Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" (How To : Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26")
Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323814] |
Tue, 12 September 2017 18:07 |
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Dutch Marc
Messages: 101 Registered: March 2017 Location: Full TIme Nomad
Karma: 1
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Hello GMC members,
I have been enjoying my new GMC many days and miles now. With those miles comes maintenance ...
I'm trying to learn to do some basic maintenance myself. Since I have no full record of my '73 Mello Yello GMC. I want to make sure that I can prevent any bigger repairs if possible by doing maintance myself and start keeping track of miles / dates when these are done.
Next on the list is Repacking rear axe bearing & front Axle bearings. Miguell from MGM GMC, will help me / show me how to repack the front bearings/
My Questions ... Is there a website or document / youtube movie where I can find out more info about the steps and tools required for this job.
I will start with the back, since these seems to be the easiest and than start on the front and bring them to the MGM GMC shop ..
Any help is really appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Dutch Marc
1973 26' Canyon Land (Mello Yello) (TZE063v101302)
Full Time GMC Nomad ('98 NL 2 USA)
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Re: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323820 is a reply to message #323814] |
Tue, 12 September 2017 20:21 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912 Registered: July 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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Marc,
Here's a link to a video of Ken Thoma working on the front bearings.
http://gmcwsproducts.blogspot.com/2006/06/ken-thoma-video.html
Regards,
Rob M.
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
USA '77 Kingsley - TZE 267V100808
-----Original Message-----
From: Gmclist [mailto:gmclist-bounces@list.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Dutch Marc
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2017 6:08 PM
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26"
Hello GMC members,
I have been enjoying my new GMC many days and miles now. With those miles comes maintenance ...
I'm trying to learn to do some basic maintenance myself. Since I have no full record of my '73 Mello Yello GMC. I want to make sure
that I can prevent any bigger repairs if possible by doing maintance myself and start keeping track of miles / dates when these are
done.
Next on the list is Repacking rear axe bearing & front Axle bearings. Miguell from MGM GMC, will help me / show me how to repack the
front bearings/
My Questions ... Is there a website or document / youtube movie where I can find out more info about the steps and tools required
for this job.
I will start with the back, since these seems to be the easiest and than start on the front and bring them to the MGM GMC shop ..
Any help is really appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Dutch Marc
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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Re: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323828 is a reply to message #323820] |
Wed, 13 September 2017 08:43 |
77Royale
Messages: 461 Registered: June 2014 Location: Mid Michigan
Karma: 6
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The Rear Bearings can be removed with basic hand tools. If you dont know the condition of anything back there right now as far as service, other than it seems to work, you may want to strongly consider replacing some parts as to get to the bearings, you are giving yourself good access to inspect / replace other parts..
If you have the maintenance manual, that has a solid write up on how to go about it, and provides the torque specs for the rear castle nut. THAT IS CRITICAL to set the load on the bearings before you put the cotter pin in it. Its been documented in several threads on this board, and also in the manual, You really do need to follow that to the letter. and you need a torque wrench and socket that fits the rear castle nut. No way around that. The manuals can be downloaded on Bdubs site if you dont have the book.
To get at the inner bearings once the hub and drum are removed, you do need to remove the seal. Either with a seal puller tool, or some other method. Some have reused the seals if they are in good shape. I have not, and replaced them. The correct seal is an SKF 21771 and it needs to have proper clearance. Others have sourced different rear seals and they were not correct even though the parts crossed over.. You probably have a better chance of getting the proper seals by using the SKF brand. Napa has them.
So pull out the bearings and clean all the old grease off them as well as the races they ride in. Clean them good, but stay away from brake cleaner or any solvent to help in that cleaning job. It sometimes is impossible to get all the cleaner dried and out and you want grease in there. After a good cleaning, inspect the bearings and races for scoring, burn marks, pits, etc. These must be smooth. If you have any question or concern at all with the condition of either the bearing or race replace them both. I would not put a new bearing on an old race and vice versa. The are a matched set at this point, and that also means, DO NOT mix up bearings from the mid wheel with bearings from the rear. They all need to stay together.
Once you have the bearings and races clean and you are satisfied, you need to repack the bearings with grease. As your going to be doing 8 bearings I would buy a bearing packer tool for a few bucks if you dont have one. It will make your life easier and less messy. Folks here have used Valvoline SynPower or Mobil 1 synthetic or Caterpillar brand. No opinion on which is better or why. but I would use one of those. The synpower is grey in color, the Mobil 1 is bright red. The color in the Mobil at least helps you to confirm that new fresh grease is in there and the old black/brown grease is out. After all thats what your doing the job for anyway. Obviously you need a grease gun as well if you have a bearing packer and there are a million other zirk fittings that need fresh grease on the coach. Get a good grease gun, you will be using it.
Reassemble to the letter in the manual and your on your way.
BUT, While your in there. What is the condition of the rubber T brake hose on the back? If its original, it should be replaced. If its old, brittle, it should be replaced. Both sides. While your at it, same for the wheel cylinders are they super old, leaky etc. Replace those while your right there and you have good access to everything and everything is clean. While your at it. What do the brake shoes look like? You get the idea, replace them if they are worn as your right there to do it.
In a perfect world servicing the rear bearings is a few hour job, 30 bucks for 4 new seals, some good grease and peace of mind that you know they are good for a while. The reality is if you dont know the history of the service on stuff, you may wish to take the route of base lining those items with new parts and document it, so you have a much faster and less expensive service down the road.
Murphys law will bite, when you repack all the bearings, get everything set, a week later you find a leaky wheel cylinder, or something else wrong. Better to do it all in your shop/driveway, than on the side of the road. Dont get frustrated, early on in your ownership you may find that every 30 minute and 30 dollar job turns into several days and several hundred dollars, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You have already been enjoying to coach so that is a bonus.
77 Royale, Rear Dry Bath. 403, 3.55 Final Drive, Lenzi goodies, Patterson carb and dizzy.
Mid Michigan
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Re: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323834 is a reply to message #323828] |
Wed, 13 September 2017 10:04 |
Richard Denney
Messages: 920 Registered: April 2010
Karma: 9
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If you know this already, don't be offended by my emphasis.
The important thing to remember about those rear castle nuts, and this
mistake has caused a world of damage, is that tightening the nut to spec is
only for the purpose of SEATING the bearing. You tighten as you turn the
wheel drum to make sure the bearing is fully seated--it will be when the
drum turns evenly even though the nut is tight. Then you LOOSEN the nut a
half turn and then tighten to finger-tight to adjust the bearing and to
line up a hole for the cotter pin. The hub should spin freely with only
seal drag (or brake-shoe drag for part of the rotation--brake shoes barely
touching.
The common error is to tighten that nut to 25-30 ft-lbs like the manual
says, and then cotter it in place. That is TOO TIGHT, and the bearing will
overheat and burn up. I've seen hubs that were melted because of that. The
tightening is just to seat the bearing, then you LOOSEN and then
finger-tighten to adjust.
I confess I've never done my rear wheel bearings, though the above
procedure is standard for all spindle-mounted wheels, and only the front
bearings on a GMC require special tools and techniques. I have
documentation showing that the rear brakes and wheel bearings (plus one
drum) were replaced before I bought my coach, which though that was 15
years ago, was only 25,000 miles ago. When I lift the wheels, there is no
play and they rotate smoothly even when the wheel is removed (the mass of
the wheel and tire can make rough seem smooth). The brake lines are still
in visibly good condition, the bleeders are not corroded, and the brakes
are all in adjustment (meaning: the adjusters work). Next year, I am
planning a disk-brake and reaction-rod conversion, and doing that will
replace everything anyway, so I'm good for now. Check your documentation
and look at the condition of things in the back before assuming that you
have to take it all apart. The old saying is that if you didn't do it
yourself, it wasn't done, but you can spend a year doing stuff if you take
that statement too seriously. If you can find documentation and if you can
do an informed inspection, you can prioritize your efforts without undue
risk. If the brake lines show cracks, and the bleeders are rusted in place,
do it all--bearings and brakes on the rear. Then you won't have to do it
again for a long time.
The front bearings are another matter. They will not show much in the way
of symptoms when they have failed, and the only way to check them is to
disassemble them. I had a front bearing that was spun (there wasn't any
documentation that the front bearings were done, and unlike the rear, the
front brakes can be done without disassembling the bearing). I discovered
this because I had removed a half-shaft and the caliper, and when I pulled
the caliper off, the hub fell off. That's not supposed to happen! The
half-shaft stub axle and caliper were holding it all together. The outer
bearing had spun in the knuckle. There was no external evidence of this
fault.
Rick "not retired and still working in stages after 15 years of ownership"
Denney
On Wed, Sep 13, 2017 at 9:43 AM, Wayne Rogewski wrote:
> ...
> If you have the maintenance manual, that has a solid write up on how to go
> about it, and provides the torque specs for the rear castle nut. THAT IS
> CRITICAL to set the load on the bearings before you put the cotter pin in
> it. Its been documented in several threads on this board, and also in the
> manual, You really do need to follow that to the letter. and you need a
> torque wrench and socket that fits the rear castle nut. No way around that.
> The manuals can be downloaded on Bdubs site if you dont have the book.
>
>
>
--
'73 X-Glacier 230 "Jaws"
Northern Virginia
Offlist email: rick at rickdenney dot com
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Re: Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323842 is a reply to message #323814] |
Wed, 13 September 2017 12:24 |
JohnL455
Messages: 4447 Registered: October 2006 Location: Woodstock, IL
Karma: 12
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Very important also 1)when you loosen the nut prior to finger snugging, do not disturb the rotating assembly
2) you must have an understanding of the 2 sets of alternating pin holes in the spindle, and how they provide 50% finer resolution than that of the castleations by alternating between holes. If no holes line up you LOOSEN to the next available hole checking all permutations.
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
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Re: Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323852 is a reply to message #323814] |
Wed, 13 September 2017 18:03 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412 Registered: May 2011 Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Forgetting to loosen after tiorqueing the bolt - leaving it tight by accident - will result in failure of the bearing and then the spindle, causing the wheel to fall off. Better loose than tight. Ask me how I know this...
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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Re: Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323878 is a reply to message #323814] |
Thu, 14 September 2017 16:55 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412 Registered: May 2011 Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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The wheel passed me on the way home from Bean Station a couple years ago. On Sunday afternoon in traffic on I 75 South. Took half an hour to get a break in traffic to recover the wheel from the median. Took most of a GMC Unit to get the thing towed and repaired.
--johnny
n.b. One MCUnit = $1,000
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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Re: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323965 is a reply to message #323963] |
Sun, 17 September 2017 21:12 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726 Registered: March 2004 Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Dutch,
Maybe you'll find this link to work better than I found the one Aaron
provided with my name in it (even I couldn't get anything out of it):
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/gmcnet-
archive/Rear$20seal$20seating%7Csort:relevance/gmcnet-archive/k3z-kRyShqc/
sCs2t4OkB9AJ
or
https://goo.gl/hB2jUr
Ken H.
On Sun, Sep 17, 2017 at 9:38 PM, Aaron Bush wrote:
> Hi Dutch,
>
> Sorry I don't have any links to videos or write-ups with pic's. I don't
> think the rear wheel bearings on our coaches are unusual, so there are
> probably lots of wheel bearing packing videos that would give you the gist
> of it.
>
> My friend just did his, and helped me do mine, one of the most challanging
> parts was getting the correct rear seals. Same part # will get you at least
> 2 different seals, that applies to multiple (and maybe all) brands.
>
> Here's a good thread on that
>
> https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!searchin/gmcnet-archive/
> Rear$20seal$20seating$20ken$20Henderson/gmcnet-archive/QPUe9FsqsGM
>
> Talked to Dave Linzi today, turns out he make a driver to seat the rear
> seal correctly - I wish I would have had it and if I do it again I will.
>
> The driver isn't listed on this page but his contact info. Is.
>
> http://www.bdub.net/lenzi/index.html
>
> Good luck!
>
> Aaron
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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Re: Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323988 is a reply to message #323814] |
Mon, 18 September 2017 15:15 |
Aaron
Messages: 21 Registered: February 2017 Location: Oklahoma
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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I don't know why google group redirects those links, but you can search for the thread title "NAPA SKF-21771 rear bearing seal fails the 0.25" test" on the forum or gmcnet archive and find it.
Ken, I included your name in the search because I remembered you posting the diagram that showed the correct seal depth.
Cheers,
78 Royale, rear dinette
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Re: [GMCnet] Newby Question - Repack Rear Wheel Bearing - '73 - 26" [message #323989 is a reply to message #323988] |
Mon, 18 September 2017 15:19 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726 Registered: March 2004 Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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I find the easiest way is to do a Google Search for "GMCNet Archive", then
enter my search term in the blank there.
Ken H.
On Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 4:15 PM, Aaron Bush wrote:
> I don't know why google group redirects those links, but you can search
> for the thread title "NAPA SKF-21771 rear bearing seal fails the 0.25" test"
> on the forum or gmcnet archive and find it.
>
>
> Ken, I included your name in the search because I remembered you posting
> the diagram that showed the correct seal depth.
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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