I think I have a bad rear axle bearing in my '87GN. Mild roar while driving straight, much louder while steering left, much quieter when steering right. If I remember correctly, this indicates a bad right bearing. I don't have a shop manual and don't want to dive into the repair without one. Is there a "how to" for this repair? I can't find one. Is there a reasonably priced shop manual available? The only GM manual I can locate is $120 for a 4 book set. How good would a Chilton or one of the other shop manual people cover the topic? Would anyone anyone that has a manual be willing to scan the axle bearing replacement pages and e-mail them to me?
Rear axle bearing/shop manual
- Thread starter rayskr
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2003
jack up rear and safely support vehicle (wheel chocks , safe jack stands...stupidity can kill you)
remove tires and drums
remove pumpkin cover (1/2" wrench 10 bolts)
if its a posi check the magnet on cover for chips or chunks of metal , some metal fibres are normal but any grittyness is cause to inspect for damage
look for broken or chipped teeth on ring or pinion as the outer bearing may be the least of your troubles
remove cross pin retainer bolt (5/16" wrench)
slide out cross pin
push axles in and the c-clip will drop out
slide axles out (check bearing area for wear to determine if axle needs replacement)
with an axle bearing puller and slide hammer pull the bearing and the seal
tap in new bearing with a seal driver (soak bearing in gear oil first)
tap in new seal and rub lube on it
slide axle back in
slide c-clip on and pull axle back
slide cross pin back in
tighten cross pin retainer bolt
replace cover
fill with diff lube and if posi use special limited slip diff additive
the fill plug is on passenger side and with axle level fill until it spills out (about 2 qts)
remove tires and drums
remove pumpkin cover (1/2" wrench 10 bolts)
if its a posi check the magnet on cover for chips or chunks of metal , some metal fibres are normal but any grittyness is cause to inspect for damage
look for broken or chipped teeth on ring or pinion as the outer bearing may be the least of your troubles
remove cross pin retainer bolt (5/16" wrench)
slide out cross pin
push axles in and the c-clip will drop out
slide axles out (check bearing area for wear to determine if axle needs replacement)
with an axle bearing puller and slide hammer pull the bearing and the seal
tap in new bearing with a seal driver (soak bearing in gear oil first)
tap in new seal and rub lube on it
slide axle back in
slide c-clip on and pull axle back
slide cross pin back in
tighten cross pin retainer bolt
replace cover
fill with diff lube and if posi use special limited slip diff additive
the fill plug is on passenger side and with axle level fill until it spills out (about 2 qts)
Thanks for the info. Looks pretty straight forward. I wasn't sure whether the bearing was pressed in the housing or on the axle. When you tap the new bearing into the housing, is their a built-in "stop" so you know when you get there? I'm pretty sure the parts store loans out bearing puller/installers, when you buy the bearing/seal.Do you still need to use posi additive? I thought some of the lubes available are good for non-slips also.
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2003
theres a stop
also note 9 out 10 Gn posi will have the cross pin retainer bolt snapped and the thin pin end of tht bolt stays in the cross pin making its removal impossible until you extract the broken pin end which usually has one thread still attached
the bolt is available at most parts stores good to have one on hand
if its broken try a pick and spin it out counterclockwise
also note 9 out 10 Gn posi will have the cross pin retainer bolt snapped and the thin pin end of tht bolt stays in the cross pin making its removal impossible until you extract the broken pin end which usually has one thread still attached
the bolt is available at most parts stores good to have one on hand
if its broken try a pick and spin it out counterclockwise
