Hub Bearing Question

**juggalette79** · 09-22-2013

Need some help here...I took my 01 Grand Prix to a transmission shop back in March because it just quit. The shop rebuilt the trans and torque converter, but also did my front axels because they were on the verge of going too. (only part of the suspension I had not replaced). My front hub bearings were just done in April 2011. After getting the car back from the trans shop things seems great, just a little out of alignment. Took it to my alignment shop and took care of that. Shortly after that, within the same week, I started hearing an "airplane" sound coming from my wheels. Typically hub noise. Thought it was rather odd since they are just over 2 years old with less than 7000 miles. Ordered hub bearings, and went to start taking the old ones off to find that the nut that was put in at the trans shop is WAY smaller. I had to buy a 36mm socket the last time the hubs were done. This one however, is much smaller, my 36mm socket just spins around it. Would having a much smaller nut in the center of the hub cause my hubs to go bad prematurely??? If so, the trans shop has some work to do, we cannot buy the nut because no shops sell it around here. The car is going back to them anyway because the trans is acting up, but now I am stuck with no car because the hubs are shot and I dont have the right nut now!

**Scottydoggs** · 09-22-2013

when you use aftermarket axles the nut is smaller most of the time and are 34 mm most of the time, the 36 should fit loosely but hold, ive done it myself.

bearings have a high failure rate, id think the axle nut has nothing to do with it. what hubs did you use last time, they have a warranty on them. the good hubs have a 3 year warranty. timken, moog skf. ebay hubs are crap if you get 2 years out of them your lucky.

**BillBoost37** · 09-23-2013

I completely agree with what Scott said.

It's funny H body (bigger car) had 34mm nuts. W body with the super high failure rate wheel bearings start with 36mm and almost every aftermarket I've found had been a 34mm.

**juggalette79** · 09-24-2013

I highly doubt it uneven a 34mm, like I said in my post, my 36mm socket spins around it. Might be 30 at the largest. I know the failure rate on the hubs are high, but they were literally perfect before my car went to the shop and then super noisy less than a week after so I could only guess the much smaller bolt caused it. Still gonna have her towed to the shop, the wheel shakes bad when I get up to 50 or higher. Thanks for the responses

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

I completely agree with what Scott said.

It's funny H body (bigger car) had 34mm nuts. W body with the super high failure rate wheel bearings start with 36mm and almost every aftermarket I've found had been a 34mm.

**BillBoost37** · 09-24-2013

The nut only holds the outboard piece of the axle into the bearing. If you have a bearing off a vehicle and look at it, the nut doesn't hold it together or add any true force to it. Based on the splines being tapered slightly, the nut is pulling the end of the axle into the bearing.

Reason why I bring this up is, I've never torqued an axle nut. My reason behind that is learning from a mechanic what happens on this vehicle with the nut and axle. Based on what I know about it, a bearing failure isn't likely from a different sized nut etc. If anything the flat area of the nut is likely the same size as the nuts where the socket is a 36mm or a 34mm.

With that said, do I think that disturbing the bearing (using axle removal tool on it) etc likely helped it show signs of failure, it's possible. It's also possible that your trans was bad enough that it masked the bearings as they began to fail recently.

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