Oscillating whine while driving, I'm thinking rear wheel bearings Options

[Rusty]

Today I heard an oscillating high-pitched whine while driving. It varied with speed. I'm thinking rear wheel bearings - any thoughts?

If that's probably it, I'll pull them apart tomorrow and repack them. Any tips or tricks for that project?

-Rusty (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smoke.gif)

[Eric_Shea]

Guy... come on (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)

Rusty,

It isn't fun but it can be a day job. I'd take the arms off. Yes, you'll need to take off the 210lb castleatted nut and the shocks, you might want to leave the shocks on the arms and take them off at the top.

Once you have them off you need to get the hub out. I use an old 911 rear torsion bar on the fat end. One whack with a 5lb sledge and they're out. Remove the bearing retaining plate with a 13mm ratchet.

Now you need to get the bearing out. If you have air and an air hammer, use a blunt bit and power it out using a "clock" pattern (12:00 - 6:00, 1:00-7:00, etc...). Watch the bearing. After a few blasts it should be on it's way... if not, hit it with a MAPP torch around the seating surface. Air hammer again and check for progress. Short bursts with the air hammer is all that's needed. Place the bit right on that seal that Guy talked about, you'll destroy it but... it's gone anyway.

Your new bearings should be in the freezer overnight so take them out and slide them in. Prep the bore first. I use 600 grit to make sure everything is smooth. A rubber mallet is all that should be needed to get them back in. Some drop in and some take some serious work with a press but most... simply tap-tap-tap in. Make sure you get them started straight and use light taps at first. Once you're certain they're on their way you can tap a bit harder.

Put the retaining plate back on.

Pull in the hub. I use a large threaded rod, the original washer on top and a 1 1/2" socket on the backside. A couple of nuts to lock it into place and a nut on top to pull in the hub (does that make sense?) There's a classic thread that shows it. Brad has success using the castellated nut "upside down" on the original stub axle to get started and then turns it back over to finish the job.

Bolt it back up.