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Drive Axles & Hub Bearing Assemblies

T

tjkeno

New member
My car is a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8L V-6 4-dr sedan with no supercharger and no ABS.

Replacing drive axle and hub bearing assembly on each side this week.

The new Cardone drive axles came with "crimped" or "staked" axle nuts. The outermost thread or two is compressed, and you can only turn the nut by hand until it is flush with the end of the axle. From there on, you would need to use a wrench, which I have not done yet.

I assume this is to force an interference fit between the axle nut and the threads on the drive axle. Is this something new? Will tightening this nut down damage the axle threads to the point where this can't be dis- and re-assembled again later? Will it affect the torque wrench reading?

I'd like to replace the knuckle-to-hub mounting bolts with new ones, but can't find them anywhere. Ideas or hints? OK to clean them well and reuse with blue Loctite?

Thanks for any help.
 


I would reuse the stock axle nuts as long as they are the right thread. Can you post a pic of the new axle nuts? I'm curious about them.

The knuckle bolts will be fine to re-use.
 
dont know what your talking about with the axle nut. most put the spare tire on and then drop the car to the ground then take the nut off, this keep the axle from trying to turn when you unbolt it.

or drop a socket extension in the fins of the rotor, let it hit the caliper, this will also keep the axle from turning.

the stock nut is a 36 mm, the new axles will come with a 34 mm nut. iirc 118 lb of torque too.

reuse the hub bolts.
 
Explicit_Spade said:
Can you post a pic of the new axle nuts? I'm curious about them. The knuckle bolts will be fine to re-use.
Click to expand...

I wish I could post a pic, but I can't. The best way I can describe it is that the nuts have crimp marks on the outer edge of two opposite flats of the hex. Like some gorilla squeezed them a bit with a giant pair of channel locks.

Talked to an ASE tech at Cardone this morning. He said the slightly "deformed" outermost thread or two on the axle nut makes it something called a torque prevailing nut. It will not damage the threads on the drive axle nor affect a torque wrench reading. He said they will be completely unusable if/when they are removed, but you're not supposed to reuse axle nuts anyway.

I found new hub-to-knuckle bolts at my local Chevy dealer for $5.03 each, so I'll go ahead and get those. No sense installing $260 worth of parts and then cheaping out for an additional $30.
(GM part number 11570580 -- used on many GM cars like Impalas, Regals, and other W-bodies.)
 
Excerpted from a post by GMBoy @ Bob Is The Oil Guy 11/17/12

"I just checked the GM service procedures and sure enough....says in red letters to use NEW bolts.
Here is the service procedure in a cut/paste format w/o pictures:

Service Information

Suspension | Front Suspension | Repair Instructions | Document ID: 821170

Front Wheel Bearing and Hub Replacement

Removal Procedure

(I am skipping over his steps for the removal of the caliper, rotor, speed sensor, etc.)

Remove and DISCARD the wheel bearing/hub bolts. DO NOT reuse the wheel drive shaft nut, replace with NEW.

Remove the wheel bearing/hub.

Installation Procedure

Install the wheel bearing/hub.
Caution: These fasteners MUST be replaced with new fasteners anytime they become loose or are removed.
Failure to replace these fasteners after they become loose or are removed may cause loss of vehicle control and personal injury.
Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice.

Install NEW wheel bearing/hub bolts.

(I am skipping over his steps for the replacement of speed sensor, rotor, caliper, etc.)

Copyright 2012 General Motors. All rights reserved"

Seems quite definitive and very unequivocal to me.

30 bucks for 6 bolts, not in this life time.
Click to expand...

Seems like a false economy to me. Increased my cost by 11.5%. If the bearings/hubs were to fail three months from now,
I'd always wonder if it was because I saved that $30.

how to post pics.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link. I said "can't" not "don't know how to" -- I don't have a digital camera
or a phone that's able to take pics.





 


we are talking nuts and bolts that are not small. reuse them, every one does.


PS: i dont care what Bob says. my bolts have been removed, and put back 2 times (all of them) twice in the last 3 years.

oh and A1 cardone parts are pretty much crap. lets hope they hold up. i seriously hope your not using their hubs.


and ive seen the dealership reuse all of these nuts and bolts on my 2500 hd gmc truck. they changed 3 sets of front hubs, reused all the bolts every time. ( yes i check after the dealerships work) i trust no one. last trip there they put a hole in my t case and patched it with epoxy and said nothing till i saw it.

but if you feel your cheeping out by not buying new bolts THAT NO ONE BUYS feel free to.
 
GM definately said that almost every nut and bolt on our cars should be changed when the part is changed. The reality is that probably about 98% of the dealers and their technicians don't change them.

You would be safe to reuse them, new won't hurt a thing either.
 
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