possible wheel bearing noise?

[DANVAN]

I rotated tires front to rear today, still the same noises. It comes and goes, today the noise was more present when the van was warm.

Question, how important is the brass punch? I cant find one in the stores.
You only need it to knock out the old race right? Then u use the old race to punch in the new race in right?

And the races do come out we finally figured right?

I may just have to take it all apart and do all 4 bearing and races so I dont have these noises. Going to NY with it this weekend, I'll buy them and carry them with me along with all the tools, unless I get the time to do them before the weekend.

Thanks again, u guys are very helpfull.

BTY, sold my 88 astro today, only had the signs on it for less then a week, 1st person that came and looked at it bought it, $1350.00, mark 3 conversion low top, in very good cond. This 2000 is a nice upgrade though. we like it alot.

Dan

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I am wondering if it is in the rear or possibly a u-joint. You have done enough up front to rule out the issue being there...unless it is the left front side. Pull the left side and check the bearings out. Only replace if they look bad. I would drive it and if it becomes a little worse you will be able to find it.

[DANVAN]

Today the original noise is back and worse then ever. I think it is because I used new bearings with old races.

As of Sunday the noise was 80% gone, and was only there when cold. Today its worse when warm, and much louder.

When I turn the s.wheel to the right the noise is gone, its there going straight and even more so on a left turns, so I dont see this being a u-joint. My daughter sat in the rear seat yesterday and says she doesnt hear it back there. When she is in the middle seat she hears it from the front.

I bought a full set of bearings today and will attempt to replace the r/s again tommorrow before work, this time with the races, just hope I can get them out this time. If time allows I will do the l/s also, or maybe the next day before work. I get home to late to do it, cant work in the dark.

[DANVAN]

should wheel bearings need a re-adjustment after driving?

I did the full set just now and am going for a ride now, wish me luck.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Good luck and I always re-check them after I drive for a ways. I don't think it is necessary though because if you were to have a shop do it, they would not re-check them after you drove for a bit.

[DANVAN]

4 miles road test, no noise at all, I think it is now fixed, should have done it with the races the 1st time.

I jacked it up and wiggeled the wheel, they seem good to me, didnt pop off the greese cap to check the nut, all seems good now.

Thanks for the help.

Dan

[Rileysowner]

Great to hear. I'm going to have to do the brakes sometime soon. Hopefully all will be well when I look at the bearings and all they will need is to be repacked.

[Rufus]

I put the new bearings in with old races, new seal and new greese. I did pack the bearings with my bearing packer.

Dan, I hate to tell you, but you wasted tons of time along with the cost of the new bearings.
As you have already figured out, you didn't accomplish anything.

Note 1: NEVER use old races! NEVER EVER! Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. This is like changing the oil filter and then dumping the old oil back in our engine. Races are the cheapest part of this process.
Note 2: Punches are not recommended for removing races from hubs/rotors. A slide hammer puller with correct inside attachment would be the correct tool (about $100). Otherwise you can easily damage the the hub/rotor, which would then lead to poor mounting of the new races.
The old races must be pulled out evenly, not pushed from side to side. If all else fails, bring the hub/rotor to a shop with the new races in hand and have them remove/install the races. It's simply not worth it to do this any other way.
Note 3: Most "bearing packers" are crap. The absolute best tool to fill a bearing with grease is your hands. Push the grease in from the large end of the bearing, making sure the area between the cage and the rollers are full for each roller.
Note 4: NEVER handle a new bearing with your bare hands, clean or otherwise. At the very least, rub a coating of CLEAN grease all over your CLEAN hands before ever touching the new bearings.
Your clean skin gives off an acid that will literally etch the new steel with your fingerprint.
Note 5: Races will never be "part of the hub". The hub is cast. Races are case hardened 52100 bearing steel. If they made the hub/rotor out this kind of steel it would cost $1000. Bearing races are like your tires.. they're designed to wear and to be a replaceable item.

In summary, go buy a good set of TIMKEN bearings and races, along with two new seals. Bring the hub/rotor to a shop and have them pull the old races out and press the new races in. They can also install the seal to make sure it's installed correctly, but make sure they don't forget to put the inner bearing in the hub before doing so. Read the manual carefully when tightening the axle nut. Most people get this act very wrong.

Warning... make sure your thoroughly inspect the spindle shaft to assure it's not damaged or worn.
All the new bearings in the world won't correct this issue.

[DANVAN]

Thanks for that extensive write-up Rufus, great info there.
As of now, my wheel bearing noise is all gone. I learned the hard way not to use an old race, I knew better but tried it anyway and waisted time and money.

Anyway, now its all fixed, put about 5000 miles on the van since buying it with no problems, just needs tires and a visor over the windshield if I ever get a job and money.

[Rufus]

4 miles road test, no noise at all, I think it is now fixed, should have done it with the races the 1st time.
I jacked it up and wiggeled the wheel, they seem good to me, didnt pop off the greese cap to check the nut, all seems good now.

Dan, I missed the fact that you redid the bearing job with my first post. Glad you figured it out.
I now hope that you didn't reuse the new bearings that you ran on the old races, on the new races.
If so, you'll be doing this all over again sooner than you like.

You will never be able to tell if the bearings are set correctly by simply wiggling the wheel with your bare hands. This would only show an extremely loose setup. Adjust the nut by following the method in your manual. It's the only way to assure you've done it correctly.

You should never need to recheck the nut unless you feel you screwed up the installation.
Bearings don't wear in the sense that you need to readjust the nut to "take up slack".
If the races were properly seated upon installation, and you followed the nut installation correctly, you're done.

I also hope that you dumped a large portion of the $4 tub of new grease you bought into the center of each hub, between the bearings. This will assure proper lubrication for years to come.