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Hey guys, so I broke out the old 92 rs out for the first time since winter. naturally on my way to work something in the front end failed. When driving, there is an aggressive thumping coming from the front right wheel. It sounds almost like a flat tire (but isn't). By grabbing the top and bottom of the wheel, i can wobble it back and forth pretty aggressively. It feels almost like the castle nut has backed itself off some how. Naturally, I'm 45 minutes away from my full tool set, but I am hoping to jerry rig it to get home for a real repair. Any one have any suggestions on what the problem my be or how i can pull off a temporary fix? Thanks guys
That is sure what it feels like. I was hoping to just repack it, and reset the castle nut and get home. Idk if that is even an option though. Unfortunately these bearings are less than 2 years old and only have about 20k miles on them
I had both front wheel bearings replaced and within 2 years both castle nuts were 4 to 5 threads loose. Replaced myself the second time. I think they didnt seat the bearings fully, hopefully you can just tighten it down to get it home.
I got cleared by my employer to store the old girl here as long as I need. Which means that I have plenty of time to find parts. In the event that I can't simply tighten the castle night and make it home, I want to make sure that I have all of the parts that I need on hand. I figure, why not upgrade while i'm at it right? (my rotors and pads are due for replacement too)
Anyone have any experience with these rotors/pads?
Stupid question, but could the lug nuts be loose? I just bought an audi(yesterday) guy said he thought wheel bearing was going, when I was driving it home had all the symptoms of that. 10 min from my house go to drive and the car goes no where and then thud. Look over my drivers wheel fell off turns out the lug nuts were loose. Just a thought
The cotter pin was installed properly, although the castle nut seemed to sit to deep on the shaft to be able to engage it. I think that the first bearing/race is not seat properly and is allowing the but to back off while driving. I checked the lugs when I pulled over on the highway, and they were snug. Does anyone know if triple A will tow the car to my house about 23 miles away?
Yep, but rotors and pads are easy, i did mine with bearings. Took maybe an hour in the driveway. I recommend a bearing packer, i just packed em by hand and that was the most time consuming part.
Last edited by bigreed91; Mar 16, 2015 at 09:31 AM.
As an update, the parts came and fit perfectly on the side that wasn't damaged. As it turns out, the spindle on the passenger side was trashed... The car is still stuck in Philadelphia. The spindle pegs got hot and fused the castle nut to the shaft naturally rendering it unusable. The question that I have now is whether or not just the peg can be removed or does the whole assembly need to be replaced? Where is a good place to buy oem spindles?
I called GM and they informed me that the part has been discontinued and that no comparable replacement existed. The representative recommended hitting a junkyard.
After replacing the spindle/steering knuckle assembly, I got the new pads and rotors in and they fit perfectly. Unfortunately I think the caliper may have gotten damaged during the incident so the brakes feel like they are dragging. It also feels like there is some binding in the steering. This may be due to a series of issues from worn everything. In the upcoming months I will be overhauling the front end.
Note that in '92 the bolts that hold the strut to the steering knuckle are torque to yield, one time use. So when getting the other parts to rebuild the front end also purchase 4 new bolts, washers, & nuts. Torque spec:
125 ft/lb
Followed by 120* turn (1/3'rd turn)
Final torque must exceed 148 ft/lb.
Thanks for the advice, I've got a new set of koni yellows, new strut mounts from founders, springs, bushings, spindle, and all new brakes. I might as well replace those too while i'm at it.
Just out of curiosity, can you please identify your source about the bolts being one time use? The internet was less than helpful. Also, where is the cheapest place to find bolts that meet the required grade specs?
They may have changed service directions for use of new bolts for 1992. That doesn't mean the bolts became one-time-use necessarily.
Common misconceptions include degree torque values (vs. lb-ft values) makes them a one-time use bolt. While some one-time-use bolts may have torque called out in degrees as a final tightening step, that doesn't automatically make bolts subject to degree torquing a one-time use bolt.
Also, OEM bolts with pre-applied thread locking compound may be indicated in service documents as one-time-use because the new bolts will have correctly applied thread-lock. That doesn't mean appropriate thread-lock can't be applied and the bolts re-used. Always inspect for thread damage and in something important like a chassis part, care in re-applying thread locking compound makes good sense.
From an OEM perspective, a strut job that calls for new bolts saves the tech time in re-applying thread-lock. It's about accounting, bean-counting, passing parts-cost onto the payor, and getting the tech onto the next job.
Flywheels became one-time use per the service directions update for the LS1 F-bodies. This was around 2000. Same PN, same flywheel, different accounting practices. They were able to be turned and meet min. thickness and work. That didn't change. But at a dealer, time is money and spending time machining parts is viewed as down-time and prevents a tech from moving onto the next job.
Don't jump on the internet bandwagon of one-time use bolts unless it saves you money, time, frustration, or it hugely makes sense (head bolts,) or other in-service advantages with regard to the work you're performing. In the aftermarket, third gen strut bolts are not subject to updated accounting practices.
can you please identify your source about the bolts being one time use?
'92 factory service manual and personal experience. The personal experience came first as I torqued them to the earlier spec of 185 ft/lbs, they started to stretch and break. Then I pulled the service manual off the shelf to see what I did wrong.
I actually got away with it the first R&R of the bolts, not so on the second attempt.
place to find bolts that meet the required grade specs?
Most likely need to come from GM. Although may be able to find them on eBay, or possibly Sphon carries them.
Thanks for the input guys. The original manual that I have does not seem to make mention of their replacement. However, these current bolts have seen a minimum of three removals and installations and are slightly rusty. I might as well do the job right the first time. Spohn does carry these bolts. It seems a shame that the koni's did not include them. Should I be applying some thread locker to these bolts? Wouldn't that make their future removal (in the event of additional front end work) more difficult?
