How To Replace Front Wheel Hub Bearing 2003-12 GMC Savana
Created on: 2013-09-27
Find out how to replace a failing front wheel hub and bearing assembly by following along the 1A experts in this how-to video
-
step 1 :Removing the Wheel
- Loosen the lug nut covers with a 22mm socket
- Pry off the center cap with a flat blade screwdriver
- Loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground
- Raise the vehicle with a floor jack
- Secure the vehicle on jack stands
- Remove the lug nuts
- Pull off the wheel
-
step 2 :Removing the Brake Pads
- Remove the 18mm bolts from the brake caliper
- Pry the brake pads into the caliper with a flat blade screwdriver to push in the pistons
- Pull the caliper aside
- Pry the brake pads off with a flat blade screwdriver
- Remove the brake pad slides
-
step 3 :Removing the Brake Rotor
- Spray the bolts on the caliper bracket with rust penetrant
- Remove the 21mm bolts from the brake caliper bracket
- Pull off the brake caliper bracket
- Pull the rotor off
- If the rotor will not come off, thread the lug nuts and strike the hub area of the rotor with the ball end of a ball peen hammer
-
step 4 :Removing the Hub Assembly
- Spray the bolts securing the hub and backing plate with rust penetrant
- Remove the 15mm bolts from the hub
- Remove the 5mm Allen bolt holding the ABS wire
- Place a bolt on the back of the hub
- Hit the hub with a hammer to break it free
- Remove the bolt from the hub
- Remove the hub
-
step 5 :Preparing the Hub Assembly
- Slide off the backing plate
- Clean the inside of the knuckle with a wire brush
- Add white grease to the interior of the knuckle
-
step 6 :Removing the ABS Wire
- Pry out the clips holding the ABS wire to the knuckle
- Disconnect the ABS sensor wiring harness
-
step 7 :Installing the New Hub
- Insert the backing plate into place
- Line up the hub with the backing plate
- Insert the 15mm bolts to hold the hub in place
- Tighten the 15mm bolts to the hub
- Torque the bolts to 80 foot-pounds
-
step 8 :Reconnecting the ABS Wire
- Clip the wire to the knuckle
- Connect the ABS sensor wiring harness
- Insert the 5mm Allen bolt to hold the ABS wire
-
step 9 :Installing the Brake Rotor
- Slide the rotor on
- Thread on one lug nut to hold the rotor in place
- Put the caliper bracket back into place
- Start the 21mm bolts by hand
- Tighten the bolts to 100 foot-pounds of torque
-
step 10 :Installing the New Brake Pads
- Put an old pad in the caliper
- Use a large C-clamp and the old pad to push the pistons back
- Clean the caliper slides with white grease
- Install the new brake pads into the bracket
- Put the caliper on
- Thread the 18mm bolts by hand
- Tighten bolts to 100 foot-pounds
- Clean the rotor with brake parts cleaner or mineral spirits
-
step 11 :Reattaching the Wheel
- Slide the wheel into place
- Start the lug nuts by hand
- Tighten the lug nuts preliminarily
- Lower the vehicle to the ground
- Tighten the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds in a crossing or star pattern
- Reattach the center cap
- Tighten the lug nut covers with a 22mm socket
-
step 12 :Testing the Brakes
- Pump your brakes repeatedly until they feel firm
- Test your brakes at 5 miles per hour and then 10 miles per hour
- Road test the vehicle
Tools needed
-
A Piece of Pipe (for leverage)
Large C-Clamp
Torque Wrench
Hammer
15mm Socket
Rust Penetrant
Jack Stands
18mm Socket
5mm Hex Wrench
21mm Socket
Flat Blade Screwdriver
White Grease
Mineral Spirits
Ratchet
Wire Brush
Floor Jack
22mm Socket
Brought to you by 1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet.
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks.
In this video, we're going to show you how to replace the hub on this 2005 GMC Savana 2500. It's the same process as on the Chevy Express. We're going to show you on the passenger side, but it's the same process on the driver side. The items you'll need include a 15mm, 18mm, 21mm, and 22mm socket and ratchet, a breaker bar and a piece of pipe for leverage, a flat blade screwdriver, rust penetrant, wire brush, 5mm Allen Bit, hammer, large C-clamp, white grease, torque wrench, and jack and jack stands.
Start by removing the wheel cover or whatever wheel or tire you might have. This one is a chrome one. Pull that off, and then just use your socket and pull or loosen the lug nut covers. Pull the center cap off. If you don't have the benefit of air tools you'll want to loosen the lug nuts with the vehicle on the ground, then jack up and secure the vehicle and remove the lug nuts, wheel, and tire.
Turn the wheel so that you can get to the brake. On the back of the caliper there are two 18 mm bolts. You just want to remove these. It can be a little difficult, so it helps to use a piece of pipe for extra leverage. We're just going to fast-forward as he removes these. The next step you want to use a flat blade screwdriver to just pry the brake pads away from the caliper and it will allow you to pry off that caliper. Just keep using the flat blade screwdriver, top and the bottom, you can see he's just going back and forth until eventually it'll come off. You just want to set that aside.
Now, using the flat blade screwdriver, you just want to pry out your brake pads. On some vehicles it's going to be more difficult than on others. It depends on the condition of brakes. In this case, it takes just a little effort. If you have to, you can use a hammer, just be careful not to damage anything or bend anything.
The next thing that you want to do is there are two 21mm bolts back here that hold on this caliper bracket. Ours are a little rusted, so we sprayed them with some rust penetrant first. Just to loosen them up, and let that sit for second. Then, using a breaker bar and actually a piece of pipe for extra leverage, we just remove those bolts. We'll just fast-forward here as he does that. When you remove those bolts the caliper bracket will come right off.
Now use a hammer. You can see we just hit the back side where the caliper was and just keep rotating it and letting the hammer do the work. Eventually that rotor will come off. With the rotor off you can see there are four 15mm bolts back here that secure this hub and backing plate on. Ours are in pretty bad shape so we're going to spray them with some rust penetrant and just let it sit for a second. Now, again, we're just going to fast-forward here, but you can see he's using that piece of pipe for extra leverage as he removes those four bolts.
Once you get them started you can just use the ratchet, but the pipe definitely helps to get them going. Now, what you want to do, is there's actually an ABS wire that comes off of this hub here. You just want to remove that 5mm Allen bolt. To actually get that wire off you may need to pry it a little bit with a flat blade screwdriver. It does come out. You can just set it aside for now.
Now, to get the hub off, you just want to put a bolt back in just a quarter of a way, hammer the back of the hub, and once it breaks free that bolt will actually stop it from flying out. Now you can remove the bolt. Just make sure you have the hold of the hub. When the bolt comes out the hub will come free.
Now we just need to get the hub free from the backing plate. The backing plate actually just slides right off. You can see here, old hub on the left, brand new hub on the right from 1A Auto. This one actually comes with a new ABS wire, so we'll show you how to take the old one off. But you can see they're identical.
The next thing you want to do just take a wire brush and clean the inside of this. Once it's cleaned up just add a little white grease. Now, we're going to show you how to remove this old ABS wire. If you lift this hose up here, you can see where the connector is.
To start off, what you want to do you can use a pair of pliers or a flat blade screwdriver and you just want to pry these clips free. There should be about three of them. Now, for the connector, what you want to do is just pry that hose out of the way, and then you can just pry up the back part of the wire harness. Makes it a little easier to get that clip. All you have to do is pry up the tab there, it pulls free, and you're all set.
To put the new hub back on, you just want to put your backing plate into place, line up your hub, and make sure that the ABS wire is out of the way. You don't want it pinched inside the hub or anything, so just tuck it back where it should go, but don't worry about actually setting it yet. Now you can just replace the bolts and the hub to hold it in place. We're just going to fast-forward as he puts them in first by hand, and then tightens them up with the socket. Now you just want to torque those four bolts to 80 foot-pounds.
Now, to reconnect this new ABS wire, what you want to do just bring your caliper down out of the way and the wire just clips on in all the same spots as the old one did. You just want to push the connector back together, and then push that back in in the front there, and it's all set.
Now you just want to put your rotor back on. You'll see here that we actually have a new rotor. Our old one was in pretty bad shape. 1A Auto sells exact matches of the rotor for this vehicle. What you want to do is just put one of the nuts on it. This will help keep it secure while you put the brakes back together.
Now, you can put your caliper bracket back on and replace those bolts. You want to just do them first by hand, and then once you get them lined up, and both of them in place, then you can use a socket and ratchet to tighten them the rest of the way. Now you want to torque those bolts to 100 foot-pounds.
Now you can put your brake pads back in. Now, for these caliber pins, you want to clean them off a little bit and then put some white grease on them so it'll help them slide easier. Pull down your caliper and just fit it into place. Now you can see up here, you want that little gasket there to go in and you can slide your bolts back in.
We'll fast-forward here as he tightens those up with a socket and ratchet. Torque these bolts to 100 foot-pounds. We're just going to fast-forward here as you remove that nut, put the wheel into place, then you just want to replace all those nuts, and tighten them in a crossing pattern.
Again, if you don't have air tools, you just want to lower the vehicle and tighten those the rest of the way on the ground. Then you want to torque those lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds. Before actually driving the vehicle, you want to pump the brakes until they're firm. Then you want to do a test stopping for five miles per hour and then ten.
We hope this video helps you out. Brought to you by www.1AAuto.com, your source for quality replacement parts and the best service on the Internet. Please feel free to call us toll-free, 888-844-3393. We're the company that's here for you on the Internet and in person.
How to Replace Wheel Bearing Hub Assembly 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am
Watch this video to learn how to replace the wheel bearing & hub assembly in this 99-05 Pontiac Grand Am.
