rear wheel bearings

Struts, strut pivot bearings and the like I always buy new. To me, using used suspension parts is not worth the risk. On the rear bearings, look at the bearings. If the rolers and races are still smooth and there is no flaking off of the surface, they are still good. Give them a good cleaning and re-grease and they should be fine. Nice thing about tapered bearings is that there is a good deal of adjustment by tensioning the hub nut. If you do have to change the bearing, do be sure to drive out the old race and install the new one. I decided to skip that step once and had to replace the bearing and race again in a few thousand miles.

Thank's for the tip. I priced a Monroe strut(without the coil spring and top bearing plate) at $140.00(can) seems pricey but I'll shop around. I work for TRW safety systems(manufacturing) but the company won't hand out any discounts of any kind; different division TRW suspension parts, even though we stamp tie rod ends for them. I've got some synthetic bearing grease for the rear bearings I'll try that. Thanks again for your help.

Are you talking about the rear wheel "hub"? It is sealed and is considered a non-servicable part. If it developes play or noise you replace it. There is no way that I have seen to grease modern wheel hubs.

--------------------------------------------------------------- Rear Suspension Description and Operation (S-Series)

A MacPherson strut type rear suspension is used on all Saturn vehicles. The strut contains an internal damper, much like a conventional shock absorber. Therefore, strut assemblies consisting of a strut and a coil spring provide both spring and shock absorber functions. If the strut becomes damaged or worn, it must be replaced as a unit since it is not serviceable.

The strut assembly is connected to the vehicle at three locations. The top of the strut is fastened to the vehicle body by fasteners. The bottom of the strut is attached to the crossmember through the knuckle and lateral links, providing side-to-side stability, and to the vehicle body through a trailing arm, providing front-to-rear stability.

Although the rear suspension components are lubricated for life and require no routine lubrication, they should be inspected periodically for damage and wear.

The rear hub/bearing assembly cannot be disassembled or greased - it is a sealed, non-serviceable unit. And I've heard in the past from a Saturn engineer that when they fail, there is seldom any warning (they don't make any noise). Best to replace them before that happens.

KYB struts can be had new for around $50 (US) if you shop around on the web. And by all means, replace the rubber strut mounts at the same time. I skipped that, and at around 130,000 miles, one of the rear strut rods broke through the worn top rubber mount and came through the rear deck. All because I was too cheap to replace them when I did the struts.

My website's faq section covers a good way to remove rusted-on rear hubs, if you're inclined to do the job yourself.

Lane [ lane (at) evilplastic.com ]

No because the variables involved in wearing out shocks and struts are to great. (City driving will wear out shocks faster than smooth highway driving.)

There is a check you can easily do. Put your body weight into pushing up and down the front end of your car to get it bouncing. Then jump back and count how many times it continues to bob. If its more than 3 times then they most certainly need to be replaced. Repeat for the rear. You should probably do this after the car has been driven as well because when the struts warm up they are usually less effective.