1995 Corvette: Replacing Rear Wheel Bearings
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes1995 Corvette: Replacing Rear Wheel Bearings
Submitted by: nelsonvette
Just wanted to post this now while it was still fresh in my mind. Replacing a rear wheel bearing is not that bad of a job. I read some post before I did mine that made me believe it may be a lot tougher than it really was. Mine is a 95 coupe.
The day before I did the job I jacked it up and took the wheel off. Sprayed WD40 on the Spindle Hub bolt and on the threads of the 3 torx bolts, you can see them behind the hub, I put a drip pan under the wheel and used a lot of WD40.
Tools I used for the job were a craftsman 1\2" breaker bar with a 36MM socket for the spindle nut. 10" 3/8 extension. 3/8 universal. 3’ and 1’ section of iron 1" pipe. 10MM and 18MM socket. T55 Torx. Flashlight.
I used a 3 foot section of 1" pipe to extend the breaker bar, (got an offcut of pipe at Home Depot for 78 cents. It was 4 foot when I bought it but I had to cut off 1 foot to use on the ratchet under the car for the torx bolts), a 10" long 3/8" extension with a universal and a #T55 Torx, 10MM socket for the Speed sensor and 18MM for the brake caliper.
Removed it as follows.
I removed the cotter pin and spindle nut retainer cap. I had my wife get in the car and start it up then apply the brakes. I used the breaker bar with the 36MM socket and the 3 foot pipe and the spindle nut came loose with one good tug.
I then turned the car off and blocked the front tires and jacked the other side of the car so both rear wheels were off the ground. Used jack stands to support. Put the car in neutral. Removed the brake caliper and the rotor. Removed the speed sensor (1 10MM bolt). Got under the car with a flashlight and removed the 3 torx bolts. This was the most difficult part.
The 10" extension with the universal and a 12" pipe extender on your rachet is a must have. You will need to turn the wheel to move the half shaft to gain access to the torx bolts that’s why both wheels are off the ground and car is in neutral. Once you get the 3 torx out you can pry the hub off with a flathead screwdriver.
When I put the new hub back on I used a dead blow mallet to tap on the new hub. Getting the first torx in is challenging to get it lined up but I was able to do it by myself, Tighten everything up to specs. 66 ft lbs on the torx and about 170ft lbs on the spindle nut.
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