Stranded In Montgomery

fm2176 · January 3, 2010

Well, I flushed my cooling system, checked all fluids, changed the oil while home on leave, and had tools and extra fluids. Even replaced the windshield while at home to get the truck inspected. Now, here I am in Montgomery, Alabama, 360 miles from my home in Louisiana and almost 700 miles from my home in Virginia. I inspected the truck prior to leaving, asked the state inspector what the front brakes looked like, and rechecked the fluids. My ABS light came on in South Carolina, first coming on then going off before finally coming on and staying on. I slowed down but could feel no difference in braking or driving, could not hear anything nor could I smell anything. I figured the 86k miles were showing and an ABS component was going bad or out of adjustment. When I next stopped I could hear a low grinding noise at low speeds and figured something was going on with a brake caliper. Being too far to turn around or call back to VA for help I drove on as I could find nothing wrong at that time with the front brakes and wheels both being relatively cool. 400 miles later, I stopped in Montgomery for gas, the brake pedal had just started acting funny and I crawled under for another look. The passenger side wheel had some brake dust on it, so I figured a caliper was sticking. Boy, was I wrong. I looked on the backside of the hub and checked the axle shaft. Long story short, the wheel bearing had all but exploded, with bearings strewn around and giving me no hope of being able to do a roadside fix. There was no indication of something major until I slowed down for gas, and I'm lucky I stopped when I did, given the condition of the bearing.

Called AAA, got towed a whopping 1/4 mile to a shop the driver recommended and am currently next door at a convenient motel. I am hoping the shop owner will have pity on a stranded Soldier right after the holidays. I know I am not looking forward to paying someone else to get me back on the road. Anyone have any idea what a new bearing or hub assembly will cost?

Visegrip117 · January 3, 2010

Sorry to hear man, Could have been worse though.

Not sure about the price.

Best of luck

GPSilverado · January 4, 2010

Anyone have any idea what a new bearing or hub assembly will cost?

Looking at AAP or Autozone, you could get by as cheap as 120.00 plus tax. Autozone has one for 169.00 that I would probably not be afraid of. It is made by Timken. The other for 120 is Valucraft.

Genuine GM will probably be 300-400 IMO, but maybe not.

I think the real question now is whether the brake rotor or anything else is damaged. Shouldn't be.

Too bad you didn't know it was this when you came through SC (Greenville-Spartanburg area along I-85). I would have been glad to try and help get you on the road.

cbsaf · January 4, 2010

Just thank goodness that you didn't have a F150 2wd. The front rotor is the wheel bearing assembly and contains the bearings. The hub is not seperate. You'd have to change the rotor......and the bearings.......then would want the other side to match.........then would need a fresh set of pads...........Yeah, I already had that headache.

Spurshot · January 4, 2010

Hubs for my 99 2500 GMT800 were just over $400 ea from the dealer. I bought them for less than half on the web. The aftermarket hubs seem to be even cheaper at autoparts houses.

daylower · January 4, 2010

I know off-tpoic, but what part of LA are you heading to?

fm2176 · January 4, 2010

I'm currently living outside of Baton Rouge. The truck is in the shop right now. I would love to be able to do the repairs myself, but there is not a parts store within walking distance, I don't have a proper jack, and it is moderately cold outside to be trying to fix this with limited resources. My brother guesstimated I might be spending up to $1500 for this repair. He works on everything from 1/2 tons to semis, but most of his experience with light trucks is with Ford, so I hope he is wrong. If the bearing and seal are all that need replacing, I can't imagine it should cost but so much. As for brakes, I am not planning on replacing them right now unless the pad is completely shot. That can wait until one evening this week or until the weekend.

I guess it is Army breakdown day. Another Soldier who has to be in Texas tomorrow came in with his Jeep. The check vengine light was on and he was worried about it. They ran the scanner and found the TPS sensor voltage high. I'd have kept going and done the replacement myself, but he told them to go ahead and replace it (at $350 for the part alone). I'm about to head back over there to make sure they don't do anything I don't want them to do. They seem honest and straightforward, but I still don't want to risk getting charged for two hub assemblies (to balance the vehicle), calipers, pads, tailight fluid and 25 hours labor.

Mr_Rooney · January 4, 2010

My brother guesstimated I might be spending up to $1500 for this repair.

I have done this repair 2x. Both in the driveway and last time late in the day, in the rain. The hub assembly was $169 from NAPA and used a Timken bearing. The axle nut needs to be new (at least on my 99 and 01) as it is a precrushed design for locking, cost me $9 from the dealer. Each time it took me 2 hrs to replace, and the original was very difficult to remove due to rust. Low estimate in my experience then should be $500 and no more than $750. And the NAPA unit came with a new ABS sensor installed.

amtz.zero · January 4, 2010

Damn, that sucks.. I hope you get back on the road soon.

daylower · January 5, 2010

you Army boys always breaking things...

Hope it works out for you though man.

Spurshot · January 5, 2010

The first one I did on the driver side of my 99 2500 took about 1 hr 15 minutes, using only hand tools, no impact wrench for anything, including the lugs. The passenger side took me 45 minutes. I believe I had to buy a large socket for the axle (4wd) that protrudes thru, 36mm, I think.

It's been a number of yrs ago, but my recollection is: jack and remove the wheel, remove the two bolts holding the caliber in the brake bracket, remove the 2 bolts holding the brake bracket on, remove the axle nut (4wd), remove the 4 bolts (2500) holding the hub assembly to the knuckle, reverse the process.

fm2176 · January 5, 2010

Got it fixed quick (and somewhat cheap) and was back on the road in no time. Kelley's Service Center in Hope Hull, AL helped two Soldiers get on their way yesterday. I walked across the street at 0730 and explained my situation. By 0930 I was checking out of the hotel and loading up the truck. Less than two hours in the shop cost me $206 for the hub assy (Carquest delivered it, not sure what manufacturer they use), $80 labor and $22 for supplies. Much better than the 2+ hours labor I was expecting. I walked out the door having spent $330 for the repair, and another $70 for the hotel and two meals. Not too bad, and that extra $100 or so was well worth me not having to do a roadside replacement.

The other Soldier's Jeep was ready by the time I checked out. He passed me as we were crossing into Louisiana.

Armed with my new air compressor, I'll be rotating tires and checking the other wheels for play this weekend. I may even go ahead and replace the driver's side hub soon as a precaution.