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Removal & InstallationFrontTo Remove:
The front wheel bearings are not serviced separately. If the front wheel bearings are defective, the hub and bearing assembly must be replaced.
Before servicing the vehicle, refer to the precautions in the beginning of this section.
Lubricate the threads on the halfshaft with clean engine oil.
Remove or disconnect the following:
Front wheels
Halfshaft hub nut
Caliper from the steering knuckle
WARNING DO NOT allow the brake hose to support the weight of the caliper.
Brake rotor
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) sensor from the backing plate
Hub and bearing assembly from the backing plate
Hub and bearing assembly from the halfshaft
Hub and bearing assembly
To Install:
Exploded view of the front hub mounting and related components
Install or connect the following:
Hub and bearing assembly onto the halfshaft
Hub and bearing assembly to the backing plate. Torque the 3 bolts alternately and evenly to 70 ft. lbs. (95 Nm).
ABS sensor
Brake rotor
Caliper on the steering knuckle.
Halfshaft nut. Torque it to 118 ft. lbs. (160 Nm).
Front wheel. Torque the nuts to 100 ft. lbs. (140 Nm).
The bearings in your car are pressed into a hub. If the part is available as an assembly, it can be replaced that way. Generally on a front drive car: Remove wheels and brake calipers If it is pressed in: remove the rotors, disconnect the drive shafts and remove the steering knuckle. Then the old bearing is pressed out and the new one pressed in with a machine shop press. If the bearing is part of the hub, that will be unbolted and the new one swapped.
On a scale of 1-10 difficulty, Id rate it a strong 7
The brake rotor needs to be removed, drive shaft nut in center of hub then 3 bolts hold the hub assembly to spindle from back side. if it has abs unplug it then some work will need to be done with a hammer and chisel to work the bearing out of spindle and axle shaft from bearing
Remove the wheel, remove the hub nut, remove the brake caliper and rotor, put your socket and extension through the hub flange onto the bearing retainer bolts, undo them, release the abs sensor connector if it has it, remove the bearing and hub flange as an assembly, put the new one on and go backwards from here. Torque the hub nut to 180 ft/lbs, your done.
Remove the wheel. Remove the ABS speed sensor if so equipped.
Unclamp the brake hose from the shock absorber, but do not disconnect the line.
Remove the brake caliper and hang it out of the way on a piece of stiff wire. Do not disconnect the brake line; do not allow the caliper to hang by the hose.
Remove the brake disc.
Place a dial indicator near the center of the axle hub, and check the backlash in the bearing shaft direction. Maximum is 0.0020 inch (0.05mm). If the backlash exceeds the maximum, replace the bearing.
Usiung a dial; indicator, check the deviation at the surface of the axle hub outside the hub bolt. Maximum is 0.0028 inch (0.07mm). If the deviation exceeds the maximum, replace the axle hub.
Install the disc and caliper. Tighten to 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm).
Remove the cotter pin and install the wheel. Lower the vehicle to the ground.
Remove the lock nut cap. While depressing the brake pedal, remove the center axle nut.
Raise and support the vehicle again and remove the wheel, caliper and disc.
Loosen the 2 nuts on the lower side of the shock absorber. Do not remove the 2 nuts and bolts.
Remove the cotter pin and nut from the tie rod end.
Remove the tie rod end from the knuckle using a joint separator or equivalent.
Remove the bolt and 2 nuts holding the bottom of the ball joint to the control arm and separate the arm from the knuckle.
Remove the 2 nuts from the steering knuckle. Place a protective cover or shield over the CV boot on the driveshaft.
Using a plastic mallet, tap the driveshaft free of the hub assembly.
Remove the bolts and remove the axle hub assembly.
Clamp the knuckle in a vise with protected jaws.
Remove the dust deflector. Loosen the nut holding the ball joint to the knuckle. Use a ball joint separator tool or equivalent to loosen and remove the joint
Use a slide hammer/extractor to remove the outer oil seal.
Remove the snapring.
Using a hub puller and pilot tools or equivalents, pull the axle hub from the knuckle.
Remove the brake splash shield (3 bolts).
Use a split plate bearing remover, puller pilot and a shop press, remove the inner bearing race from the hub.
Remove the inner oil seal with the same tools used to remove the outer seal.
To install:
Place the inner race in the bearing. Support the knuckle and use an axle hub remover with a plastic mallet to drive out the bearing.
Clean and inspect all parts but do not wash or clean the wheel bearing; it cannot be repacked. If the bearing is damaged or noisy, it must be replaced.
Press a new bearing race into the steering knuckle using a bearing driver of the correct size.
Place a new bearing inner race on the hub bearing.
Insert the side lip of a new oil seal into the seal installer and drive the oil seal into the steering knuckle.
Apply multi-purpose grease to the oil seal lip.
Apply sealer to the brake splash shield and install the shield.
Use a hub installer to press the hub into the steering knuckle.
Install a new snapring into the hub.
Using a seal installer of the correct size, install a new outer oil seal into the steering knuckle.
Apply multi-purpose grease to the seal surfaces which will contact the driveshaft.
Support the knuckle and drive in a new dust deflector.
Install the ball joint into the knuckle and tighten the nut to 105 ft. lbs. (142). Install NEW cotter pin.
Temporarily install the hub assembly to the lower control arm and fit the driveaxle into the hub.
Install the knuckle to strut bolts, then attach the tie rod end to the knuckle.
Tighten the strut bracket nuts to 203 ft. lbs. (275 Nm) and tighten the tie rod end nut to 36 ft. lbs. (49 Nm). Install the NEW cotter pin.
Connect the ball joint to the lower control arm and tighten the nuts to 105 ft. lbs. (142 Nm).
Install the brake disc.
Attach the brake caliper to the knuckle and tighten the bolts to 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm).
Install the center nut and washer on the drive axle.
Install the ABS speed sensor if so equipped. Install the wheel
Lower the car to the ground.
Tighten the wheel nuts to 76 ft. lbs. (103 Nm). Tighten the hub nut while depressing the brake pedal to 137 ft. lbs. (186 Nm) on 1988-91 models and 152 ft. lbs. (206 Nm) on 1992-97 models. Install the cap and cotter pin.
Remove the protective cover from the CV boot. Check front wheel alignment
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It's most likely the left wheel bearing that's causing the noise, when turning to the right the weight of the car shifts to the left placing more load on the left wheel bearing and takes load off the right bearing.
This sounds very familra, the problem sounds like a bad wheel bearing, the hard part is locating the bad one, you will need to drive it and try to locate if its in the front or rear. the most common is the front, you can try and jack up the front of the car with both front wheels off the ground and grab each wheel top and bottom and see if there are loose when you try to move it, sometimes a bad wheel bearing wheel have looseness to it and sometimes not. if the wheel is not loose then the next step would be to run the front wheels in drive wheels off the ground and listen for the loud wheel and that will be the bad one, to replace it you will need to remove the wheel then the brake caliper and the rotor. next locate the three bolts in the rear and remove them, next remove the center axle nut on the front of the wheel for the axle. next unplug connector to abs if car has abs, next hammer hub off spindle, it may be frozen on so beat the top and bottom to free it, then remove it and install new one. heres a few diagram to help you out, hope this is helpful, good day.
I'm going to have to replace both front bearings on my 2000 Lesabre as well. Mind firing the diagram off to me as well? Thanks a million. [email protected]
Sounds like you need front wheel speed sensors. Replace the wheel bearings and sensors. May have an ABS unit fault, but more likely is both wheel bearings/speed sensors.
Best solution to your problem is going ot the junk yard asking them for a left front knuckle. They will charge you about the same price for all this stuff as the auto parts store will charge you for a wheel bearing. After you have this knuckle you will be able to take a few things off of it and be able to put it on with only remvoing like 3-5 bolts.
You say the rear wheel axles and bearings have been replaced, you mention nothing of the front wheels, you have the symptoms of a front wheel bearing being worn out, remove them and check for pitting in the bearing rollers or the bearing races, I am sure you will find a problem. Hope this helps solve your issue with the bearing noise.
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