| Re: Bearings [message #327820 is a reply to message #327803] |
Fri, 05 January 2018 14:29   |
77Royale
Messages: 461
Registered: June 2014
Location: Mid Michigan
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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If you dont know the maintenance history of the front bearings I would strongly encourage you to get the knuckles to one of the pros out there who know exactly what they are doing. Your in FL so you have a few options somewhat locally. When I first got my coach I was blessed to find Dave Lenzi close to me and even more blessed to find a fellow GMCer to help me remove the knuckles. For starters a 3/4 inch drive breaker bar and a 6 foot cheater pipe just to get the CV nuts loose... from there it was somewhat easier. You also need a large torque wrench.
Having the time I was fortunate to listen to Dave's explanation about the front bearings, GMs designs and what can happen over time. Long story short, if your bearings have wear or have not been properly maintained they can wallow the opening in the knuckle a bit. What this means is even if you put in new bearings and grease them correctly you may still have problems down the road. Dave addresses this with his rebuilds and you KNOW its correct. My knuckles, hubs, bearings and front rotors were all in bad shape.. Needless to say a full blown set of knuckles, hubs, bearings, seals, grease fittings, AND new front rotors all put together correctly, cost less than a tow bill from the side of the road. I got a great explanation of everything, beautiful parts, expert workmanship and peace of mind. Easily one of the best and safest upgrades to the coach. Again if you dont know for sure, I would encourage you to let a pro do that job on the fronts. If things fail there it gets bad very quickly.
As mentioned on the rear bearings, you need to follow the procedure to the letter in the manual. Keep all the bearings with their respective hubs, or just do one wheel at a time. They dont mix and match. If anything is scored, looks burned, etc. Replace both the bearing it's race. New bearings and old races dont mix. Id go with Synpower or Mobil 1 grease. Invest in a bearing grease packer as well as there are 8 bearings to do. If you dont know the condition of the rear brakes be prepared for a full break job including wheel cylinders, spring kit, shoes. The works. Bet on at least one or two brake fittings or bleeders to round off. You might as well tackle those when your doing the bearings. SKF brand seals are still from what I understand passing the test. A search on the forum will get you the part number and the procedure to test the seals for correctness. There was also a pretty recent posting about how far to drive the new seals in correctly.
Good Luck and keep at it. Learn as much as you can from others.
77 Royale, Rear Dry Bath. 403, 3.55 Final Drive, Lenzi goodies, Patterson carb and dizzy.
Mid Michigan
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