2008 Yukon Denali wheel bearing

[Carlo]

Left front wheel bearing is making humming sound. So I guess the wheel bearing is going....Is it necessary to change the whole hub or can I replace only the bearing? Thanks for your help.

 

[Geotrash]

Left front wheel bearing is making humming sound. So I guess the wheel bearing is going....Is it necessary to change the whole hub or can I replace only the bearing? Thanks for your help.

The hub is a sealed unit. Buy a good one - Timken or OEM.

 

[Carlo]

So you see, really a newbie....thanks for your help, appreciate it.

 

[89Suburban]

So you see, really a newbie....thanks for your help, appreciate it.

Are you doing it yourself? They can be tough to break free from the spindle if there is corrosion/rust. @Tonyrodz told us about this trick using a chisel gun.

 

[Jonmurphy]

Left front wheel bearing is making humming sound. So I guess the wheel bearing is going....Is it necessary to change the whole hub or can I replace only the bearing? Thanks for your help.

I like replacing the bearings you can get the preload correct that way , however there's very few places that will do it , An old time machine shop can do this And with 0 preload they will last forever. Otherwise you have to buy the whole assembly. Buy 1 with the guarantee, if you can find it. Try and find 1 with the copper crush Bearing preload inside, They should be a lot better because they have minimum preload.. GM screws up a lot of these bearings , Was sloppy Assembly All the corvettes from 63 up Had problems actually bearings, Were too tight , Or to o loose, and burned out . There is no provision for repacking. .Tapered roller bearings Cant have More than a fraction of an oz of preload, Nor can they have ,3 4, 1000s slop , The will wear out right away flake off, but Last much longer if you can get lube On them to keep them clean at least. A machine shop could do this there are some kits for some tapered roller bearings that were on the market For adding lubes.. on Tables I have removed the Brake sensors to enable Me to add Molly gear lube, inserted into the Front 4 wheel drive bearing units. So far this is worked perfectly. I'll let you guys know after a couple of hundred K.
miles. The unmasked mechanic big John

 

[Fless]

I like replacing the bearings you can get the preload correct that way , however there's very few places that will do it , An old time machine shop can do this And with 0 preload they will last forever. Otherwise you have to buy the whole assembly. Buy 1 with the guarantee, if you can find it. Try and find 1 with the copper crush Bearing preload inside, They should be a lot better because they have minimum preload.. GM screws up a lot of these bearings , Was sloppy Assembly All the corvettes from 63 up Had problems actually bearings, Were too tight , Or to o loose, and burned out . There is no provision for repacking. .Tapered roller bearings Cant have More than a fraction of an oz of preload, Nor can they have ,3 4, 1000s slop , The will wear out right away flake off, but Last much longer if you can get lube On them to keep them clean at least. A machine shop could do this there are some kits for some tapered roller bearings that were on the market For adding lubes.. on Tables I have removed the Brake sensors to enable Me to add Molly gear lube, inserted into the Front 4 wheel drive bearing units. So far this is worked perfectly. I'll let you guys know after a couple of hundred K.
miles. The unmasked mechanic big John

I'd like to see a link to available over-the-counter bearings for these trucks that has the ability to have the preload set by the installer. Got a link?

 

[B-train]

The only preload I'm aware on new, sealed, bearings is the axle nut torque. If you run er home with the old impact, chances are you'll get to do it again in a few thousand miles. You can run the nut down with the impact, but do the last couple threads with a torque wrench and a long pry bar to lock the hub from turning. Or, put the wheel on and let it touch the ground with enough weight to prevent the tire from spinning (if you have a center cap that allows for access).

 

[Tonyrodz]

Are you doing it yourself? They can be tough to break free from the spindle if there is corrosion/rust. @Tonyrodz told us about this trick using a chisel gun.

Gotta work smarter, not harder brother!

 

[petethepug]

Definitely GM or Timken. When the front passenger went out on our 09 the only thing available locally that day was Kragen generic or OEM AC Delco. The local dealer wanted $500 for it.

Make sure you source your own online and/or the shop is cool with you bringing it in.
Double check my sources but you'll need part # 84356643 or 19312369. They range from $150 for rebuild crap all the way up to $650 for OEM.

Rock Auto has a couple of OEM AWD hub assembly. The least expensive is a NEW ACDELCO # 515096A for $186.79 with unlimited milage warranty and 2 Yr labor if you want to have the dealer install it LOL. That's a smok'n deal

 

[Geotrash]

The only preload I'm aware on new, sealed, bearings is the axle nut torque. If you run er home with the old impact, chances are you'll get to do it again in a few thousand miles. You can run the nut down with the impact, but do the last couple threads with a torque wrench and a long pry bar to lock the hub from turning. Or, put the wheel on and let it touch the ground with enough weight to prevent the tire from spinning (if you have a center cap that allows for access).

I don't believe that it has any effect at all on these hubs. It's a solid steel collar that goes all the way through that the hub nut tightens against. It doesn't compress the bearings on these rigs at all.

 

[B-train]

I figured they were similar to what's in front wheel drive cars. I worked on a buick lucerne that was eating bearings and found the nut was just run down with an impact. Replaced the bearing and torqued nut to spec and it hasn't been back. My experience anyways. May be different with these, but after seeing that, it reinforced the torque to spec reasoning for me.

 

[Northwoods]

Left front wheel bearing is making humming sound. So I guess the wheel bearing is going....Is it necessary to change the whole hub or can I replace only the bearing? Thanks for your help.

We had an 08 Tahoe and over its life we replaced front wheel bearings 3 times. They are famous for that.

 

[89Suburban]

I know somebody here posted a cross section of the 4WD bearing. Trying my damndest to find it...

 

[89Suburban]

Here I found it.

Originating thread:

2wd and 4wd Hubs

@Dantheman1540 @drakon543 I think at the very least it is safe to say that it depends on HUB, it seems the ones that use the roll-formed bearing method are better built than the other ones that seem to fall off after a couple of feet..

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

 

[B-train]

I don't want to jinx myself, but I have NEVER had to replace a wheel bearing on any of the 2000-2017 GM fullsize vehicles I've owned over the last 22 years. Many of them well over 100k, and some well over 200k. I never saw it as a common issue. Luckily they are an easy repair if that changes.....

Edit: I do remember that my 2005 2500HD had one go out right before I traded it in. So, I guess I have 1 to reference. All the 1/2 ton vehicles have been stellar