Chevy Silverado Front Wheel Bearing Failure

New wheel bearing hub assembly

New wheel bearing hub assembly

I have to first start off by saying that this post does not just pertain to Chevy Silverado trucks. This post is meant for any vehicle that has a hub style wheel bearing with an axle nut. Or for any vehicle with a rear wheel bearing hub assembly that has a spindle that goes through the the hub and is fastened by a spindle nut. I have  replaced many wheel bearing assembly’s on GM vehicles that’s for sure. I have  replaced many wheel bearings on all makes and models of vehicles and will likely replace many more. The biggest complaint is that GM wheel bearings do not last very long and that they can fail between 70 – 100k miles. Even worse replacement bearings are said to last less than half of that. If you buy a cheaper wheel bearing /hub assembly and it may or may not last as long as a more expensive quality one this is true. However I have been reading through a lot of forums about premature replacement wheel bearing failure and heres what I found. I didn’t see one that mentioned the importance of torqueing  the axle nut or spindle nut to specifications. For example the wheel bearing that I replaced in this 2001 Chevy Silverado is supposed to be hand tightend to 177 foot lbs. If your mechanic is over tightening the axle nut with an impact gun it will likely shorten the life of the new wheel bearing.

 

Pointing at axle nut that needs to be hand torqued to specifications.

Pointing at axle nut that needs to be hand torqued to specifications.

 

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