rear wheel bearings

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by bothrops, Mar 26, 2005.

  1. bothrops

    bothrops Guest

    I have a 95 saturn with 340,000km(I live in canada)I have replaced the
    front wheel bearings, tierods, lower control arms,but not the strut
    assemblies or the rear wheel bearings.The bearings in the back sound fine
    but I don't know how long I should put it off. Also the front right strut
    bearing rubber under the damper shaft nut is cracked and half missing.I
    know the left strut damper shaft has lost its damper because you can push
    it all the way down.Again I'm wondering how long i should procrastinate or
    is it worth it to get struts out of the wreckers. Other than that, it's
    been a very reliable car. I drive 100km's a day to get back and forth to
    work. I only use it for work and the maintenance has been very
    reasonable. Occasionally I get parts out of the wreckers.
     
    bothrops, Mar 26, 2005
    #1
  2. bothrops

    Oppie Guest

    Struts, strut pivot bearings and the like I always buy new. To me, using
    used suspension parts is not worth the risk.
    On the rear bearings, look at the bearings. If the rolers and races are
    still smooth and there is no flaking off of the surface, they are still
    good. Give them a good cleaning and re-grease and they should be fine. Nice
    thing about tapered bearings is that there is a good deal of adjustment by
    tensioning the hub nut. If you do have to change the bearing, do be sure to
    drive out the old race and install the new one. I decided to skip that step
    once and had to replace the bearing and race again in a few thousand miles.
     
    Oppie, Mar 27, 2005
    #2
  3. bothrops

    bothrops Guest

    Thank's for the tip. I priced a Monroe strut(without the coil spring and
    top bearing plate) at $140.00(can) seems pricey but I'll shop around. I
    work for TRW safety systems(manufacturing) but the company won't hand out
    any discounts of any kind; different division TRW suspension parts, even
    though we stamp tie rod ends for them. I've got some synthetic bearing
    grease for the rear bearings I'll try that. Thanks again for your help.
     
    bothrops, Mar 27, 2005
    #3
  4. bothrops

    blah blah Guest

    Are you talking about the rear wheel "hub"? It is sealed and is
    considered a non-servicable part. If it developes play or noise you
    replace it. There is no way that I have seen to grease modern wheel
    hubs.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Rear Suspension Description and Operation
    (S-Series)

    A MacPherson strut type rear suspension is used on all Saturn vehicles.
    The strut contains an internal damper, much like a conventional shock
    absorber. Therefore, strut assemblies consisting of a strut and a coil
    spring provide both spring and shock absorber functions. If the strut
    becomes damaged or worn, it must be replaced as a unit since it is not
    serviceable.

    The strut assembly is connected to the vehicle at three locations. The
    top of the strut is fastened to the vehicle body by fasteners. The
    bottom of the strut is attached to the crossmember through the knuckle
    and lateral links, providing side-to-side stability, and to the vehicle
    body through a trailing arm, providing front-to-rear stability.

    Although the rear suspension components are lubricated for life and
    require no routine lubrication, they should be inspected periodically
    for damage and wear.
     
    blah blah, Mar 27, 2005
    #4
  5. bothrops

    Lane Guest

    The rear hub/bearing assembly cannot be disassembled or greased - it is a
    sealed, non-serviceable unit. And I've heard in the past from a Saturn
    engineer that when they fail, there is seldom any warning (they don't make
    any noise). Best to replace them before that happens.

    KYB struts can be had new for around $50 (US) if you shop around on the web.
    And by all means, replace the rubber strut mounts at the same time. I
    skipped that, and at around 130,000 miles, one of the rear strut rods broke
    through the worn top rubber mount and came through the rear deck. All
    because I was too cheap to replace them when I did the struts.

    My website's faq section covers a good way to remove rusted-on rear hubs, if
    you're inclined to do the job yourself.

    Lane [ lane (at) evilplastic.com ]
     
    Lane, Mar 27, 2005
    #5
  6. bothrops

    user Guest

    Is there any general mileage or age mark by which the Saturn
    struts just ought to be replaced? Kind of curious as I'm just
    over the 100k mark (and 13 years)and still have the originals.
     
    user, Mar 28, 2005
    #6
  7. bothrops

    blah blah Guest

    No because the variables involved in wearing out shocks and struts are
    to great. (City driving will wear out shocks faster than smooth highway
    driving.)

    There is a check you can easily do. Put your body weight into pushing up
    and down the front end of your car to get it bouncing. Then jump back
    and count how many times it continues to bob. If its more than 3 times
    then they most certainly need to be replaced. Repeat for the rear. You
    should probably do this after the car has been driven as well because
    when the struts warm up they are usually less effective.
     
    blah blah, Mar 28, 2005
    #7
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