c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

[Jerry M.]

Any suggestions on best method of lubing rear wheel bearings on c2/3s? I see 3 options: 1.Pay someone or spend a load of $$ on tools for complete disassembly/lube/reassembly. 2.Partial disassembly and use of rear bearing greaser listed in many vette parts catalogs. 3.I've read somewhere about installing a zerk fitting in the housing - I don't know if this is a good option or not.


Also - best lube to use. Failure in this area is a costly mistake.

[Joe L.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Jerry----


Personally, I don't recommend the use of rear bearing lube tools. In a nutshell, these tools only grease the inner bearing, may overfill the bearing cavity in the bearing support, and don't result in the bearings being CLEANED prior to re-pack.


The zerk-fitted bearing supports are also not of my liking. In a nutshell, although they THEORETICALLY can cause the "re-pack" of both inner and outer bearings, the bearing support must be pumped full of grease and pressurized to cause this to occur. A little too much pressure or over-filling(which is practically impossible to control since you never know where "you're at" in the process)and you can dislodge the bearing seals. Filling the bearing support with grease is not recommended by GM or by me. Also, as with the bearing lube tool described above, this method of re-pack does not cause the bearings to be CLEANED prior to re-pack. If this method of bearing lubrication were acceptable, believe me, GM would have provided the zerks. In my opinion, it's an over-simplified, substitute service procedure developed entirely for expediency.


Both of the above procedures, since neither involves CLEANING the bearings and removal of all OLD grease from the assemblies, leaves open the question of which grease to use. Greases with different bases(lithium, aluminum, etc.) should not be mixed. Doing so can cause the loss of important lubricating properties. So, which type of grease do you have to "match"? How do you know waht was used "the last time"?


In summary, I recommend doing the job right and dis-assebling the rear bearings for re-pack. Of course, I never recommend actually repacking these bearings. If you're going to go through all of the trouble to dis-assemble, why not just replace the bearings? Bearings are just not that expensive, even the high quality ones which are the ONLY kind that you should ever use.


As far as grease goes, I recommend Valvoline SynPower Synthetic Grease. This is a full synthetic, high quality grease which SPECIFICALLY meets GM's most stringent bearing lubrication specification. It's the only product that I now use for front and rear wheel bearings.

[Don O'Connell #33101]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Joe,


I'm about to go through and replace all the front and rear suspension bushings, shocks, tie rod ends, rear spring etc. in the next few weeks. Friends also mentioned that I should do the rear wheel bearings while I'm at it and so I noticed they were not that expensive and added them to the list. My question, based on your post, is who makes the HIGH QUALITY rear bearings ya mentioned (I've only looked through some of the vendor catologs and haven't gone to the dealer yet to see if GM still make 'em).


Thanks for your help (and the note on the grease too !).


Don

[Joe L.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Don----


GM still services the bearings for both front and rear Corvette wheel bearings. However, I believe that the current replacements are made in Japan. That doesn't make them bad bearings, though. In my opinion, Japanese-manufactured bearings are among the best in the world, bar none. They are certainly not the same as other "foreign" bearings and are the exception to my general aversion to foreign-sourced repalcement parts.


In any event, I prefer to use Timken bearings. I believe that they are the highest quality bearing on the market today. The last set I purchased for the front and rear of my car were American made. I have been told that certain Timken bearings are now manufactured in Brazil. No matter, though, as I would have complete confidence in a bearing produced by Timken regardless of where it was produced.

[Ol' Geezer]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Geezer here. Many eons ago -- of course predating Joe's response above -- I adapted a high-pressure tube and a long hypodermic needle to my grease gun (which was always filled with Valvoline MoS2). On a warm summer day, when I could get the grease to flow out the needle, I would partially dissemble the rear wheel bearings from the inside of the car and load fresh grease into the center of the outer bearings by feeding the long needle between the rollers of the inner bearings. I would then also load some grease into the center of the inner bearings. Never lost a rear bearing on any of the various mid-years/sharks that I owned. Of course, I didn't have a press to completely dissemble the rear bearing and rebuild it right, with new bearings, as Joe suggests.

[Jerry M.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Joe, Thank you very much for the insight. Given what you've mentioned, what interval do you believe this service should be done - and do you send it out to have it done, and to who? My '65 has gone 11 years and 20K miles since having bearings, spindles, etc. replaced. Naturally, I'd like to avoid this type of expense again.

[Joe L.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Jerry----


If the work was done right the first time, I think you can safely get a lot more than 20,000 miles out of a rear bearing job. 11 years is a long time, but with such low mileage, I don't think that I'd be too concerned about it. However, I'd check the rear bearings regularly for excessive play or roughness. To check for play, raise the rear of the car and grasp the tire at the top and bottom. Press in at one end and pull out at the other several times. There should be VERY LITTLE play, but there should be a LITTLE. To check for roughness in the bearings, simply rotate the wheels and listen/feel for roughness. Don't mistake brake shoe drag for bearing roughness, though. This is not a perfect test for bearing condition inasmuch as you are checking the bearing in the "unloaded" condition. However, if you have a bearing that is seriously bad, you will easily detect it this way. The whole trick, here, is to catch the problem before the bearing fails and damages other parts or causes a breakdown. You don't really care if a bearing, itself, is damaged or worn since you're going to replace the bearings on dis-assembly anyway.


I service my own rear bearings, but, I only do it for my own car. This is strictly a hobby for me; I don't do work for anyone else.

[Don O'Connell #33101]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Thanks Joe.


Don

[Jerry M.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Joe - Thanks again for the information! I can do the work myself, but was wondering at what point it would be worth the large investment in tools. Last I checked, it was in the $300-400 range.

[Duke W.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Early '63 Corvettes had a slip fit rear spindle and the shop manual specifies regreasing the bearings every 30,000 miles. Early in production this setup was replaced by the press fit assembly and the periodic lubrication requirement was eliminated. There was a service bulletin on this, and it was reproduced in Vette Vues about 15 years ago. Like most owners, I never heard about the sevice bulletin and was unable to disassemble them, so I just let it go until finally pulling apart the pack on a hydraulic press during restoration at 115,000 miles. The bearings were essentially as new though drum brake cars are easier on the grease than disk brake cars which transfer more heat to the spindle pack. I believe that if you use a high quality grease, such as the Valvoline product recommended by Joe, and just drive your car in normal street driving you can consider the pack "lubed for life". Given the labor involved you might as well run them to failure, but they should last until the next frame up resto.


Duke

[Rob Brainard]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Most cars discussed here, have for the most part unknown "bearing" history. If that is accepted, then Joe is absolutely correct about bearing replacement. I don't know about others, but for Joe [and me] replacement is no big deal. If you haven't had the good fortune to do this, it may not be something you "should" do. New bearings requires setting up the bearings so that there is .003" to .006" endplay. Not a big deal if you don't have to PRESS off the new bearings because you have too little or too much endplay -- not good for your new bearings!! Bearing replacement can turn into a BIG JOB, if you are not sure of how to do it or you don't have the proper tools. A wrong installation can cost more than just a set of bearings.

[Jerry]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Duke:


I don't think running them till failure is wise advise given the cost of spindle and possible trailing arm cost, spin an outer raceway and "weld" it's raceway into the T arm and I think most folks would wish they had done the labor.


jerry

[Roberto L.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

I used Valvoline High Temp all purpose grease when I replaced front bearings recently. It is mentioned that meets GM requirements. Roberto NCRS #30019 RMC

[Duke W.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

I should have been more specific about running them to failure. I would recommend a periodic inspection as outlined by Joe. This should pick up incipient failures before they do consequential dammage. Did the '65 through '82 Chassis Service Manuals reinstitute a period repack or recommend any kind of in service inspection?


Duke

[Wayne M.]

Re: c2/3 rear wheel bearing lube

Duke --- Yes, Chevrolet Service News, Nov. '72. New lubricant introduced; Kent-Moore tool J-24488 (inner bearing). New cars, at 12,000 miles and every 24,000 after. Only 3 tablespoons of grease to be added, using HAND grease gun.