How to Change a Wheel Bearing on a Chevy Truck

Before you try to change a wheel bearing on a Chevy truck, check your owner's manual to see if the wheel bearings are sealed. If this is the case, you should take your vehicle to a certified mechanic for bearing maintenance. Otherwise, you can change the wheel bearings yourself. These instructions are specific to the front wheels on a two-wheel drive truck but are also a general guide to replacing any wheel bearings on a Chevy truck.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wrench set
• Wheel bearing grease
• Torque wrench

1. Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable from your vehicle's battery. Loosen the lug nuts on the wheels for which you'll be changing the wheel bearings. Then raise and support your Chevy truck on jack stands. Remove the tire and wheel assembly or assemblies from the wheels you'll be working on.

2. Remove the brake rotor, then disconnect the wheel speed sensor and brake hose mounting bracket bolt from the steering knuckle. Disconnect the electrical connector for the wheel speed sensor.

3. Use a wrench to remove the mounting bolts for the hub and bearing assembly, then remove the hub and bearing assembly. If your Chevy truck is a 25-series, there's also an O-ring seal to the steering knuckle bore behind the hub assembly, which should be removed as well.

4. Clean all corrosion and contamination away from the steering knuckle bore, hub and bearing assembly. Install the new O-ring seal to the steering knuckle bore if you're working on a 25-series vehicle.

5. Lubricate the steering knuckle bore with wheel bearing grease. Insert the new bearings, connect the hub assembly and reconnect everything in the reverse order of which you disconnected it: Replace the electrical connector for the wheel speed sensor, reattach the wheel speed sensor and brake hose mounting bracket bolt to the steering knuckle, replace the brake rotor, and reinstall the tire and wheel assembly, hand-tightening the lug nuts with a wrench.

6. Lower the Chevy to the ground and torque the lug nuts on the tires to 133 foot lbs. of pressure.

Tips & Warnings

• Never work underneath a vehicle supported by a jack. The jack might collapse or shift suddenly, posing a serious risk of injury or death. Wheel bearings are critical to the function of your vehicle; if you feel out of your depth, contact a certified mechanic or experienced friend for help.

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