I'm wondering what I should use when packing my bearings. My Left Rear apears the make a clacking sound when I go over speed bumps at even the lowest speed. Sounds like somethings loose down there. Only things I can think of are breaks(which are fine) and the bearing. Any suggestions?

 

go to Pep boys and pick up a jar of heavy duty grease... wash the bearing very well, and everything in there... smudge the grease -into- the bearing by placing the bearing in you hand flat and pushing the grease into it... make sure it's good and packed... then put it back in... check in a few days and see if it's needs more grease...

Some people like to use sythetic grease, I just use the blackest goopiest stuff I can find...

 

heh. thanks.. ill look into both synthetic.. and some of that black sludge you speak of

 

what kind of tools would i need to perform this?

 

The rear end of your car uses a Torrington roller bearing on each end. They are lubricated by the oil from the ring gear and pinion. It is unnecessary to grease them. If you put a new one on, pour some rear gear oil on the rollers before assembly. Just a light coating of grease on the rollers will accomplish the same thing. I seriously doubt that you have a bearing problem, but you just might. Take the axle shaft out and look for blue spots or other evidence of heat damage. It should look polished and round, with no pitting or galling. Look at the rollers in the bearing... They should be clean, round, and smooth. If that is the case, then you don't need to change the bearing. I should know... I am an engineer with the Torrington company, and we manufacture bearings, ball, roller, and needle types!

They can go bad, though, especially if you run the rear end low on oil for a long time. I would also change both of the rear end seals while I was doing this, since they would be easy to change while you have the axle shaft out.

I hope that you find your problem, but I would be inclined to look for something else rattling around. It could be the bearings, but if it is, you will have to replace the axle shaft too. Not trying to be a know-it-all, just trying to help you look in the right spot for the problem. Good luck with it.

Also, you will need a puller to remove the bearing from the axle tube if it needs to be replaced. If you have to replace the axle shaft, go get a new one, too. It is more expensive, but I have pulled ones out of the junkyard that were bent and would leak. The brakes didn't work too well for me when that happened!

 

I'm thinking disk axles... or at least front ones, I wasn't aware the bearings were different... I just ASSumed.

 

I actually built my own puller for removing the rear wheel bearings. I changed the ones on the 3.73/posi/disc axle before I swapped it in. What I did was this... damn, I wish I had a picture...

I bought a length of home depot threaded rod, I guess 3 feet long? 1 foot? Can't remember, doesn't matter. I bought some nuts to go on the threaded rod. I bought a piece of gas piping whose inside diameter was "just big enough" to let me slide the threaded rod though, the piece of piping was only 6 inches long. Total # of nuts was 6; used 3, bought 3 extras. I bought 6 of the largest washers that Home Depot had. These washers were so large, the nut passed thru the center. So I bought 4 of the next-smaller washers, which didn't have such a large center hole. The threaded rod could go thru the center, but the nut couldn't.

I cut two sides off two of the largest washers. This turned them from a perfectly round shape into a rectangle. (I left the top and bottom sides alone.) I cut the same off the smaller washers.

Then I assembled the puller. I put a nut on one end of the threaded rod. I slid a small washer, two large uncut washers, and another small washer onto the rod. Then I put another nut onto the rod, locking the washers in place at the very end of the rod. Then I slid the gas piping over the rod, and used another nut to lock that into place. I took a 10 pound plate from my weight set, and slid that onto the rod. Then I put the two large cut washers onto the rod, followed by two small washers, followed by another nut. This last nut stayed at the opposite side of the threaded rod. You got it; a homemade slide puller for $8.

Worked good! The cut washers "tilt" and slide inside the wheel bearing; then you just slam the weight backwards to pop 'em out. Tip; bring a new bearing to home depot to make sure their largest washers fit AGAINST the outside of the bearing, and not fall through the middle.

 

Also... DON'T drive in the new bearing with a hammer! Get a short piece of 2x4 and put that against the bearing. Then use medium blows with the hammer against the 2x4 to drive it in. The wood will soften the shock and even out the pressure. If you damage the cup, which acts as the outer race and also keeps the rollers in line, then your bearing isn't going to last very long at all.

I would still look at things like... A loose exhaust mount, a coil spring moving around, the gas tank loose, the spare tire rattling, loose or worn out shocks, worn out control arm bushings, or something like that for your rattling problem. I haven't seen bearings worn bad enough to rattle that didn't have other major problems that were obvious: heat, leaking seals, etc... That is just my observation, though, so do what you think needs to be done.