Rear Wheel Bearing?? - knocking

[Mark-J]

I've had a knocking sound on the rear of our '71 bus for a few months now, like a loose nut knocking occasionally. The other day I heard what sounded like a pop too, something definately not happy. The van's only just gone through it's MOT so I thought I better jack it up and investigate. If I grab the wheel at 2 and 8o'clock and rock it, it knocks, any other combination is nice and solid. I never even thought about the wheel bearing as it's actually the only one on the van thats ever been changed (about 3 years back)

The CV's are all tight so, it is a case of new bearing, or can they be tightened up?

thanks
Mark

 

[Trikky2]

No you cant tighten the rear wheel bearings. They are not tapered like the front ones. When you buy replacement bearings its worth paying a bit more for a well known brand if possible

 

[Mark-J]

That's what I thought. One of the only things I've never actually done on the van myself.... ho hum

 

[Trikky2]

Dont worry - its really not hard - and quite well explained in Haynes for instance. Hardest bit for many is undoing the nut. You need to buy or borrow the big socket 3/4 drive and bar plus a length of steel tube like scaffold pole to extend it.

 

[BJ1]

It's unlikely to be the rear wheel bearings. They are designed to have some play in them. Around 0.5mm at the rim is perfectly acceptable. Although your CV joints are tight it's possible that one is very worn or perhaps is running a bit dry. Before you start ripping the hubs apart try getting some more grease into the CV rubbers and squishing it into the joints. Might save yourself a lot of work

 

[Mark-J]

I might well do that, the only reason I didn't suspect the CV's is because they've only done about 8000 miles since I replaced them all. Also surely if the wheel feels loose in any axis it has to be the bearings? doesn't it?