VX rear wheel hubs -anyone replaced theirs?

[jadziasman]

Has anyone replaced the rear wheel hubs on their X series hatch of the 5th gen? My VX has 157000 miles and I wonder if replacing the rear hubs will result in less road noise coming from the back. I don't think they're bad but it has been 15 years since I've driven a new VX.

Anyway, I don't know if it is tire noise or bearing noise for sure. I can get replacements for $100 per side but I wonder if the axle nut on the rear hub is as much of a b**** as the the axle nuts on the front wheels are to remove. Man, I had to use 700 lb ft of torque to loosen them. So, I really don't want to do this if it won't result in less noise from the back wheels.

To anticipate questions in advance. Yes I have a cargo cover, yes the rear seats are in the car and in their upright position, yes the tires are in good condition - only three months old actually. Yes I have drum brakes and yes they are in good operating condition.

Responses from the VX drivers with 200K, 300K or even more miles (gasp!) is greatly appreciated.

[SVOboy]

Shouldn't be too bad going from my CRX experience. I don't know about the noise though, I wouldn't worry about it unless there's a serious issue with them.

[Gary Palmer]

Is their any possibility that it's not wheel bearings, but the tires? I've had some tire patterns that have been pretty obnoxious. You could use the donut, temporarily as a test, one side at a time.

I wouldn't fool with it, unless you figure the wheel bearings are going, in which case you should have a grindy sort of a noise and it is probably only coming from one side, not both.

[GasSavers_TomO]

Replacing rear hubs is easier than replacing a front axle. I've done it on a number of Hondas My CRX of late being the most recent. It involves removing the rear drum, dust cover and then breaking loose the rear spindle nut (easier than the front one since it's protected from the elements), pulling off the bearing/Hub assembly and then reverse everything to put the new one on. And yes, that should reduce your road noise unless your rear tires have lots of tiny tread blocks. but still it should reduce your road noise.

[jadziasman]

Thanks TomO,

Another question - when you say "pull off" the hub does that mean with your hands or do I need a puller?

Great to hear that I wouldn't need to take the brake shoes off just to remove the hub -I wish I could work for Honda - top notch engineering.

[lca13]

Road noise from tires or ??? When I drive south on HW 101 in the right lane, my rear is louder than heck (I have my back seat and carpet out). Troad surface is rougher concrete. But when I lane change over to that brand new black top left lane, the nois drop way, way down.

So in my case it is pretty clear it is tire/road noise.

[jadziasman]

Yeah LC, I know what you mean - the noise is very pavement dependent. I was just hoping I could make the back quieter. I know there are noise deadening materials I could install but I don't want to spend the $$$$ and add additional weight - even though it would only be about 10 lbs????

I will have to do what I always do - crank up the tunes and enjoy the ride.

[GasSavers_TomO]

Originally Posted by jadziasman

Thanks TomO,

Another question - when you say "pull off" the hub does that mean with your hands or do I need a puller?

Great to hear that I wouldn't need to take the brake shoes off just to remove the hub -I wish I could work for Honda - top notch engineering.

I pulled mine off by hand. I had one race stay on the spindle on one side though. I just heated the race with a torch (MAPP gas) and tapped it with a hammer and then was able to slide it off by hand.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

have you checked them by jacking the car up and spinning the wheel? grasping the wheel and wiggling it side to side?
I think you can adjust them, tighten them to make up for any slight wear, as I'm pretty sure they are tapered roller bearings.
I did that on my crx, and my '83 civic hatch, and it helped alot on both of those both in handling, and noise.

[jadziasman]

At the moment, it's tire noise. Rotated the tires yesterday. I bought a pair of close out Douglas tires cheap (Walmart label - Cooper tire I think) and they are noisy on the front now. While the rear end was off the ground I checked for wheel hub looseness - none at all. The odometer is now reading about 4% too few miles with the 175 70/13 on the front now. Have the two 165 70/13's on the rear. Thanks to all for your helpful hints.