Replacing a wheel bearing in the field

The Chevrolet Niva deservedly enjoys great popularity both among city residents and among off-road enthusiasts. It is one of the few that allows you to drive over the most rugged terrain.

In this case, from time to time there is a need to replace some parts, including wheel bearings. This part performs an important function: it ensures smooth running of the wheels, minimizes friction, and ensures free rotation of the wheel relative to the axis. Bearings are installed on each wheel.

When this part wears out, the wheel becomes misaligned. As a result, severe wear of the rubber appears on one side. If the defect is not corrected in time, this can lead to wheel jamming as a result of bearing scattering. At high speed, this means loss of steering control - the car can fly off the road or into oncoming traffic.

Replacing the front wheel bearings of a Niva Chevrolet is done a little more often, as on other SUVs, which is explained by the operating conditions of such vehicles. Severe road conditions lead to excessive load on the car suspension, so it is necessary to periodically diagnose the condition of the car and, if problems arise, make a timely replacement, without waiting for the period recommended by the manufacturer.

Signs of malfunction:

the appearance of extraneous sounds - a crunching sound that can be heard while moving from the passenger compartment. This sound is produced by balls that move in the broken walls of the bearing.
vibration is a harbinger of bearing seizure. This is a very important sign, it is quite difficult not to notice it, since it is felt throughout the body and radiates into the steering wheel.
The car pulls a little to the side. This may be caused by the need to perform a wheel alignment. But also the deviation from the course may be due to the fact that the bearing jams a little and it stops the wheel.

The appearance of even one of these signs requires immediate inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the Niva Chevrolet wheel bearing. This work is quite simple, so even a novice car enthusiast can do it.

Shevik hub design

In order to understand the purpose of a wheel bearing, you need to find out what a hub is. So, this is a structural element of the car that connects the shaft to the wheel. Two tapered bearings are responsible for the operation of the hub, that is, its rotation on the shaft. The main feature of the hub is the ability to adjust the gap or the so-called backlash. But over time, when the car is used, the sliding mechanisms are susceptible to abrasion and this gap increases. Subsequently, this is reflected in the wheels; they begin to vibrate on the axle , which leads to their distortion and abrasion of the rubber. To fix the problem, it is necessary to replace the front wheel bearing.

Bearing design

The front wheel bearing consists of two roller cages (internal and external), which are installed in pairs.

The rollers play an important role in the design of this product. They cause “soft” friction between the wheel and the axle. During friction, the rollers are exposed to mechanical force and a large amount of thermal energy is released (the rollers are heated to extremely high temperatures of over 200 degrees). Not every metal can withstand such temperatures, so the hub rollers are made of special, ultra-strong alloy steel. More detailed information about the manufacturing process can be found on the Internet. If a separator with rollers is used in a dry state, they heat up to extreme temperatures and soon collapse (disintegrate). To reduce the effect of friction and remove the generated thermal energy, special lubricants are used.

Use only special lubricants for sliding mechanisms that are designed for normal operation at high temperatures.

The most common lubricant is Litol-24, which can withstand temperatures above 180 degrees. You cannot lubricate the product with Solidol lubricant, as it can withstand temperatures no higher than 100 degrees.

When to replace?

There are two reasons indicating that the sliding mechanism of the front structure of a Chevrolet Niva car needs to be replaced:

knocking and increased play of the front wheel manifested in the form of rubber abrasion;
hum or grinding noise from the front end.

To diagnose faults in more detail, it is necessary to disassemble the mechanism and check the serviceability of all parts. We will replace the front wheel separators with our own hands.

Replacing bearings

Replacement is carried out in stages:

Removing the front hub mechanism;
Removing the sliding mechanism;
Installation of new parts.
Assembly.

Therefore, we will perform all the actions in order on one front wheel of the SUV; on the second, the actions are similar.

The Niva Chevrolet car is placed on a flat surface and the front part is raised using a jack. The wheel is removed, and we begin to remove the hub.
The caliper with pads is disconnected. The process of removing it is described in other sections.
The adjusting nut of the mechanism is unscrewed from the axle.
All elements of the front wheel mechanism are removed. The hub is separated from the brake disc by knocking it out. (Detailed description of mechanism extraction will be provided in other articles).
Now let's move on to extracting the sliding mechanisms. Extract:
The outer bearing is removed from the brake disc using a puller.
The oil seal and ring plate are removed from the inside.
Let's move on to removing the inner bearing. To do this, we clamp the hub structure in a vice and knock out the separator structure from the back of the hole with a chisel.

Use the chisel carefully so as not to damage the hub groove. It is necessary to knock out with successive movements along the separator body.

Before installation, the seat must be cleaned and thoroughly lubricated.

Although wheel bearings have a long service life, like many parts, they are not designed to withstand strong mechanical impacts on the mechanism shaft. And this happens when you get into even a small hole or pothole. The part may not be damaged immediately, but a microcrack may appear on it, which will ultimately lead to a sad outcome. Therefore, control the movement of the car and always monitor its mechanisms.

Choosing a new bearing.

A new part is selected based on the conditions in which the car will be used. For most situations, Niva 2121 bearings manufactured at the VAZ plant are suitable. If the car is used mainly for off-road driving, it is better to use more durable elements. Parts produced by Triali have very good performance.

During production, this vehicle is equipped with double-row bearings. They have a longer service life and do not require additional lubrication.

Unregulated

As a rule, the Niva has a standard adjustable hub, which requires periodic adjustment. But in order to get rid of this inconvenience, non-adjustable hubs for the Chevrolet Niva were developed, which have such positive qualities as:

No maintenance required. They don't need to be adjusted
The bearing in the device does not rotate
It is filled with special lubricant from the factory, so there is no need to lubricate it.
Due to the fact that the work occurs thanks to the ball bearing in the unit, friction is reduced
There is no wear on the seat in the rotary cam
Not adjustable as it is tightened from the factory
No need to change the bearing
Long service life which is equal to 100-120 thousand kilometers

Therefore, thanks to all the positive characteristics listed above, many car owners change the standard part to a non-adjustable one.

It is also worth noting that the non-adjustable part can be produced as a reinforced Niva Chevrolet hub, which solves the problem of wear of the oil seals on the steering knuckle. It is best to choose companies such as VolgaAvtoprom, IVECO, OmegaInterAuto.

The main disadvantage of this unit is its high price, but by installing this part you can forget about the problems that appear in the standard element. By installing a reinforced version of your SUV, the cross-country ability will increase and reliability will increase, and having a standard set of tools, you can make an independent replacement without any problems.

Stages of replacing a wheel bearing on a Niva.

Raise the front of the car with a jack so that the front wheels do not touch the ground. If the right or left side is not raised completely, the stabilizer will put pressure on the machine and this can become a serious obstacle.

Place chocks under the rear wheels.
remove the hub nut cap using a screwdriver.
put the wheel back in place

it is necessary to loosen the hub nut. First you need to loosen it a little; for this you can use a piece of pipe to apply sufficient force.
Remove the wheel and use a screwdriver to release the pads.

After this, the mounting bolts on the caliper are removed. Before this, you need to straighten the locking tendrils. The caliper rises up. To ensure that the brake hose does not interfere with operation, you can attach it to the spring.

The brake disc is selected using a hammer. To do this, you need to tap a little around the perimeter.
In order to remove the finger you need a special puller. The location of the adjusting bolt is marked on the steering rod. When the finger is pressed out, the rod is retracted to the side.
The fasteners are removed from the steering knuckle.

The nut securing the hub is unscrewed. It is better to remove the support washer using a screwdriver.
The fist is unscrewed from the CV joint.

The hub is removed using a puller. In this case, the steering knuckle must be secured in a vice

The retaining rings are removed, after which the bearing can be pressed out. A special puller is also used for this.
All spare parts must be cleaned of dirt using a rag. After this, the outer retaining ring is installed into the fist. You can press it in using an old ring or mandrel. It is not recommended to hammer the bearing, as this can lead to microcracks and rapid destruction.

After this, the inner ring of the bearing is installed and the hub is pressed into it.
Then install all parts in reverse order.

The operation to replace the front wheel bearing of a Niva Chevrolet requires compliance with some nuances. When installing the steering rod, the adjustment bolt is installed according to the marks made during preparatory work. Be sure to replace the hub nut with a new one. The nut is tightened only after the car is lowered to the ground. A torque wrench must be used when tightening the nut.

Causes and signs of failure of the Chevrolet Niva hub

In addition to all other reasons, a worn hub heats up more when the car is braking, which negatively affects the performance of the car’s brakes. It happens that damage to the hub occurs gradually and, as a rule, this is indicated by an unpleasant sound, accompanied by vibration of the body or weak shocks.

The main reasons for hub failure are :

careless driving on roads;
multiple overloading of cars;
driving on sandy soil or “mud baths”;
frequent car slipping;
aggressive driving style with sharp acceleration and braking.

These reasons can have a significant negative impact on the hub housing, outer or inner bearing ring. They are also sources of dirt, moisture and sand getting inside the bearing mechanism, which causes the journal to fail.

Tips for replacing the Niva Chevrolet hub

Before replacing the Chevrolet Niva hub, when disassembling the front suspension, special attention should be paid to damage to the lever mechanism (deformation of parts, breaks and tears in the metal).

Inspect the landing channels of the inner and outer rings, the condition of the working surface of the bearing rollers. Metal corrosion in the form of grooves or “pits” on the metal of rollers or rings is unacceptable.

In case of serious damage, the front wheel bearing on a Chevrolet Niva is replaced together with the outer rings. After installation, it is necessary to adjust the clearance in the bearing and lock the hub nut.

Replacing the Chevrolet Niva hub can be done more conveniently on a lift. However, the work can be carried out using a jack, with all the required safety measures being taken.

To change the hub you will need:

keys “10”, “13”, “17”, “22”, “30”;
vice;
wheel wrench;
screwdriver;
puller for steering tip;
hammer and chisel;
pliers;
Litol 24 lubricant;
new hub.

A new original Chevrolet Niva hub with article number 21230310301400 costs 1,460 rubles. The analogue from Pilenga has catalog number HBP2123, and its price is about 1110 rubles.

Prices are indicated for Moscow and the region for the summer of 2022.

In 2022, the cost has changed slightly. The price of the original hub is 21230310301400 - 2050 rubles. Analogue of Pilenga HBP2123 - from 1040 to 1300 rubles.

First changes and Lada 4x4

Since the mid-nineties, or more precisely since 1995, changes began to be made to the design of the car. Firstly, if previously the car had a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder 73-horsepower gasoline engine, now the volume has been increased to 1.7. The manual transmission now had five steps instead of the previous four. Secondly, they changed the dashboard, installed more comfortable seats in the cabin, and replaced the taillights with more modern ones in order to externally try to get closer to the Western automobile industry.

In 2006, “Niva” was officially renamed “Lada” 4x4, and models exported were called “Lada Taiga” 4x4 - this is what the car is now called in European countries. Externally and internally, the car has changed, if at all, only slightly: new mirrors have appeared - larger ones, the indicators and instruments on the panel have been changed. The new car model released in 2015 called “Lada 4x4 Urban”, which is considered “luxury”, did not receive any major changes - except for new bumpers, electric windows and air conditioning in the cabin.

This is interesting

And as a conclusion, here are some interesting facts about Niva:

in 1998, this car climbed under its own power to the base camp at the foot of Everest - which is 5200 meters above sea level; in 1999 - on a plateau in the Himalayas, to an altitude of 5726. This is a record to this day.
“Niva” even visited the North Pole, as part of the world “Day of Parachutists” - the car was dropped by parachute, and after a successful landing the car started up and drove off. This happened in April 1998.

At the Russian polar station "Bellingshausen" this brand of car worked without sparing its horsepower for twelve years.

The structure of the Chevrolet Niva is similar to the structure of other similar cars. It's no secret that each vehicle has its own area of "problems" that require additional expenses and special attention. In this car model, these are the front hubs, which need to be periodically adjusted to ensure normal operation.

. To avoid such a problem, manufacturers created special non-adjustable hubs. Before talking about their differences and advantages, it is necessary to find out what functions it performs and why its presence in the mechanism is needed.