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Rear Wheel Bearings

9K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  R6Biker 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

So lately my car has been shaking more around 50+ mph, The sound comes from the right back passenger wheel and makes the whole wheel shake. including my passenger seat... At first i thought it was my bent wheel which really was bent so i replaced the wheel. I notice when i jack the car up and rock the wheel from 12 to 6 oclock there is play on that side. The bent wheel replacement helped a little but only perhaps 10%.

So this is wheel bearing issue?

could someone tell me best approach to this?

I read this is a real pain to fix but wanted to confirm.
SUXS...
 
#2 ·
It's possible that when you bent the wheel that you also bent the axle.
Did you have the new "wheel and tire" balanced?
 
#4 ·
Jack up that side of the car, spin the wheel and see if it spins true or wobbles.
If it wobbles the axle shaft is most likely bent.
It's no that hard to bend an axle shaft.

Bearings usually make a roaring / rumbling noise when bad.
What do you mean "rock the wheel" from 12 to 6 oclock?
Do you mean rotate from 12 to 6.
 
#5 ·
NavyVet said:
Jack up that side of the car, spin the wheel and see if it spins true or wobbles.
If it wobbles the axle shaft is most likely bent.
It's no that hard to bend an axle shaft.

Bearings usually make a roaring / rumbling noise when bad.
What do you mean "rock the wheel" from 12 to 6 oclock?
Do you mean rotate from 12 to 6.
He means like when your checking the front end. Push at the 12 then push at the 6.
 
#7 ·
Define play.
Does the axle move in and out or up and down.

Did you jack it up and spin the wheel to see if it wobbles when turning.
 
#10 · (Edited)
In and out play is not due to the bearing. Bearing play would be up+down + left+right. All of the 10 bolts I've checked have some sort of inward and outward play, I am guessing this is due to the fact that 10 bolts are a C-clip design. If there is no in/out play on a stock or near-stock 10 bolt, that means you might have a problem, haha.
 
#11 ·
Hey guys,

So lately my car has been shaking more around 50+ mph, The sound comes from the right back passenger wheel and makes the whole wheel shake. including my passenger seat... At first i thought it was my bent wheel which really was bent so i replaced the wheel. I notice when i jack the car up and rock the wheel from 12 to 6 oclock there is play on that side. The bent wheel replacement helped a little but only perhaps 10%.

So this is wheel bearing issue?

could someone tell me best approach to this?

I read this is a real pain to fix but wanted to confirm.
SUXS...
My 96 RS's rear wheels both wobble like that! I did the same thing and pushed and pulled from 12 to 6 and vice versa. I looked at it and comfirmed it was infact my bearing; no question about it. The mechanic I asked (who was standing right there when I wobbled it) said it was "normal" (ha! not!!!), but I have been getting some pretty annoying vibrations on the highway. It seems the bearings have to be pressed off of the axel from what I have gathered, but I could be wrong. Did anything come of your wheel/bearing situation yet? I would be interested to know. Thanks!
 
#12 · (Edited)
Axle bearings are easy to swap if you have the right tools. You will need a pen magnet for removing the C-clips (which hold the axles in), sockets to remove the backing plate, Autozone rents the bearing puller and installer tools. Just get a new Ratech bearing (9102) and seal (6125) from Summit (not an Autozone or NAPA brand "repair" bearing, they cause fluid leaks and permanent damage to your 10 bolt). On mine, we used a large slide hammer from Autozone (rented), a bearing removal attachment tool (rented), a small prybar (for removing the axle seal), and an old damaged LS1 style camshaft to install the bearing and axle seal (since the outer diameter of the camshaft base was slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the axle tube). If you don't have anything like that you can rent a bearing installer tool or find a BIG socket that you can use to gently tap the bearing and then seal into place.

Keep in mind though that you will probably need a new axle. The Traction Control axles are different than the Non Traction Control axles, so keep that in mind when looking for a replacement. You can usually find them used in good shape on LS1TECH for around $75.
 
#13 · (Edited)
This^. I had a long explanation on how I just did my rear axle bearings but my app crashed and I wasn't going to retype the whole thing on my phone again. Except I just pulled the axle seal when I pulled the bearing. The bearing will pull it out with it when using the slide hammer.
 
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