Directions to Replace the Left Front Bearing/Hub Assembly for a 2005 4X4 Silverado

Between 1962 and 1987, then again from 1988 through 1999, Chevrolet offered the C- and K-series pickups, which indicated two- and four-wheel-drive, respectively. In 2000, the more modern Silverado replaced the C- and K-series altogether, after a one-year phase-out of the older models. The 2005 Silverados came in three sizes, 1500, 2500 and 3500. The base-level 1500 had optional four-wheel drive available; replacing the hub-and-bearing assembly on the four-wheel-drive 2005 Silverado is not a tough task and doing it yourself can save you money.

Things You'll Need

• Ratchet
• Socket
• Floor jack
• Jack stands
• Flathead screwdriver
• Bungee cord
• Axle shaft separator
• Parts cleaner
• Clean, lint-free cloth
• Wheel bearing grease
• Torque wrench
• New axle nut

Instructions

1. Loosen the front lug nuts on the left-front wheel with a ratchet and socket, and raise the front of the truck with a floor jack. Slide jack stands under the frame rails and lower the truck onto the jack stands. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel off the front hub.

2. Pry the cap from the center of the rotor, using a flathead screwdriver, exposing the axle nut under it. Instruct an assistant to hold the brake pedal, as you remove the axle nut with a ratchet and socket. Pull the washer from the axle shaft.

3. Remove the two caliper bracket bolts, using a ratchet and socket, and pull the caliper and bracket from the front spindle in one assembly. Hang the caliper and bracket from a nearby suspension component, using a bungee cord.

4. Position an axle shaft separator on the front hub so the wheel bolts go through the flanges in the separator and the screw part of the separator contacts the end of the axle shaft. Hand-tighten the lug nuts onto the wheel studs that have the separator’s flanges on them.

5. Tighten the axle separator with a ratchet and socket until the axle pops frees from the hub. Remove the three bolts securing the hub to the front steering knuckle, using a ratchet and socket. Pull the hub from the steering knuckle until you can access the bolt securing the antilock wheel speed sensor to the hub. Remove the wheel speed sensor’s retaining bolt with a ratchet and socket, and pull the sensor from the hub. Pull the hub’s dust guard from the steering knuckle.

6. Clean the hub’s mounting surface inside the steering knuckle with parts cleaner and a clean, lint-free cloth. Apply a thin coating of wheel bearing grease to the hub’s mounting area inside the steering knuckle.

7. Position the hub’s dust guard onto the steering knuckle. Reinsert the wheel speed sensor into the hub and hand-thread the speed sensor’s retaining bolt. Tighten the speed sensor bolt to 13 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

8. Slide the hub into its mounting area in the steering knuckle, guiding the axle shaft into the hole in the center of the hub, and hand-thread the hub’s three retaining bolts. Tighten the three hub nuts to 133 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

9. Slide the washer onto the axle shaft and hand-thread a new axle nut.

10. Press the rotor back onto the hub, and set the caliper and caliper bracket in place on the front spindle. Hand-thread the caliper bracket bolts, then torque them to 13 foot-pounds with a torque wrench and socket.

11. Instruct your assistant to press and hold the brake pedal, as you tighten the axle nut to 177 foot-pounds.

12. Reinstall the left-front wheel and hand-tighten the lug nuts. Raise the Silverado off the jack stands with a floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the truck to the ground and tighten the lug nuts, in a crisscross pattern, to 140 foot-pounds.

Tips & Warnings

• The hub bearings on the 2005 Silverado are greased and sealed, so there is no way or need to add grease to the bearings.

References

• Mitchell1 OnDemand 5: 2005 Chevrolet Silverado Hub and Bearing Removal & Installation
• Edmunds.com: Chevrolet Silverado History