Rear axle bearings

[JoesSHO]

Fairly straightforward on my SHO? I've got a steady, speed dependant droning from the rear of the car. As I slow down, you can almost "feel" a grinding through the body. Grinds for 1/2 of the tire's rotation, then OK, then grinds again, and so on... At high speed, it's just a loud droning. (above 35 mph)

I think I'm just going to replace them for the heck of it, but I'd just like to know if it's something I can tackle in an evening or not, since I have to pull the Mustang out of storage in my garage to get the SHO in, and don't care to leave the 'Stang outside in the snow (gots to love Meeechigan!

Thanx

 

[MyFirstSHO]

I had the same kind of droning/grinding from the rear when i first drove my car. I figured it was either a partly seized caliper or a bad rear wheel bearing. Make sure it is not a seized caliper before you start throwing wheel bearings in it. You can check to see if the wheel bearings are shot by jacking up one tire off the ground and try wobbleing it. If it moves excessively then it is the wheel bearing. My noise was only on one side but i replaced both of them. They are $13 each at advance auto, and they come with the races they ride on. My races in my hubs were fine, no scoring, wear at all, just check yours out, if your bearings are really bad the races will be shot and you will have to have the new ones pressed in (unless you have the tools to do it yourself). The seals are $7 each. I recommend you replace the seals as well. Mine did not need new seals, but you never know if you might screw one up when you remove it. Use a block of wood and a mallet to seat the new seals into the hub. Just make sure you have the right size socket to fit the nut behind the dust caps (I forgot what size it is). Took me about 2 hours to do both the rear wheel bearings, and ive never done wheel bearings before in my life. Just clean everything up good (get rid of the old grease), pack the bearings with the proper grease really well, seat the bearings by tightening the nut then backing it out 1/2 turn, then torque that big nut down to the proper spec. I think its something like 12-16 ftlbs but just rotate the wheel while you are tightening the nut and make sure it spins pretty much freely.

 

[sdpatt]

The rear wheel bearings on the '89 are different from the 1990(?) an later SHOs. The later years use a sealed bearing that is puchased as a hub and bearing set. The bearings are sealed and pressed into the hub and there is no need for packing grease with the Timken supplied set that I purchased for about $50 each at AutoZone.

To replace them, you will need a large hub socket (30 mm or 36 mm, one is front and one is rear, search to determine which you'll need) to remove the hub nut and a large capacity torque wrench (180 lb-ft or 250 lb-ft, again, search) to reinstall it.

 

[JoesSHO]

Thanks for the info, I'll probably replace them later this week if the brakes aren't hanging up...

 

[pjtoledo]

JoesSHO:
Thanks for the info, I'll probably replace them later this week if the brakes aren't hanging up...

You should check the tires, a wear pattern will produce all sorts of noises. Just get it off the ground, spin it and run your hand over the tread. Look for uneven wear, high spots etc. Bad tires are very common, bad bearings are very rare. Warped rotors are also very common.


Perry

 

[sdpatt]

I should add that it is unlikely that the rear wheel bearings are the source of the noise. Some have failed, but mine were still tight and sealed when I replaced them after about 250,000 miles.

It is very important that the hub nut is properly torqued and most home torque wrenches only go up to 150 lb-ft. You may need to borrow a higher range tool from an auto supply.

 

[JoesSHO]

OK, I'll borrow a higher capacity TW over the holiday, and try tightening things up before replacing...

Can I re-torque it from where it is, or should I remove it, reset the bearing, and reinstall teh hub bolt?

<small>[ December 31, 2003, 02:19 PM: Message edited by: JoesSHO ]</small>