How to Replace a Hub Bearing on a Chevy Blazer

Replacing the hub bearing on your Chevy Blazer is not the easiest repair to attempt in your front or back yard. Considering the price of the hub bearing replacement, however, if you have the tools and mechanical skills, you might want to save some money on labor that installation centers would charge outrageous hourly rates to.

Things You'll Need

• Floor jack
• Jack stands (2)
• Wheel chock
• 1/2-inch drive breaker bar
• 1/2-inch drive ratchet
• 1/2-inch drive socket set
• Bungee cord
• Heavy rubber mallet
• Hub bearing socket
• Large flathead screwdriver
• Hammer
• Open end/box end combination hand wrench set
• Medium grade emery cloth
• 1/2-inch drive adjustable torque wrench
• Slide hammer
• Spray lubricant
• Replacement hub bearing assembly

Instructions

1. Park the Chevy Blazer on a flat, paved surface. Apply the parking brake. Turn the ignition one click towards the on position to unlock the steering wheel, but not so the powered accessory components come on.

2. Place a wheel chock behind one of the rear wheels.

3. Break the lug nuts loose on the front wheel you're replacing the hub bearing on with the breaker bar and a socket.

4. Lift the front of the Blazer with the floor jack and place the jack stand under the front frame rail. Lift the other side and place the other floor jack under that side front frame rail. This will allow you to manipulate the wheel back and forth with the steering unlocked and the front axle elevated. Remove the lug nuts and wheel.

5. Compress the piston of the front caliper by placing the large flathead screwdriver into the porthole on the front of the caliper and prying the outboard pad against the rotor. The wheel will turn, but that's okay. Compress the piston in far enough to get the caliper to move back and forth on the slide bolts. Locate the two caliper anchor bolts on the back of the knuckle and remove them with the ratchet and a socket. They may be tight and it might help to break them loose with the breaker bar at first. Pull the caliper off as an assembly and support it to the frame with a bungee cord to not allow it to dangle from the brake hose.

6. Remove the rotor. If the rotor is stuck to the hub, spray lubricant on the hub hole of the rotor and in behind it and strike it with the rubber mallet from behind. Turn it a quarter turn after a couple strikes and continue until it breaks free.

7. Determine if the Blazer has front ABS brakes. You can tell this by looking at the wheel to see if a black wire runs from the back of the knuckle on the hub bearing housing to the front engine frame rail. If so, this wire is part of the new bearing and will need to be unplugged and separated from the chassis. The plug is located on the engine frame rail and there are three screws/bolts that attach it to the chassis. Unplug the wire and remove the screws/bolts using either hand wrenches or the ratchet and a socket. If the Blazer is non ABS, skip this step.

8. Remove the hub bearing nut using the hub bearing socket and the breaker bar. Remove the washer beneath it. Tap on the spindle of the drive shaft until it moves slightly from the center of the bearing.

9. Locate the three hub bearing bolts on the back of the knuckle and remove them with the ratchet and a socket. Again, these are very tight and it would be wise to break them loose with the breaker bar first and switch over to the ratchet to speed up the process. The top bolt might be hard to get a socket on, but you'll be able to pull the drive shaft back a little bit and manipulate the socket on. Don't forget to turn the wheel if you need to for easier access to the bolts.

10. Apply the slide hammer to the hub bearing and place three lug nuts in place to lock the slide hammer to the lug studs of the bearing assembly. Hammer off the hub bearing. This will take some stamina and determination. As the bearing starts to separate from the hub, spray some lubricant into the seam and let it soak in and then continue slide hammering until you're successful.

11. Clean the center of the hub around the drive shaft where the hub bearing seats into the knuckle with emery cloth. The backing plate is situated between the bearing and the knuckle, so move that out of the way and clean the face of the knuckle as well with the emery cloth. Take your time and clean it as thoroughly as you can.

12. Place the new bearing into the knuckle, but remember to replace the backing plate in between. Ensure the splines on the drive shaft are situated into the center of the hub bearing correctly.

13. Press in on the bearing enough to thread the three hub bearing bolts into place. Tighten them with the socket and ratchet 3 to 4 times each and move to the next one. This will draw the bearing into the knuckle of the hub evenly. Tighten them until the bearing is flush to the hub and secure. Replace the hub bearing washer and nut and tighten to 140 ft.-lbs. using the torque wrench.

14. Reattach the new ABS wire (if equipped) to the chassis and replug the wire into the outlet. Replace the rotor and place the caliper onto the rotor. Line up the caliper anchor bolts and tighten with the ratchet and a socket.

15. Replace the wheel and lug nuts. Tighten the lug nuts flush to the hub, then lower the Blazer to the ground. Torque the lug nuts alternately with the torque wrench set at 100 ft.-lbs. Remove the wheel chock, release the parking brake and pump the foot brake pedal a few times to restore hydraulic pressure back to the compressed caliper piston.