How to Replace Wheel Bearing & Hub Assembly 99-04 Oldsmobile Alero

Difficulty: Advanced · About 100 min · Oldsmobile Alero

Replace the front wheel bearing and hub assembly, including the rotor and caliper, on a 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero.

Steps

1. Remove the wheel

   Pry off the hub cap, loosen the lug nuts, raise and support the car, then remove the lug nuts and wheel, turning the hub for easier access to the caliper.

2. Remove the brakes

   Remove the caliper's two 12mm bolts with a breaker bar, compress the piston with a C-clamp, pull the caliper off, remove the brake pads and check their wear, inspect the rotor (cleaning a new one with brake cleaner if replacing it), remove the caliper bracket's bolts with a 13mm socket and breaker bar, then pull the rotor off.

3. Remove the old hub

   Disconnect the ABS sensor, remove the 35mm hub nut, refit the wheel and lower the car to help break the nut loose if needed, loosen the three 13mm nuts on the back of the hub with a breaker bar, use a puller (or a careful hammer strike, avoiding the CV joint) to break the axle free from the hub, then remove the 13mm nuts completely and pull the hub off.

4. Install the new hub

   Feed the ABS harness through and center the axle in the hub, evenly tighten the three 13mm bolts and torque them to about 65 ft-lb, connect the ABS sensor harness, then thread on the hub nut, refit the wheel, lower the car, and torque the hub nut to about 173 ft-lb before raising the car again to continue.

5. Reinstall the brakes

   Slide the rotor onto the hub, mount the caliper bracket and torque its bolts to about 65 ft-lb, dab anti-seize on the new pads' edges and install them, then install the caliper and torque its bolts to about 15-18 ft-lb.

6. Reinstall the wheel

   Put the wheel on and hand-tighten the lug nuts, lower the car, torque them to about 90-100 ft-lb in a star pattern, then pump the brakes and test stop a couple of times before driving normally.

Check your vehicle’s repair manual for exact specifications and fit.