Hubs and Bearings, Eh? EH?!?!

[Dyno247365]

Is the 2001 sunfire brake design different from most gm designs? I'm helping out my friend who has a sunfire and the last thing I need to find is the bearing kit, but all I found was that a hub assembly and bearing kit, like it's all in one instead of seperate. Can anyone explain? and if I'm wrong, where can I find these bearings and how much do they usually cost?

[hotbug1776]

You cant buy just bearings, it's a sealed unit, bearings and hub all in one. Three Torx bolts (I think 56) and that's it. takes me about 10 minutes to do one. I've done three sets in my Sunfire.

[homerr]

Don't forget to put the ring seal in first, or they will break down. That is why they break down, is GM did not put the ring seal in from the factory. They give it to you for free when you buy the assembly.

Homerr

[Dyno247365]

Originally Posted by hotbug1776

You cant buy just bearings, it's a sealed unit, bearings and hub all in one. Three Torx bolts (I think 56) and that's it. takes me about 10 minutes to do one. I've done three sets in my Sunfire.

If you need new rotors and pads, do you also replace the the hub assembly?

[hotbug1776]

nope, you can replace everything seperatly, the hub and bearings are one, the brakes are seperate. yes the rotor may need to be beat off the hub (rust is a pain) but it is not a part of the hub assembly.

The hub will be loose like a normal bearing set if bad, or it will feel "funny" when you turn it, not smooth. oh, and the Torx is 55 not 56 (pulled out the manual and read it)

Get the good bearings, I had to replace mine so many times because I scimped on the bearings and went cheap, now I got good ones in and it's all good so far.

[Dyno247365]

Originally Posted by hotbug1776

nope, you can replace everything seperatly, the hub and bearings are one, the brakes are seperate. yes the rotor may need to be beat off the hub (rust is a pain) but it is not a part of the hub assembly.

The hub will be loose like a normal bearing set if bad, or it will feel "funny" when you turn it, not smooth. oh, and the Torx is 55 not 56 (pulled out the manual and read it)

Get the good bearings, I had to replace mine so many times because I scimped on the bearings and went cheap, now I got good ones in and it's all good so far.

not sure what you mean, the good news is my friend might not need new hubs but if the bearings come with the hub then how did you get new bearings?

last question, with the new rotors do you think it needs new bearings? I got a pretty good idea of what you said but I just wanna clarify everything before the purchase.

[richtazz]

The rotors just slip over the wheel studs and are held on by the lug nuts. You do not have to replace the hubs (they are a sealed unit and cannot be greased/serviced) when doing brakes. IF the rotors are stuck on from rust, try some PB blaster or Break Away penetrant to get them loose. For reference the part numbers are:
front pads: MKD673 (Bendix)
front rotors: 141530 (Bendix)
hub bearing: 513017k (BCA)

[hotbug1776]

we in the FWD world usually just call them bearings, since it comes with the hub. as in "I had to replace my front bearings". The hub and bearings can not seperate, and can not be repaced seperatly.

the rotor attaches via the studs like said above, and is a seperate piece.

Your friend may have a perfectly good hub, but if the bearings are bad, he's still getting a brand new one.

the hub/bearings should last a LONG time, I've got a little over 200k miles on my car and I've had the original, two cheap, and a high quality set on anf the original and high quality have lasted the majority of the miles.

I know how you feel about this situation, I also have RWD cars, and I'd rather do the setup on them than the FWD in a heartbeat LOL a lot less to mess with.

[Dyno247365]

we're doing the pads and rotors only. What size tools should I need? I can't afford any lost time when I'm missing tools.

[hotbug1776]

oh, lets seee....19mm lugs (a tleast thats what I use, it's probably 3/4) I think (dont quote me) it's an 8mm or a 6mm allen wrench for the caliper mount bolts (for sure it's an allen wrench I'm just not sure what size for sure).

Look into a mount rebuild kit, you will most likely need it. and get some stiff round wire brushes and a tube of high temp grease for braking systems. that will help you get the mounts sliding again. the pads are pretty straight forward. just like any other disc brake job.