2004 Sierra 1500 Z-71 Front Hub Bearing

alvocado · June 25, 2010

You don't necessarily get play with worn hub bearings. You will get a whirling noise when driving which increases when you turn away from the bad bearing (bad drivers side will make more noise when turning right and vice versa) and quiets when turning into the bad bearing.

Another option for removing the spindle nut is to stick a screw driver through the hole in the caliper into the rotor vanes. The rotor will lock when you crank the spindle nut. Due to the clearance, I have never been able to get a socket and torque wrench on the hub bolts to tighten to spec. I do my best at the "pull until it hurts" with a close end wrench to get as close to 133 ft-lbs.

Bugmasta · February 22, 2011

Been reading the forums on the replacement of the front hub bearing assembly. Took all the bolts off but can't seem to get the hub asembly itself to pull out. Anyone have any advice on what it takes to pull this sucker out? If I can't get it off myself, gonna have to put everything back together and drive it to a repair shop. Trying to avoid that. So, let me hear your creative tricks on this. Thanks.

I'm sure you're done with this job by now, but others may benefit. I've done this job twice in the past year (once each side) and had a hell of a time getting the hub assemblies out too. After beating on the hubs with a sledge hammer for several hours I decided to get an air hammer and drive the chisel end between the knuckle and the hub assembly to pop it out. Of course you need to be careful to do any damage you're going to do to the hub assembly and spare the knuckle. With the air hammer I was able to remove the hub assembly in about 5 minutes once everything was unbolted. You can get a decent air hammer for less than $30. Well worth the money.

grizzlyrafting · February 23, 2011

Gone through 3 hub bearings already and my truck only has 67,000km.. The guys at my local GM shop tell me they do front hub bearings all day long on all GM trucks across the board.. They don't last at all.. It's a good thing all were warranty covered.. yikes.. a hub with built-in ABS sensor isn't cheap, especially the OEM ones...

tobinstetson · March 9, 2011

I did my passenger side last summer at about 110km and this past week I've had a terrible noise develop in what sounds like my driver side front end. I assume I'll be getting my driver side wheel bearing replaced this weekend, 143 km.

RaddHazzard · March 9, 2011

My passenger side went out about a year ago. At about 40k miles. Took it to the dealer and they said it was the bearing. Got bent over for over 700 dollars on that one. I will certainly do the next one myself. It could take all week and it would still be worth it to do myself.

333 Mobile · May 17, 2011

Yes this is a problem with GM trucks!

GM is keeping Hush-Hush on it. My 2006 GMC Sierra Crew Z71 4X4 has been thru 2 hubs both

right and left! The ABS kicks out and lights and bells start going off but you already know there

is a serious issue because the vehicle starts makinf noise and under braking control gets sketchy!

The GM part at the dealer is over $400.00 the aftermarket replacement is only $200 but if it fails under

warranty there is no provision for labor, only a new part! I had a talk with the dealership manager explaining

the situation and how unhappy I was. That netted me free labor and I had to pay for two new hubs-aftermarket

of course. I think there is a design flaw in the spindle, hub or bearings or possibly the entire assembly is not correct.

GM should realize they are going to piss off alot of future customers if this problem persists. These customers may

not be FUTURE customers if this is how we are treated and the quality of the product is this bad.

Toadz · May 19, 2011

Does the entire hub need to be replaced or is the bearing replaceable? Also, what is the best brand to go with for longetivy and cost?

alvocado · May 20, 2011

The bearings are not serviceable and are sealed hub assemblies. I went with Timken which I verified directly with the manufacter is made in the USA. The local auto parts shop I bought from offers a lifetime warranty on the part and it ran about $150. A lot of the parts chains sell hubs made in China or Korea.

jsoden · May 21, 2011

I have a 2000 Sierra 1500 z71 and just did mine. It was MUCH easier than I thought. Go into Youtube and type GMC hub assembly. A1 auto has step by step instruction video on how to do it. You're going to need a 36mm socket to get the axle nut off. The trick is to loosen it BEFORE you raise it up, or you'll never get it off by hand. Once it's loosened, raise the truck and take off the tire. Remove your ABS sensor line. It runs just inside the fender shroud. Remove all hardware/clips with it. New ones come with your replacement hub. Spray your two caliper bolts and your three hub bolts with penetrating oil. It helps. Remove the two bolts holding the Caliper in place and remove the caliper from the rotor. SECURE THE CALIPER so that it doesn't fall and damage the brake line. (quick trick. Make sure the 4 wheel is locked in before trying to remove the axle nut and the rest) Once the Caliper is secure, remove the rotor. Now you can see your hub assembly. Loosen the three bolts on the BACK of the assembly. I had to loosen the top one last and actually leave the socket on it because I didn't have enough clearance to remove it completely. Once all the bolts are loosened, try giving it a pull. Chances are that won't do anything, but it doesn't hurt to try. (note: DO NOT NOT NOT NOT hit your axle end with anything, or you will break your CV joint!) A trick I learned is to use a chisel and hammer and tap around the assembly where it meets the receiver. If you do this, do not gouge your receiver, or you won't get a good seal. I used a 3 lb hand sledge and struck the flat part of the back of the assembly after this. This can take a lot of pounding to get off. I was lucky and it only took about 10 minutes. Alternate sides as you pound on it so it comes out evenly. You'll start to see a gap form as you pound. Once it comes out, remove the metal protective plate (but remember how it goes back on),clean out the receiver with a wire brush to remove any surface rust. Once it's cleaned, you can put the new one in. If it's like mine, the rubber ring will desentegrate as you remove the old one. Since I couldn't find a replacement, I used some high temp silicone gasket maker and left a good bead around the groove of the new one where it fit into the receiver. Reattach the plate, Slide it in and allign it with the bolts. Snug the bolts on evenly and then tighten to spec. Then it's all a matter of putting everything back together. Put the rotor and caliper back on. Make sure you turn your caliper back before trying to put it back on. Lots easier. Then put the tire back on and tighten it down. I lowered the truck Slightly to put the axle nut back on. Spec sheet in the hub assembly said to torque to 144 foot pounds. Did this and then put the dust cap back on. Done deal! Sounds like a lot, but I've done it in my truck and my brother's car with no problems whatsoever. The videos really helped me. Hope this helps.

jsoden · May 21, 2011

I have a 2000 Sierra 1500 z71 and just did mine. It was MUCH easier than I thought. Go into Youtube and type GMC hub assembly. A1 auto has step by step instruction video on how to do it. You're going to need a 36mm socket to get the axle nut off. The trick is to loosen it BEFORE you raise it up, or you'll never get it off by hand. Once it's loosened, raise the truck and take off the tire. Remove your ABS sensor line. It runs just inside the fender shroud. Remove all hardware/clips with it. New ones come with your replacement hub. Spray your two caliper bolts and your three hub bolts with penetrating oil. It helps. Remove the two bolts holding the Caliper in place and remove the caliper from the rotor. SECURE THE CALIPER so that it doesn't fall and damage the brake line. (quick trick. Make sure the 4 wheel is locked in before trying to remove the axle nut and the rest) Once the Caliper is secure, remove the rotor. Now you can see your hub assembly. Loosen the three bolts on the BACK of the assembly. I had to loosen the top one last and actually leave the socket on it because I didn't have enough clearance to remove it completely. Once all the bolts are loosened, try giving it a pull. Chances are that won't do anything, but it doesn't hurt to try. (note: DO NOT NOT NOT NOT hit your axle end with anything, or you will break your CV joint!) A trick I learned is to use a chisel and hammer and tap around the assembly where it meets the receiver. If you do this, do not gouge your receiver, or you won't get a good seal. I used a 3 lb hand sledge and struck the flat part of the back of the assembly after this. This can take a lot of pounding to get off. I was lucky and it only took about 10 minutes. Alternate sides as you pound on it so it comes out evenly. You'll start to see a gap form as you pound. Once it comes out, remove the metal protective plate (but remember how it goes back on),clean out the receiver with a wire brush to remove any surface rust. Once it's cleaned, you can put the new one in. If it's like mine, the rubber ring will desentegrate as you remove the old one. Since I couldn't find a replacement, I used some high temp silicone gasket maker and left a good bead around the groove of the new one where it fit into the receiver. Reattach the plate, Slide it in and allign it with the bolts. Snug the bolts on evenly and then tighten to spec. Then it's all a matter of putting everything back together. Put the rotor and caliper back on. Make sure you turn your caliper back before trying to put it back on. Lots easier. Then put the tire back on and tighten it down. I lowered the truck Slightly to put the axle nut back on. Spec sheet in the hub assembly said to torque to 144 foot pounds. Did this and then put the dust cap back on. Done deal! Sounds like a lot, but I've done it in my truck and my brother's car with no problems whatsoever. The videos really helped me. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah. Don't forget to reconnect your ABS sensor BEFORE putting the tire back on! (forgot that part).

Georgebaumann · May 21, 2011

Yah i replaced both my hub assemblies and on my first one i stripped out the bolt and had to wait 4 days to get the bolt in. next thing on my list to do is cv axles and brakes than hopefully (knock on wood) nothing else for a while.

jbeckett25 · July 31, 2011

I just did mine. Left the brakes on and had a freind hold the pedle. Broke everything loose, then removed the brakes could not have been easyer.

Toadz · November 26, 2011

Replaced both my hub assemblies a couple weeks ago and my ABS light won't turn off. The reason the light was on was because I had pulled the ABS fuse while I waited for the hubs to come in (almost went through the garage door a few times from the ABS kicking in). After putting the new hubs and sensors in, I reinstalled the fuse. I even disconnected the battery to reset the computer and the light is still on. Any ideas? Fuse looks fine and the sensors are plugged in.