Wheel hub replacement on a 2002 GT

[fantastic]

This is my DIY story

I have 2002 GT with 183300kms on it. This is how I changed my drivers side front wheel bearing/hub

Items/Tools needed:

1-3/8 axle socket
19mm socket for lug nuts
15mm socket for brake caliper and bracket
13mm socket for wheel bearing bolts (extentions as well)
Breaker bar or impact wrench to remove lug nuts and axle nut
Torque wrench for hub bolts and axle nut
Hub puller - May be optional

Replacement bearing/hub part#513179


Up-close of hub bolts for part number from GM


Directions

1. Set the parking brake and jack the appropriate side of the car


2. Remove wheel.


3. Remove brake caliper and bracket by unbolting the 15mm bolts on the back side of the caliper. The 15mm socket is on the top bolt in this pic


Brake caliper and bracket removed


4. When I did this I thought the axle nut had to come off before the rotor. Using 1-38 (axle) socket, remove axle nut. You will either need an impact or a long breaker bar. They are installed with a lot of torque.


5. Remove rotor.


6. Disconnect the wheel sensor wire connector and remove from the bracket.

7. Take a 13mm socket with extensions as needed and remove the 3 bolts on the backside of the bearing around the axle.


7. Next, I was supposed to push the axle back as far as possible but that didn't happen. So I got a hub puller but that didn't work either instead it bent. I then went with putting the nut back on so it is flush with the top of the axle and hit it with a hammer. Still not working. Got a sledge hammer and went to work on it. NOT a mm of movement. I then removed the axle away from the transmission thinking it might just need more room to push through. To do this I unhooked the bottom ball joint. Under the axle at the hub the is a nut with a pin through it


I pulled the pin out and unscrewed the nut. It didn't come all the way off as it hit the axle. I then separated the lower ball joint with a pry bar to get enough room to get the nut off. Once off I was able to pull the axle away from the transmission.


I then went back to work on hitting it with the sledge hammer. Finally after 22-24 solid hits it came free and I realized how bad the bearing was. Part of the bearing stayed in the steering knuckle


This is a pic of the new and the old hub/bearing, can you see the difference???


I then got what was left in the steering knuckle out


9. I reconnected the axle to the transmission and reassembled the ball joint.


10. I then cleaned the surface of the steering knuckle and applied anti-seize


11. Put the "new" top hub bolt in as it helped holding the thin metal bracket in place when putting the new hub/bearing on.


12. When I installed the bearing/hub the wires weren't long enough to have them at the bottom so I had to mount it with the wires up. Make sure the wires don't get pinched by the driveshaft or its game over. Install the 3 13mm bolts to 96ft lbs.


13. Pull the driveshaft back through the bearing/hub making sure the splines line up. Install the "new" axle nut. As it tightens it will pull the driveshaft the rest of the way. Torque the axle nut to GM specs of 159 ft-lbs or the figure specified by the hub manufacturer.


16. Reconnect the wheel sensor wires together as well as reconnecting it to the bracket. Install the rotor, caliper and bracket.


18. Reinstall the wheel and torque lug nuts in a star pattern at 100 ft-lbs each.

19. Now the fun part..road test the car and make sure no warning lights come on (ABS and TRAC OFF).


This was a frustrating DIY projest but I am extremely happy with the outcome. Althugh it took me 4-5 hours to complete I had a lot of problems getting the axle out and thats what chewed up the time. If I had to do it again I totally would!!

[tblake]

Good Job! The next side will only take you 1 hour, and if you ever have to do it again, since the anti-sieze is there, it will be a piece of cake!

BTW, nice car, I like that color!

[tblake]

And I usually leave the brake caliper on, stick a screwdriver in the rotor vents, and let it hold when removing the axel nut. Once the nut is off, the caliper is good to come off.

[Highbeamz]

Any tricks to breaking the 13mm bolts loose? I tried to take mine off and gave up...had a bit of luck with the bolt on the bottom closest to the front bumper but at the rate it was turning (by hand) it would have taken me 1/2 hour to get it out...then the bolt on top seemed to be a bit of a pain to get at and ditto to the other one on the bottom...i tried an impact gun but I was facing the engine while trying to do it...nearly rounded off the corners of the nut everytime, it kept slipping off the bolt head...maybe if I would have layed on the ground faced the back of the hub using forward force to keep the socket on the head might have helped?

[fantastic]

Originally Posted by Highbeamz

Any tricks to breaking the 13mm bolts loose? I tried to take mine off and gave up...had a bit of luck with the bolt on the bottom closest to the front bumper but at the rate it was turning (by hand) it would have taken me 1/2 hour to get it out...then the bolt on top seemed to be a bit of a pain to get at and ditto to the other one on the bottom...i tried an impact gun but I was facing the engine while trying to do it...nearly rounded off the corners of the nut everytime, it kept slipping off the bolt head...maybe if I would have layed on the ground faced the back of the hub using forward force to keep the socket on the head might have helped?

To get some more room turn the wheel. Turn it to the left for the front top and bottom bolts and right for the rear top bolt. I ran into the same problem with the impact gun but this gives you more then enough room. I also sprayed the threaded end of the bolts (they face the outside of the assembly)with WD-40 and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Here is a pic of the wheel turned. Good luck!!