Can someone school me on wheel bearings?

[weever82]

I am replacing my first pair of rear drums/shoes on my 69 2wd and curious about the wheel bearings.... How can I tell if they are bad? Should I be greasing them? Easy to replace?

I know nothing about them and would love some input. Thanks for your time.

Weev-
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[GMCJOE]

They are easy. Pull the cap of the hub, pull the cotter pin and remove the nut. Behind the first nut is the outer bearing, when you pull the wheel hub off the second is on the back. Check the bearings out, if there is no slop or excessive wear just grease them up and put them back in. They don't cost all that much, so if you just want to replace them with new. Go a head.

[custom1970]

The rear bearings are inside the rear axle, ie the axle bearings. Just check the gear lube lever in the rear end, maybe change it if it's never been done. Your front bearings however are a completely different and should be cleaned and re-packed every few years and at least checked every year.

[GMCJOE]

custom1970 is correct. I read over you REAR statement. Have to read a little more careful next time.

[camrycurt]

Subscribed.

I need to do this too and have never done it before. I'll be watching this thread for tips.

[custom1970]

What tips do you need? The bearings (front) are easy, the drum brakes can get a little tricky. Just make sure you buy a old drum brake tool/pliers and only do one side at a time so you can see how everything goes back together.

[camrycurt]

Well, I don't want to step all over weever's thread, but I think this is all related information so I hope he doesn't mind.

So the rear bearings are lubricated by the gear oil in the rear differential - there is no user maintenance required besides keeping the gear oil filled?

And on the front bearings, when you say to inspect, clean, and repack them, how do you know if they're excessively worn? And how do I repack them with grease? And what kind of grease should I use?

Appologies to weever82, and thanks to everyone for the help.

[weever82]

No worries Curt! That's how we learn.

So the rear axles have to come out to replace the bearings? Maybe I will replace/fill my gear oil to be on the safe side as well.
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[truckster]

The easiest way to determine the condition of your bearings is sound. Of course, with the brake drums on, you hear the sound of the shoes dragging on the drum, so the time to check is once you pull the drums off. You should be able to turn the axles by hand and they should turn relatively smoothly without much noise. If they feel rough or sound gritty, it's probably time to replace the bearings.

While you've got the drums off, take a look at the seals. After 40+ years, they might be leaking. Also look for leaking from the wheel cylinders, which is the other source of moisture/grime/slime inside the drum.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by weever82

No worries Curt! That's how we learn.

So the rear axles have to come out to replace the bearings? Maybe I will replace/fill my gear oil to be on the safe side as well.
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The rear axles have to come out to replace the bearings and the seals. They are c-clip axles, so you have to partially disassemble the rear end to get them out. Basically, there's a rod that goes through the spider gears to hold the axles in place. A threaded pin with a 1/2 head holds the rod in. Remove the pin and slide the rod out - be careful not to lose the shims inside the spider gears. Once the rod is out, push in slightly on the outside of the axle and rotate it until the c-clip falls off. Slide out the axle and you now have access to the seal and bearing.

[GMCJOE]

Rear axles have to come out to check them.

[weever82]

Originally Posted by truckster

The rear axles have to come out to replace the bearings and the seals. They are c-clip axles, so you have to partially disassemble the rear end to get them out. Basically, there's a rod that goes through the spider gears to hold the axles in place. A threaded pin with a 1/2 head holds the rod in. Remove the pin and slide the rod out - be careful not to lose the shims inside the spider gears. Once the rod is out, push in slightly on the outside of the axle and rotate it until the c-clip falls off. Slide out the axle and you now have access to the seal and bearing.

Perfect, thank you for that explanation.

Weev-
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[truckster]

Originally Posted by camrycurt

Well, I don't want to step all over weever's thread, but I think this is all related information so I hope he doesn't mind.

So the rear bearings are lubricated by the gear oil in the rear differential - there is no user maintenance required besides keeping the gear oil filled?

And on the front bearings, when you say to inspect, clean, and repack them, how do you know if they're excessively worn? And how do I repack them with grease? And what kind of grease should I use?

Appologies to weever82, and thanks to everyone for the help.

As far as inspecting the bearings, look for scoring on the races, heat discoloration, or galling. They should turn smoothly with very little noise. Use bearing grease. You can pack them by hand - put a little grease in the palm of your hand, and force the edge of the bearing over the grease. Repeat until you see the grease squeeze out between the rollers. You can also buy a bearing packer - I think Harbor Freight has them. It's basically a little press that forces the grease between the rollers.

[AirSpeed]

I just replaced the rear bearings in mine. I had to do the seals as they were leaking into my brakes. It's a fairly easy job, not as intimidating as it sounds. While my axles were out I noticed the wear surface for the bearings which is the axle itself, were worn. Instead of replacing the axles I used "repair bearings", they move the bearings in a little to wear on a fresh section of the axles. I ended up with two different types of bearings, one was sealed and the other lubed by the gear oil. They both worked perfect. Just make sure you have the rear on jack stands and make sure you have a bearing puller or slide hammer to get the old bearings out. I couldn't find anything in my shop the same size as the new bearings to press them in until I noticed the front wheels on my floor jack looked perfect so I popped on off and used it to seat the new bearings.
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