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03 Yukon 1500 2wd > Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

tomo62

By tomo62
in Ask A GM Technician

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tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

Can anyone help with this?

 

The mechanic tells me the front wheel bearings in my 03 Yukon 1500 need replacement.

 

I can do this task myself provided it doesn't take too many tools etc.

 

From pics on parts websites - it looks like it is an integral unit - I have no experience in this type, just the old taper bearing arrangement.

 

Can someone tell me the level of difficulty to do this job, any special tools and tricks, and perhaps torque specifications?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Tomo62

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

Posted
Posted

Buy a replacement assembly. Pull the wheel, rotor, caliper, and then remove the three bolts that bolt the bearing assembly to the spindle. Remove assembly and replace with new one. I may be forgetting a thing or two, but it's a pretty straightforward and simple job.

 

Have a look at this.

 

SP450301-A.jpg

tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the quick response, and picture of the unit.

 

Starting to feel like an old-timer that my experience so far is with taper roller bearings on stub axles!

 

I stumbled upon some video clips on You-Tube, and it doesn't look too difficult so I will give it a go.

 

The videos on You-Tube are really informative, need to keep this in mind before I ask anymore dumb questions!

 

Anyone know what torque the retaining bolts for the Wheel Hub is supposed to be?

 

Thanks

 

Tomo62

tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
  • Author
Posted

This video is highly recommended - many vids on You-Tube show 4X4's, but this one shows a 2WD and the misery you can expect getting the wheel hub out!

 

 

Buy a replacement assembly. Pull the wheel, rotor, caliper, and then remove the three bolts that bolt the bearing assembly to the spindle. Remove assembly and replace with new one. I may be forgetting a thing or two, but it's a pretty straightforward and simple job.

 

Have a look at this.

 

SP450301-A.jpg

Zembonez Senior Enthusiast

Zembonez

Posted
Posted

It was just one of the zillion examples on YouTube. It's not like we are endorsing the guy.

tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Think you are being a bit harsh Govtech!

 

The guy could have used a bigger hammer, less of the impact gun, done some of the extraction a little more delicately, but you could see from the rest of the parts on the car this thing must have had a lot of salt corrosion on the underside, and the hub must have been jammed into the knuckle pretty tight!

 

What do you think the guy did wrong?

 

I am really grateful for the video as it gives a massive heads up as to what to expect - it's really invaluable!

 

 

 

i guess eh ,

 

sry ,,,makes me crazy seeing that crap

joseph10 Enthusiast

joseph10

Posted
Posted

Tomo62,

I just got done the right side on my 2002 Silverado yesterday. It is not too bad, just make sure you torque everything properly. A good tip - to get better access the caliper bracket and hub assembly bolts, you should turn the steering wheel. Otherwise, "stuff" behind it gets in the way.

 

I could not find the Timken at Autozone, so ended up putting on Precision 3yr warranty ones from Oreilly (179/each).

 

The worst part of the job is getting the brake caliper bolts out - they have a bunch of thread lock on them from the factory.

 

I am going to wait on the driver side until next weekend. I used up this week's cuss word budget because of those caliper bolts!

 

Good luck.

 

Joseph

tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just to give you an update - I completed the Wheel Hub replacement on the Yukon. A big thanks for those that responded as the information helped a lot.

 

What I learned!

 

1. You need some heavy duty tools, the bolts that hold the Brake Caliper (T-55 Torx), Brake Caliper Bracket (18mm A/F) and the Wheel Hub Bolts are extremely tight. My air-impact gun, where I could get access, still could not loosen these bolts. I eventually used a 3' length of 2" pipe (actually metallic electrical conduit) to crack these bolts and it worked a treat. I used an 18mm impact socket on the Brake Caliper Bracket - but needed to use a 15mm box end spanner (Craftsman!) for the Wheel Hub bolts.

 

Don't start this job without a very long breaker bar, or length of pipe!

 

2. You need to be able to turn the wheel so you can access the rear (cabin side) of the wheel - this makes life a lot easier.

 

3. I needed an electric drill and a 3/16" drill bit to remove the plastic retainer from the wishbone arm that held the wheel sensor bracket. The aged plastic just snaps off and you cant get it out any other way. Jut be prepared.

 

4. This car is highway driven car in Southern California, and thankfully the Wheel Hubs removed easily once the bolts were removed. I used anti-seize on the location bore to make it easier to remove the next time. The Brake Caliper bolts needs red loctite, and I used blue loctite on the Wheel Hub bolts (because I had some). Also get some caliper grease.

 

5. I didn't find out the torque for these bolts, but wish I had, would have slept easier knowing that I had torqued them to a spec - not just really tight...

 

6. Prices and quality for wheel hubs vary widely. from $68 to over $200. I chose Timken Wheel Hubs from Auto Zone, the price was very good ($100) in comparison to all others. Don't be afraid to shop around - the price differences are amazing. I got a 3 year warranty from Auto Zone (most probably not worth the time it took me to type that...) but the box said made in the USA, so should be OK!

 

7. Check out 'youtube.com' - there are some very helpful videos available to give you some idea what to expect.

 

Thanks again to those who helped me!

govtech Enthusiast

govtech

Posted
Posted

Pat,glad ya got it ,

 

to answer your question,ya i was abit harsh but realized for a newb is was a good video ,ive been a tech along time and alot with GM ,he did things that made me nuts thats all,

 

TTYL bud

tomo62 Enthusiast

tomo62

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the reply Govtec

 

The guy in the video may not have been perfect - but he took the time to record and put the video on the internet for the rest of us. So even if it wasn't perfect, it was a good starting point. I am so glad the Wheel Hubs came out easily, I would have been in a really bad state if they were corroded in like those in the video.

 

As an older mech engineer, this is the first time I have seen this wheel hub idea - and I can really understand why GMC would go for such an arrangement over the old taper bearing set-ups I've done it the past.

 

 

Man those bolts were tight!

 

 

 

Pat,glad ya got it ,

 

to answer your question,ya i was abit harsh but realized for a newb is was a good video ,ive been a tech along time and alot with GM ,he did things that made me nuts thats all,

 

TTYL bud

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