All Front Wheel Bearing / Hub Assembly Replacement jobs
Front Wheel Bearing / Hub Assembly Replacement
2007–2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Also fits the GMC Sierra 1500: same vehicle, different badge.
Front wheel bearing/hub assembly replacement on this 2013 Silverado 1500 (covers 2007-2013 GMT900 trucks, not the 2007 Classic or the 2014+ redesign) is an Intermediate job across every engine and drivetrain GM offered here. Mess is low, but rust sensitivity is high, and that's really the whole story: whether this goes smoothly depends on how badly the hub has corroded into the knuckle bore. Jack stands, not ramps. Check the specs and steps on this page before you start pulling calipers.
How Rough Is This Going to Be? Know what you're getting into.
The wheel comes off, then the caliper - support it from the upper control arm or frame with a wire hook, never let it hang on the brake hose. Pull the T30 rotor retaining screw and the rotor slides off. On 4WD trucks you first pry the dust cap off the spindle nut without deforming the sealing flange, then discard the old nut - it's single-use. The hub bolts come out three at a time; new ones go in with threadlocker, torqued in a cross pattern. The 60-150 minute estimate assumes none of that seizes. It won't always cooperate: this platform is rust-sensitive at the hub-to-knuckle interface, and special tools are part of the deal, not an option. Ramps are out, jack stands are in.
Save Another Trip to the Parts Store Clips, seals, fluids, and the little stuff people forget.
Threadlocker for the three hub mounting bolts is easy to forget until you're standing there with dry bolts and a torque wrench. If you're on a 4WD truck, the axle spindle nut is single-use - GM's part is 11609826, and reusing the old one costs you bearing preload down the road. The hub-to-knuckle bolts have their own GM number too (15719028) if you want factory over whatever's in the box. And that little dust cap over the spindle nut wants a gentle touch with a pry tool, not a chisel through the sealing flange.
Here's Where It Gets Greasy The procedure, pain points, and common ways this job fights back.
Reusing the old 4WD axle nut is the classic mistake - it's a prevailing-torque locking nut that loses its grip the moment it comes off, and putting the old one back on quietly kills bearing preload until the hub fails again. Sources disagree on what that nut's torque spec actually is, so don't lock onto a number you saw somewhere else - just make sure it's a new nut. Letting the caliper hang by the brake hose while you wrestle with the hub is how a bearing job turns into a hose replacement too. And when pressing anything in or out, the force has to go through the race actually being serviced, with the other side properly supported - press against an unsupported race and you'll crack something expensive.
Gotchas
- Galvanic corrosion between the steel hub body and cast-iron steering knuckle bore creates severe seizing in rust-belt regions. Removing the old hub often requires heavy penetrating oil, a bolt-on hub shocker tool, or threading old bolts partially out and striking the bolt heads with a hammer and punch. (source not machine-verified)
- The 4WD front axle nut is a prevailing-torque locking nut that loses its locking capability once removed. Reusing an old axle nut can lead to improper bearing preload loss and premature failure.
It's a Good Idea To... Greasy tips and useful while-you're-in-there advice.
The thing that turns this from an hour into an afternoon is corrosion between the steel hub body and the cast-iron knuckle bore - rust-belt trucks seize hard there. Soak it in penetrating oil early. If it still won't move, a bolt-on hub shocker tool, or threading the old bolts partway back in and striking the heads with a hammer and punch, usually gets it going. Don't reach for a bigger hammer before you've tried patience and oil first.
You Already Have a Screw Loose. Your Car Shouldn't. Final checks before you call it done.
Before you call it done, confirm the hub bolts and caliper hardware landed at the torques on the spec table, and torque the wheel back on to its own spec rather than guessing. If ABS or StabiliTrak lights come on afterward, remember the speed sensor lives inside the new hub itself, so check the pigtail and connector at the wheel arch before blaming the part. Otherwise, wheel on, truck off the stands, done.