Update2: That did not work...Update: may have found out why...How many fucking wheel bearings can the Vette eat thru...

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53) 06/29/2020 at 21:40 • Filed to: C5Z

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Update 2: Blue loctite did not do the trick. On the interwebz I found that C6 Vettes had a TSB which upped the torque spec to 160lbft and adviced to use red loctite. This was coz *ding ding* the nuts were backing off. Now the nut size and the wheel bearings are the same between a C4, C5 and C6 so thats what I’ve done now; I’ve used the C6 spec. As an added redundancy, I’ve also put jam nuts on em:

I hope this solves the issue. I quite like this car now and this is the only dumb issue remaining that unresolved.

Update: idk why but I checked the torque on the axle spindle nuts, both were at less than 80lbft (probably around 60lbft) while the spec calls for 118lbft. Them backing out is most probably why the bearing die so suddenly....gonna get some new nuts and put blue loctite on em now...

Original post:

.... answer is +1 than last time.

One more rear bearing was bad. This one had less than 1000 miles on it. Mind you, I had replaced the previous one under warranty coz it shat the bed after ~2000 miles.

I just don’t get whats happening with this issue (I had replaced 3 bearings under warranty last time round).

Just 1 bearing was bad this time so makes me think that there is some sort of quality issue with SKF and I randomly get bad bearings...

I’ve already replaced it with a MOOG one, lets see how long this lasts.

Ooh and the Vette has used up ~8 bearings till date

As always, #BlameBeaterGT

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:10

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If it was something not-a-vette eating this many bearings, something with a rootin’ tootin’ merica-shootin’ beam axle, I’d say it was a bent axle case causing bearing munch . However, since that’s obviously not it...

Gone > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:20

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Timken? Aren’t there some SKF HD bearings for the C5? Xtracker or something like that ?
The 4th Gen F_bodies use C4 hubs/bearings (sealed, stupid ball bearings too) on the front and eat them on the reg w/track days. A couple peo ple have made XHD ta pered bearing setups for them. So m aybe another solution exists for the C5 then to ?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:27

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Where are you sourcing them from? They aren't chinesium knockoffs, are they?

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:31

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That’s just weird... the axle and suspension geometries are all OK?

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:45

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Check that your axles aren’t unbalanced or bent immediately!! If there’s a vibration, even a slight one, in a rotating assembly, the bearings are the first to go. Unbalanced wheels can do it too, but you’d be more likely to feel that.

BeaterGT > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:50

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I’m thinking it’s not the bearings. That seems awfully suspect imo . But I’ll gladly take the blame !

MM54 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 13:59

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My friend’s JCW M ini ate 6 or 7 wheel bearings in the course of like two years, I think some vehicles just miss the mark for spec’ing appropriate parts (or there’s something whacky with your alignment?)

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Gone 06/06/2020 at 14:30

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They were SKF bearings but not the HD ones. The HD ones cost ~$350 for one so they are quite expensive.

I may have to use em if nothing else works....

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > MM54 06/06/2020 at 14:31

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Funny that my Mini has eaten 2 Timken bearings as well, the SKF ones in there are working well tho...

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish 06/06/2020 at 14:32

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I guess? I did just change all the suspension so there is that....but the car drives quite well right now so I think the suspension is doing what its supposed to

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > BeaterGT 06/06/2020 at 14:32

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Haha I was JK

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/06/2020 at 14:32

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SKF bearings from Rockauto

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 06/06/2020 at 14:34

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So I had checked the axles the last time it eat bearings and visually they seemed straight. I also could not find any impact marks to suggest that they may have been damaged by road debris. Furthermore , when the diff was rebuilt by a shop last year, I had asked them to look at the driveshafts to see if they need to be replaced or not; they said they were fine...

Snuze: Needs another Swede > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 14:36

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I figured it was at least worth asking. But RockAuto is good, so I wouldn't doubt them. As you suggest, perhaps you got some bad ones?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/06/2020 at 14:38

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Ya but this would be the second time that I got a bad one...Maybe its from the same bad batch as the older ones? Who knows...At this point if the MOOG one works, thats what I’ll use doing ahead. Fuck SKF if its a QC problem

BeaterGT > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 15:21

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(refills spray bottle of salt water)

Urambo Tauro > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 15:59

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What torque spec are you using?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Urambo Tauro 06/06/2020 at 16:03

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From the factory manual, confirmed via various sources on the internet.

96 lbft for the wheel hub bolts, 118 lbft for axle spindle nut...

Urambo Tauro > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 16:50

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Hm, well I’m sure y ou’ve done more googling than I have on the matter... I take it there’s no TSB issued to update the spec or anything?

How about the threads themselves? Is there anything that might be affecting the final torque? Rusted/dirty/damaged threads? Is there any evidence of the nut having loosened itself since last assembly?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Urambo Tauro 06/06/2020 at 16:55

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There was a TSB which dropped the torque spec on the spindle nut from 160lbft to 118 but thats about it...

The threads seem to be fine on everything...this time round tho I put red loctite in the hub assembly bolts (ones torqued to 96 lbft)

Verdog ~ manual Bro, Bro - HellHawk Equipped > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/06/2020 at 18:56

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Whatever you say, plus infinity, plus 1.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > BeaterGT 06/16/2020 at 15:22

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Hey, question: does the vette have a tune on it? I drove around with no mid pipes (and no cats, secondary o2 sensors) and the car did not throw a CEL....

BeaterGT > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/17/2020 at 17:27

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It’s possible considering the intake and skip shift delete.  

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > BeaterGT 06/17/2020 at 18:46

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Ya....

It would be good if it doesn't require a tune after long tubes

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/26/2020 at 11:27

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That’s a new one.

facw > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 06/26/2020 at 11:31

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Huh? Kinja has had that since trolls were posting gory and /or pornographic pictures on Jezebel years ago.

Nibby > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/26/2020 at 11:53

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time to replace the suspension with one of those hydraulic ones

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Nibby 06/26/2020 at 13:02

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Gonna go low tech, rebar

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Nibby 06/26/2020 at 13:24

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Just bag it and stretch th e tires while adding massive amounts of negative camber.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/26/2020 at 13:25

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Maybe those bulbs burned out too. 

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/26/2020 at 19:16

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It is GM electronics so thats perfectly possible...

Urambo Tauro > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/26/2020 at 21:18

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Just saw the update. Interesting! Hope the threadlocker on the spindle does the trick.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Urambo Tauro 06/26/2020 at 21:23

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Im going auto crossing tomorrow, we will know soon enough.

Discerning > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/29/2020 at 22:33

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My C5Z went through wheel bearings when I drove it hard too. At least they aren't stupid expensive. But it's still frustrating.

I also regularly tightened the axle nut. I got into the habit of just checking it periodically. I really didn't like the idea of using loctite. 

shop-teacher > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/29/2020 at 22:52

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Oye!

PartyPooper2012 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/30/2020 at 07:36

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...Things to not look forward to.

My vette decided it did not like the tensioner pulley last night. Ate half of it. Threw belt off. Vomited coolant... all on a major highway. Hunt for replacement parts and beating the sun set  is always fun

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > PartyPooper2012 06/30/2020 at 08:34

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Not all Vette have this issue with the axle nuts. A friend has a base C5, he autocrosses it as well, no issues on his car.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Discerning 06/30/2020 at 08:35

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I don't like red loctite either but if that means the nuts will stay on and not kill the bearings every week...

PartyPooper2012 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/30/2020 at 08:39

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Mine is not a Z06... Let’s keep our fingers crossed I don’t have this issue...

I like upgrade wrenching... I don’t enjoy spending money on multiples of same part that keeps failing for unknown reason.

Back in the day, I had a 1989 Acura Integra LS. Had a somewhat of a complex distributor for some unknown reason

https://www.amazon.com/Distributor-Integra-1988-1989-Complete-Assembly/dp/B00WQYN7OE/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=1989+acura+integra+distributor&qid=1593520657&replacementKeywords=distributor&sr=8-5&vehicle=1989-58-742——————&vehicleName=1989+Acura+Integra

Bunch of extra shit on it. Anyway. Distributor (which at the time cost around 400-600 dollars depending on where you get it) kept failing. I went through like 4 distributors. Got expensive real fast. I bought the car for $ 1800...  That was annoying. Dealer couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Mechanics couldnt either. All we know is when you plop a new distributor in, it worked. 

RacinBob > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 06/30/2020 at 09:17

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I think it is time to look at other causes. How are those bearings mounted? Could there be slop on the hub or the hub carrier resulting in unwanted flex and/or loosening of the nut?

Or is there something that is preventing the bearing from fully being seated so that you are getting a false torque reading and after a few miles it seats? But then with the added tolerance you end up with insufficient torque on the nut to protect the bearing?

Bottom line I think is that the nut is not loosening. I think something is moving causing reduced clamping force. I would mark the nut and check the torque every time you drove it and see if you some day find the nut hasn’t moved but all the sudden you get another 20 degrees of rotation in order to get back to torque spec......

Maybe there is a problem with the aluminum hub carrier.....