Something Popped!!

[VT66PONY]

The initial pop felt like I was driving on a flat for a couple of miles but when i drove it today it didn't feel like anything was wrong....it just still has that loud knocking sound.

Where the driveshaft connects to the rearend....it looks like part of the rearend is broken off....if it is, can that part be replaced? Thanks for all the replies.

 

[notny41]

I think that is actually how it is supposed to look.

Mine looks like that too.

 

[VT66PONY]

Whew, that's good to know....

I'll check for wiggling of the wheels and the fluid.

If it is the bearing...how do I go about changing it?

 

[gingerbreadman]

Holey crap batman do we have alot of people giving advice that shouldnt be in this thread.


If Its bad enough for you to notice or worry about the vibration or noise its not the wheel weight!!!

the rear tires should turn freely if its jacked up in the air, unless you have a limited slip (wich you probly dont) if its in gear or not but put it in neutral anways,


that looks like a good old 9 inch to me, ya ya its got oil on it. most do, even 10 year old vehicles. Does it leave oil stains on the ground?

what you need to do is take that wheel off and get that drum off and see whats going on there. take pics of everything and post em up,

if you find nothing wrong once the drum is off we will go from there.



-gbm-

 

[bnickel]

i can almost guarantee you it's a rear wheel bearing, what you will need to do is take the axle out and take it to a machine shop so they remove the old bearing and lock collar and then press the new bearing and collar back on. the new collar will come in the box with the bearing. this is not something you can do yourself unless you ahve done it before and know what you're doing and also have a large hydraulic press. if the wheel has ANY up and down play when you wiggle it, it is for sure the bearing. shouldn't cost too much to do if you can remove the axle yourself about 20-25 bucks for the bearing and about the same for the labor to press it on, but since you have to remove the drum anyway it wouldn't hurt to put new brake shoes on in the back and in all honesty they'll probably be covered in axle lube anyway requiring new shoes, so you should probably go ahead and plan on spending the money for new shoes too.

 

[Ratdz]

Have you removed the brake drum yet?
I had this happen to my 67 several years ago and it turned out to be the small brake shoe retaining pin that holds the shoes to the backing plate. It made the same kind of popping/knocking noise. I just replaced the shoes and bought new brake hardware. keep us informed

 

[notny41]

That is exactly what I would bet it is. I was thinking brakes all along. Hope it is - that's a cheap, easy fix.

 

[VT66PONY]

Took the brake drum off today...I don't know what I'm looking at so I took some pictures. Although I think bnickel is right....its the wheel bearing. I took a hold of the lug bolts and wiggled it up and down...and yes...it does move.

Drum Off
Drum Off 2 Drum Off Bottom
Backside

How do I go about removing the axle?

I'm going to check to see if the wheel on the other side moves also...

Thanks everybody.

 

[VT66PONY]

Now I'm am almost definite that its the wheel bearing. I just jacked up the rear passenger side and it has no wiggle whatsoever. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. Thanks.

 

[yeloxr7]

that looks like a good old 9 inch to me-gbm-

Looks more like an 8-incher - look at the lower bolts. It looks like you could get a socket on them, which you can't do on a 9-er....

 

[yeloxr7]

Took the brake drum off today...I don't know what I'm looking at so I took some pictures. Although I think bnickel is right....its the wheel bearing. I took a hold of the lug bolts and wiggled it up and down...and yes...it does move.

Drum Off
Drum Off 2 Drum Off Bottom
Backside

How do I go about removing the axle?

I'm going to check to see if the wheel on the other side moves also...

Thanks everybody.

Looks like the axle seals are bad too. Replace the bearings and seals on BOTH sides. Also you should really think about replacing the brake shoes and return springs. All that rust looks kinda scary. Shop manual will show how to remove axles.

 

[gjz30075]

What I'd be worried about is that if you find the bearing all apart, it could have put shrapnel throughout the housing; but if the seal is somewhat good, you might be ok. When you pull the axle and seal, check in the housing and make sure there's no metal bits where they shouldn't be.