I have a 95 s10 blazer with 4.3 v6/auto/4x4. It has about 165k miles on it and I have owned it for about 8 years. I noticed a noise from the rear end that I think is the rear axle bearings. While I am there I noticed the rear cover is rotted and I want to change it. They tell me there is more than 1 rear end option on this. I don't know how to tell what I have here but know fromwindow sticker I have 3.42 gears / gvw 4850 lb. How difficult is it to change the rear axle bearings on this once I have the cover off.

Thanks for any help.

Bill

 

The outer wheel bearings are not all that difficult to change, but it is time consuming. It gets a little fun if you have the G80 rear diff, but with a standard open diff, it isn't too bad.

Before I get into the how-to, I would remove the driveshaft and check the condition of the universal joints to see if they may be the cause of the symptoms you are experiencing.

You should have the 7-5/8" rear end. If you go to the dealership with your VIN, they should be able to give you the appropriate rear cover and gasket. I replaced the cover on the back of my Bravada because I had the same problem, mine was rusted quite bad and looked to be leaking. Before you do anything with the rear cover, remove the fill plug which is located on the passenger side of the axle so that you know you can fill the diff back up when everything is all said and done. THIS THREAD should shed some light on what is necessary to change the rear cover.

Now, I will start by saying that I do not have all of the torque specs in front of me, but I may be able to dig them up from somewhere. Really the only torque spec that you will need for outer wheel bearing replacement is for the bolt holding in the cross pin in the diff.

As far as the repairs go (if you find that it is the outer wheel bearings), start by lifting and supporting the rear of the vehicle at a comfortable working height. Then remove the wheels and the brake drum or caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor if equiped with rear disk brakes. Remove the diff fill plug and then the rear cover. Rotate the diff around until you can get to the cross pin retaining bolt (points from the passenger side to the drivers side). Then rotate the diff a bit more until you are able to remove the cross pin. You can then push in on the axles and remove the c-clips. Once the c-clips are removed, pull the axle out of the side of the diff housing. You may need a puller to remove the old bearing race from the axle tube, but a careful hand with a die grinder can be used as well.

You will need to make sure that you have new seal(s) as well as the new bearing(s).

Hope this helps.