqued to 137 ft-lbs. Caliper bolts torqued to 63 ft-lbs. Five wheel nuts to 100 ft-lbs.

BTW - Use good quality hubs. I stick with the OEM GM.

[richtazz]

Like Bob said, stick with a good quality bearing. "White box", no name cheapo hubs from the chain stores are garbage. If you can't find a Delco unit in your area, make sure what you buy is made in the USA. Imported Chinese bearings are crap, so unless you want to do this again real soon, don't buy the cheapest bearing you find.

[wlkjr]

Thanks for the info. O'Reillys have the AC Delco's for about $242 which might be my best bet. I can get a hub puller from Autozone. Do the bearings need packing with grease and when reinstalling the hub should the nut be used to pull the hub down on the spline?

[richtazz]

Do not use an impact wrench on the axle nut, or you risk damaging the ABS sensor contained in the hub. Use hand tools only and an accurate torque wrench. Lubricate both the splined shaft and the threads to ensure an accurate torque value.

[ern2112]

Guess my little white 98 GP is still a baby at 186k.....hell.....this is encouraging after all the money I have put into it! LOL

I'm drivin' it till the wheels fall off

[wlkjr]

Originally Posted by ern2112

Guess my little white 98 GP is still a baby at 186k.....hell.....this is encouraging after all the money I have put into it! LOL

I'm drivin' it till the wheels fall off

Other than tires and brakes, I've spent less than $1000 in 9 years on mine. It has been extremely dependable.

[sirul]

Originally Posted by richtazz

Like Bob said, stick with a good quality bearing. "White box", no name cheapo hubs from the chain stores are garbage. If you can't find a Delco unit in your area, make sure what you buy is made in the USA. Imported Chinese bearings are crap, so unless you want to do this again real soon, don't buy the cheapest bearing you find.

What do you think about the "BCA National" Bearings? I called different places and they all recommended this one. I called a AC Delco dealer and he told me that he sells BCA National to the GM Dealer. These come with 1 year manufacturer replacement warranty.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[wlkjr]

Originally Posted by sirul

What do you think about the "BCA National" Bearings? I called different places and they all recommended this one. I called a AC Delco dealer and he told me that he sells BCA National to the GM Dealer. These come with 1 year manufacturer replacement warranty.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

If I'm not mistaken, I saw a post that said BCA makes the ones for AC Delco. Rich got me a better deal on the AC Delcos than I could have gotten on the BCA's locally. Now I just need the time to do the job. Maybe next week and and I'll post an update.