2003 SSEi Wheel Hub Assembly

[EAGLE]

I need to replace the RH hub assembly, can you all tell me about how difficult it is? I can't afford 500 bucks right now, which is what they said it would be yesterday.

I just bought the car to make nice. It's been in an accident, needs two of those Pontiac star rims on the RH side, and the hub assembly.

And How Come no one makes a repair repair manual for this series car?


Thanks to the photographer that took the pictures of this car.

Thanks for any help!

[harofreak00]

I have a used hub for $50 plus shipping if interested, PM me.

You'll need a 34mm socket, and possibly a slide hammer to remove the hub from the knuckle. Other than that, its pretty simple. Remove the wheel, and the brake caliper and rotor. Then the 34mm socket takes off the axle nut. There are 3 bolts that you remove from the backside. The hub should simple pull off with the slide hammer. Then put back together in reverse order.

Wheel Bearing/Hub Replacement - Front
Tools Required
J 28733-B Front Hub Spindle Remover

Removal Procedure
Raise the vehicle. Support the vehicle by the frame. Allow the control arms to hang free. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
Remove the wheel and tire assembly. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels.
Clean the drive axle threads of all dirt. Lubricate the threads.
Insert a drift punch or a screwdriver into the caliper and the rotor in order to prevent the rotor from turning.



Remove the drive axle nut.
Remove the brake rotor. Refer to Brake Rotor Replacement - Front in Disc Brakes.



Disconnect the ABS front wheel speed sensor harness connector. Unclip the connector from the dust shield.



Remove the wheel bearing/hub retaining bolts.

Important
Replace the hub and bearing only as an assembly.


Using J 28733-B separate the wheel bearing/hub from the drive axle.
Remove the wheel bearing/hub from the steering knuckle.
Remove the dust shield.
Clean the rust and the foreign material from the following components in order to allow proper seating of the bearing into the knuckle:
The knuckle mounting face
The bore
The chamber
Installation Procedure
Remove the protective plastic cover before installation. Do not handle the knuckle or hub assembly by the ABS sensor wire.



Install the wheel bearing/hub to the drive axle. Apply a thin layer of grease to the knuckle bore.
Install the wheel bearing/hub retaining bolts. Tighten
Tighten the wheel bearing/hub bolts to 95 N•m (70 lb ft).





Install the new drive axle nut, draw wheel bearing/hub onto the axle.



Connect the ABS front wheel speed sensor harness connector. Clip the connector to its proper location.
Install the brake rotor. Refer to Brake Rotor Replacement - Front in Disc Brakes.



Insert a drift punch or a screwdriver into the caliper and rotor in order to prevent the rotor from turning. Tighten
Tighten the drive axle nut to 160 N•m (118 lb ft).

Install the tire and wheel. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels.
Lower the vehicle.

[EAGLE]

Thanks for moving the post, I couldn't figure out where to ask first-

I appreciate your response. Looks simple enough, soon as I learn what a slide hammer is..

I'll send you a pm about the part. Thanks.

[harofreak00]

This is a slide hammer:



You can rent one for free at most chain parts stores. Be sure to get the hub puller attachment too.

[EAGLE]

This is a slide hammer:



You can rent one for free at most chain parts stores. Be sure to get the hub puller attachment too.

Copy that. Thank You! Is the Hub Puller the same as the "L Puller" on this add:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CBoQ8gIwAw#

PS. One last thing- Who sells a manual, or where did you get referrences like that above? Thanks.

[harofreak00]

Nope, this is a hub puller. You thread in the slide hammer instead of that black bolt.



I'd heard people tell me that you don't need a slide hammer to get the hubs off, but it really depends on the situation. Sometimes they are really stuck on there and you'll need 20-30 pounds of the slide hammer, sometimes they just fall right off.

I have the GM ESI techline service manuals on DVD, which is what the dealers use, but the same information can be found in the FSM (Factory service manuals).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-Pon ... Literature

[TrueWildMan]

I've done it twice, it's pretty simple barring any stubborn nuts/bolts. Should be able to do it in a couple hours easy.

[harofreak00]

TWM, did you need a puller?

[TrueWildMan]

TWM, did you need a puller?

I didn't use one, but it sure would have made the job easier. The second bearing had gotten so hot, though, that it basically fell apart once I started prying on it.

The toughest part was the nut, was frozen on. Had to take a hack saw and carefully cut the nut apart, careful not to damage the threads on the bolt.

[harofreak00]

The axle nut? Did you use a large breaker bar?

[00Beast]

Hub should be easy to replace. FWIW, my 158,000 mile hub fell right off. I was sure to apply anti-seize to the back of mine so it comes off easy next time.

Use a 6 point socket on the bolts on the backside, and turn the knuckle so you have straight on access with a ratchet and extension. I used an electric impact on the axle nut, but a large breaker bar (with cheater pipe) should work too. Could probably rent an impact from a parts store too, if you have any kind of air compressor.

[TrueWildMan]

The axle nut? Did you use a large breaker bar?

No, the spindle bolts. One of them was frozen due to the heat the bad bearing produced.

[EAGLE]

Thanks for all the help, you guys. I should be able to tear into it next week, and I feel like I have an idea how it will go now, thanks to you. The Franchise garrage I took it to wanted over 450 bucks to do it. Not even sure they did the flush and all that to the tranny yesterday, but they charged me for it, and did a simple change. Tacks me off pretty bad. I get that crap everywhere I go.

[00Beast]

How do you know they didn't flush it? Did you watch them?

[EAGLE]

Sorry, been away awhile.

I'm just pretty sure they didn't. (Flush the transaxle). It was only in a bay maybe 15 minutes ( I went right down the street to another store then drove back by), and then they had it parked outside, where I didn't park it, with the wheels turned hard right. They called 3 hours later, saying they just got it done, and when I got there it was still in the place they moved it. It's been 3 weeks and I just found transmission fluid on the driveway. Nice.

[LeSabreUltra]

It's hard to find a good trustworthy shop. I don't know about your area, but I've found that dealers in my area tend to be a lot more trustworthy and tend to do a better job than chain shops. Either way it sounds like you ought to take it back and have a good talk with them, especially if your car is leaking fluid. Sometimes a visit to show them that you aren't going to let them walk all over you makes all the difference.
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[EAGLE]

Yep. I'm going back up there tomorrow. I've been really busy, and haven't even gotten to the hub assembly yet. I picked up a part for nothing, and now all I need is a puller. Hopefully I can wrap all this up within the nxt few days, before the water warms up and the Bass start biting!!