99 z71 replace front wheel hub?

[John Redcorn]

I have wheel hub making noise and am wanting to replace it. How do I do it?

Someone told me to do this you:
take off caliper
take off rotor
undo 36mm nut that holds the cv shaft in the hub??? is that right?
undo bolts on back of hub
hub comes out



I just signed up for alldata.com today and they are talking about all of the above plus undoing the cv shaft from front diff and taking the steering knuckle/spindle completely off the ball joints and repalceing some seal? not sure what's going on here. any advice?

Why do I need to take the CV shaft out of the diff? is that going to make the front diff lose all its oil?

Do I need some kind of hub puller tool?

A gm tech friend of mine thinks I'm crazy for attempting this at home, he's offering to go with me to the gm dealer he works at on a weekend and help me with it but can't for 2 or 3 weeks. Is this something I shouldn't be trying at home? I know he is a bit spoiled by all the lifts and special tools he's taken for granted for many years, he thought I was crazy for rotating tires at home with jackstands and 4-way.

 

[Sepiroth]

I never had to remove the shaft from a differential to replace a hub bearing. When you loosen the 36mm nut that fastens the shaft to the hub and remove the bolts that attach the hub bearing to the spindle, it should come out.

BTW, you might want to get yourself some PB Blaster lube. Also if you are located in the rust belt of the country, a propane torch would also be a great idea.

 

[John Redcorn]

cool, thanks.

Am I going to be able to get that 36mm nut off with hand tools? or is it just going to rotate the cv shaft instead of loosening the nut?

 

[treepete]

air impact would be awesomeness for that job.

 

[John Redcorn]

Ok, I talked to a friend and he's saying that what alldata says is a whole procedure for replacing wheel hubs and axle seals on the front diff. and it sounds like I only need to go to step 9 of the alldata instructions for the removal, (alldata instructions below) then reverse to put the new one in.

My biggest question is that 36mm nut. How do I get it off with hand tools? I have a feeling if the trucks on jackstands I'll try to loosen that only to just rotate the cv shaft instead of loosen the nut. Can I loosen it or even take it off with the truck still on the gound, wheel and rotor still on? Can I put the big nut back on the new one the same way with the wheel on the ground so it doesn't turn the cv shaft?

If that's no good, with the push-button 4wd, can I leave it in 4hi or 4lo somehow and that not allow that cv shaft to turn?

does the transfer case stay in whatever gear you have it in when you shut off the motor?



here's the alldata instructions, only go to step 9 skipping 7 and 8??

1. Raise the vehicle. Support the vehicle with suitable safety stands.
2. Remove the tire and wheel assembly.
3. Remove the brake caliper. Notice: Support the caliper with a piece of wire to prevent damage to the brake line. Important: Wrap shop towels around the inner and the outer C/V joint boots in order to avoid damage to the boots during removal and installation.
4. Remove the brake rotor.
5. Remove the drive axle nut.
6. Remove the washer.
7. Remove the tie rod nut.
8. Disconnect the tie rod end from the knuckle.
9. Using a puller, remove the hub and bearing assembly. Important: Lay the hub and bearing assembly on the hub bolt (outboard) side. This will prevent damage or contamination of the bearing seal.
10. Remove the halfshaft.
11. Remove the splash shield bolts.
12. Remove the splash shield.
13. Support the lower control arm with a jack stand.
14. Remove the upper ball joint nut.
15. Using the J 36607, remove the upper ball joint from the knuckle.
16. Remove the lower ball joint nut.
17. Using the J36607, remove the lower ball joint from the knuckle.
18. Remove the knuckle.
19. Remove the seal from the knuckle.