Piotr01234
New member
***Warning***
Do this at your own risk
I will not be held liable for anyone/anything
I have uploaded a video to YouTube. The link is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dUgyqCnAz8
If you do not want to click on the link, then go to YouTube and search for "Piotr Bilek." Click on my channel and you will find a video titled “Chevrolet Sonic – Replace Front Wheel Bearing and Lower Ball Joint”
At the time that I noticed this, the car had around 72k miles on it. The bearings were replaced around 75k miles. There was no play. Most of my driving was in downtown Chicago. Do not get fooled by my video. Those roads are in the suburbs. It is much worse in Chicago.
Tools
Sockets – ¾in, 10mm, 15mm, 17mm, 18mm, 21mm, 36mm
Bits – T30, 3/16th hex
Wrenches – 8mm, 10mm, 18mm
Torque Angle Gauge
Torque Wrenches
Hammer/Mallet
Slide Hammer
Chisel
Jack
Wheel Wedges
Snap Ring Pliers
Front Wheel Bearing Adapters/Press
Grease Gun
Breaker Bar/Impact Gun
Grinder
Parts (Double Check for Yourself)
Wheel Bearing – GM 13592067, ACDelco FW395 (Do not cheap out)
Axle Nut – GM 13208672
Brake Caliper Bracket Bolt – GM 11516330
Wheel Hub (Optional) – GM 13588470
Snap Ring (Optional) – GM 13268964
ABS Speed Sensor (Optional) – GM 94544449 (LEFT), GM 94544448 (RIGHT)
Lower Ball Joint (Optional) – GM 95907943, ACDelco 45D1524, Moog K500317 (recommended)
Brake Pad (Optional) – GM 42570931, ACDelco 171-1216
Brake Rotor (Optional) – GM 23118274, ACDelco 177-1053
Step 1 - Identify the Bad Bearing/s
The sound of the bad bearings began as a howl from the front. I noticed this in April. I got a tire rotation, wheel balance, and an alignment done. The sound was still there. As I continued to drive the vehicle, it started to growl and I could feel vibrations. The intensity of the sound and vibrations would change when I slightly turned in one direction or the other. It was the loudest on highways but alright on 25mph roads. This portion of the video shows you how loud it got. What I noticed was that if you turn left and it gets louder, it is a bad left wheel bearing. The same goes for the right.
If you have a lot of miles, you will be replacing both. Just do it one at a time. Make sure there are no issues with your braking system before you do the other side.
Step 2 - Lift Up Car and Take Off Wheel
Put the jack in the correct spot to lift up the car. Put wheel wedges behind your rear wheels and pull the handbrake. Raise the car a bit and loosen the lug nuts with a ¾in socket. If you are having some difficulties, then use a pipe to help you loosen the lug nuts. Continue to lift the car until the wheel is off the ground. Unscrew the lug nuts and take off the wheel. If the wheel is stuck, tap the sidewall with a mallet (or kick it) to get it off. Make sure you have a lug nut to prevent it from falling off when you hit it. Put the wheel under the car in a way that if the jack gives out, the car drops on top of the wheel.
Step 3 - Unscrew Axle Nut
Insert a screwdriver/punch into the brake rotor in a way that it makes contact with the caliper when turned counterclockwise. Make sure that the punch makes contact with the caliper bracket. The other option is to have someone else step on the brake. Unscrew the axle nut with a 36mm socket. I used an impact gun, but a breaker bar will work just fine. Take out the screwdriver/punch if you used one.
Step 4 - Remove Brakes
Unscrew the two brake caliper guide pin bolts with a 10mm and carefully remove the brake caliper. You must use hand tools for the 10mm blots. Do your best not to damage the piston. Do not let the caliper hang by the brake hose. I used a zip tie and it hung onto the spring. Unscrew the two brake caliper bracket bolts with an 18mm and remove the brake caliper bracket. I left the brake pads in the brackets. Unscrew the brake rotor bolt with a t30 bit and remove the brake rotor. If the rotor is stuck, then take a mallet
Step 5 - Remove Brake Dust Shield and ABS Speed Senor
Unscrew the 3 brake dust shield bolts with a 10mm and remove the brake dust shield. Spray some PB Blaster around the sides of the ABS speed sensor. I tried WD40 but PB Blaster was much more effective. Unscrew the ABS speed sensor bolt with a 3/16th hex bit and carefully remove the ABS speed sensor. I was able to get both out without breaking them. Now I have a spare sensor collecting dust. Clean it up and move it away.
Step 6 - Remove Wheel Hub
Mark the strut bolts and the tie rod. I did this for alignment purposes. It was off a bit but better than what most people show up with after doing their own work. Loosen the axle from the wheel hub. To do this, take a punch and put it in the center of the axle. Lightly hit the punch with a hammer. If you want, put some more supports under the car. Attach a slide hammer to the wheel hub. I did not have an actual slide hammer so I used what I had available to me. I took a scaffolding screw jack and I put an old rotor on it. I drilled 5 holes into the base plate. Once done, I attached it to the wheel hub. With a 35lb weight, I was able to get it off with 6 hits. Once the wheel hub is separated form the bearing, take off the slide hammer. A potion of the wheel bearing will be stuck on the wheel hub. You have two options. Option 1, use a new wheel hub. Option 2, remove that portion from the hub. You will have to grind down a small potion of the bearing and then you will have to pry it off.
At this point, it depends on what you will be doing. If you are going to use a press or use front wheel bearing adapters and will be replacing the lower ball joints, then then you will be doing everything in Step 7. If you are going to use front wheel bearing adapters and will NOT be replacing the lower ball joints, then unscrew the strut bolts to get the axle out and skip to Step 8.
Step 7 - Remove Knuckle
Unscrew the outer tie rod nut with an 18mm. I was unable to find a deep socket 18mm so I used a 19mm instead. If it starts spinning, use an 18mm and an 8mm to get it off. Separate the tie rod from the knuckle. Unscrew the 2 strut nuts with a 21mm and remove the strut bolts. Keep the nuts on the bolts when you hammer them out. Separate the strut from the knuckle. Move the axle out of the way. Unscrew the ball joint nut with a 15mm and remove the ball joint bolt. Separate the ball joint from the knuckle.
Step 8 - Remove Wheel Bearing and Snap Ring
Remove the snap ring with some pliers. Remove the wheel bearing with a press or with front wheel bearing adapters.
Step 9 - Install New Bearing, Hub, and Snap Ring
Inspect the knuckle. Make sure there are no issues with it before you waste your time and energy. I got a wheel bearing pressed in for $65 at a local Meineke shop. It was not fun using the front wheel bearing adapters. There was two of us doing this. Clean and put some grease inside the knuckle. Put some grease onto the wheel bearing. Press in the new bearing into the knuckle. You will press on the outer portion of the bearing. Make sure that the rubber magnetic part (ABS Tone Ring) is facing inward. Do not damage it. Put some grease onto the wheel hub. Press in the hub into the bearing. Make sure you are pressing on the inner portion of the bearing and only on the inner portion of the bearing. Put in the snap ring in such a way that the speed sensor could get in. Make sure it spins smoothly.
Step 10 - Inspect Joints
The lower ball joint boot was torn on the passenger side. The driver side ball joint was good, but it is just easier to replace it when the knuckle is out of the way. To remove the lower ball joint, grind down the tops of the ball joint rivets. Make sure that there is nothing flammable near by and that the new bearing is nowhere near it. Once the tops are grinded down, put at least a 17mm under the rivets. Hammer out the 3 rivets and the ball joint will fall. Inspect the control arm for any cracks and damage. Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint with a 10mm. Pump up the ball joint with grease. Attach the ball joint to the control arm. I used a Moog ball joint and the bolts are 17mm while the nuts are 15mm. Tighten to 42 lb-ft with a 17mm (blot) and 15mm (nut).
Do this at your own risk
I will not be held liable for anyone/anything
I have uploaded a video to YouTube. The link is below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dUgyqCnAz8
If you do not want to click on the link, then go to YouTube and search for "Piotr Bilek." Click on my channel and you will find a video titled “Chevrolet Sonic – Replace Front Wheel Bearing and Lower Ball Joint”
At the time that I noticed this, the car had around 72k miles on it. The bearings were replaced around 75k miles. There was no play. Most of my driving was in downtown Chicago. Do not get fooled by my video. Those roads are in the suburbs. It is much worse in Chicago.
Tools
Sockets – ¾in, 10mm, 15mm, 17mm, 18mm, 21mm, 36mm
Bits – T30, 3/16th hex
Wrenches – 8mm, 10mm, 18mm
Torque Angle Gauge
Torque Wrenches
Hammer/Mallet
Slide Hammer
Chisel
Jack
Wheel Wedges
Snap Ring Pliers
Front Wheel Bearing Adapters/Press
Grease Gun
Breaker Bar/Impact Gun
Grinder
Parts (Double Check for Yourself)
Wheel Bearing – GM 13592067, ACDelco FW395 (Do not cheap out)
Axle Nut – GM 13208672
Brake Caliper Bracket Bolt – GM 11516330
Wheel Hub (Optional) – GM 13588470
Snap Ring (Optional) – GM 13268964
ABS Speed Sensor (Optional) – GM 94544449 (LEFT), GM 94544448 (RIGHT)
Lower Ball Joint (Optional) – GM 95907943, ACDelco 45D1524, Moog K500317 (recommended)
Brake Pad (Optional) – GM 42570931, ACDelco 171-1216
Brake Rotor (Optional) – GM 23118274, ACDelco 177-1053
Step 1 - Identify the Bad Bearing/s
The sound of the bad bearings began as a howl from the front. I noticed this in April. I got a tire rotation, wheel balance, and an alignment done. The sound was still there. As I continued to drive the vehicle, it started to growl and I could feel vibrations. The intensity of the sound and vibrations would change when I slightly turned in one direction or the other. It was the loudest on highways but alright on 25mph roads. This portion of the video shows you how loud it got. What I noticed was that if you turn left and it gets louder, it is a bad left wheel bearing. The same goes for the right.
If you have a lot of miles, you will be replacing both. Just do it one at a time. Make sure there are no issues with your braking system before you do the other side.
Step 2 - Lift Up Car and Take Off Wheel
Put the jack in the correct spot to lift up the car. Put wheel wedges behind your rear wheels and pull the handbrake. Raise the car a bit and loosen the lug nuts with a ¾in socket. If you are having some difficulties, then use a pipe to help you loosen the lug nuts. Continue to lift the car until the wheel is off the ground. Unscrew the lug nuts and take off the wheel. If the wheel is stuck, tap the sidewall with a mallet (or kick it) to get it off. Make sure you have a lug nut to prevent it from falling off when you hit it. Put the wheel under the car in a way that if the jack gives out, the car drops on top of the wheel.
Step 3 - Unscrew Axle Nut
Insert a screwdriver/punch into the brake rotor in a way that it makes contact with the caliper when turned counterclockwise. Make sure that the punch makes contact with the caliper bracket. The other option is to have someone else step on the brake. Unscrew the axle nut with a 36mm socket. I used an impact gun, but a breaker bar will work just fine. Take out the screwdriver/punch if you used one.
Step 4 - Remove Brakes
Unscrew the two brake caliper guide pin bolts with a 10mm and carefully remove the brake caliper. You must use hand tools for the 10mm blots. Do your best not to damage the piston. Do not let the caliper hang by the brake hose. I used a zip tie and it hung onto the spring. Unscrew the two brake caliper bracket bolts with an 18mm and remove the brake caliper bracket. I left the brake pads in the brackets. Unscrew the brake rotor bolt with a t30 bit and remove the brake rotor. If the rotor is stuck, then take a mallet
Step 5 - Remove Brake Dust Shield and ABS Speed Senor
Unscrew the 3 brake dust shield bolts with a 10mm and remove the brake dust shield. Spray some PB Blaster around the sides of the ABS speed sensor. I tried WD40 but PB Blaster was much more effective. Unscrew the ABS speed sensor bolt with a 3/16th hex bit and carefully remove the ABS speed sensor. I was able to get both out without breaking them. Now I have a spare sensor collecting dust. Clean it up and move it away.
Step 6 - Remove Wheel Hub
Mark the strut bolts and the tie rod. I did this for alignment purposes. It was off a bit but better than what most people show up with after doing their own work. Loosen the axle from the wheel hub. To do this, take a punch and put it in the center of the axle. Lightly hit the punch with a hammer. If you want, put some more supports under the car. Attach a slide hammer to the wheel hub. I did not have an actual slide hammer so I used what I had available to me. I took a scaffolding screw jack and I put an old rotor on it. I drilled 5 holes into the base plate. Once done, I attached it to the wheel hub. With a 35lb weight, I was able to get it off with 6 hits. Once the wheel hub is separated form the bearing, take off the slide hammer. A potion of the wheel bearing will be stuck on the wheel hub. You have two options. Option 1, use a new wheel hub. Option 2, remove that portion from the hub. You will have to grind down a small potion of the bearing and then you will have to pry it off.
At this point, it depends on what you will be doing. If you are going to use a press or use front wheel bearing adapters and will be replacing the lower ball joints, then then you will be doing everything in Step 7. If you are going to use front wheel bearing adapters and will NOT be replacing the lower ball joints, then unscrew the strut bolts to get the axle out and skip to Step 8.
Step 7 - Remove Knuckle
Unscrew the outer tie rod nut with an 18mm. I was unable to find a deep socket 18mm so I used a 19mm instead. If it starts spinning, use an 18mm and an 8mm to get it off. Separate the tie rod from the knuckle. Unscrew the 2 strut nuts with a 21mm and remove the strut bolts. Keep the nuts on the bolts when you hammer them out. Separate the strut from the knuckle. Move the axle out of the way. Unscrew the ball joint nut with a 15mm and remove the ball joint bolt. Separate the ball joint from the knuckle.
Step 8 - Remove Wheel Bearing and Snap Ring
Remove the snap ring with some pliers. Remove the wheel bearing with a press or with front wheel bearing adapters.
Step 9 - Install New Bearing, Hub, and Snap Ring
Inspect the knuckle. Make sure there are no issues with it before you waste your time and energy. I got a wheel bearing pressed in for $65 at a local Meineke shop. It was not fun using the front wheel bearing adapters. There was two of us doing this. Clean and put some grease inside the knuckle. Put some grease onto the wheel bearing. Press in the new bearing into the knuckle. You will press on the outer portion of the bearing. Make sure that the rubber magnetic part (ABS Tone Ring) is facing inward. Do not damage it. Put some grease onto the wheel hub. Press in the hub into the bearing. Make sure you are pressing on the inner portion of the bearing and only on the inner portion of the bearing. Put in the snap ring in such a way that the speed sensor could get in. Make sure it spins smoothly.
Step 10 - Inspect Joints
The lower ball joint boot was torn on the passenger side. The driver side ball joint was good, but it is just easier to replace it when the knuckle is out of the way. To remove the lower ball joint, grind down the tops of the ball joint rivets. Make sure that there is nothing flammable near by and that the new bearing is nowhere near it. Once the tops are grinded down, put at least a 17mm under the rivets. Hammer out the 3 rivets and the ball joint will fall. Inspect the control arm for any cracks and damage. Attach the grease fitting to the ball joint with a 10mm. Pump up the ball joint with grease. Attach the ball joint to the control arm. I used a Moog ball joint and the bolts are 17mm while the nuts are 15mm. Tighten to 42 lb-ft with a 17mm (blot) and 15mm (nut).
