rear wheel chirp

[jwarren]

have developed a chirp in the right rear wheel of my 66Monza that stops after driving the car for a while. I am suspecting the worse. That is the dreaded rear bearing failure. I have checked the wheel for play and the brakes. Both seem to be ok. Any advice would be appreciated

[bbodie52]

Welcome to the Corvair Forum! I joined this forum back in August and I've come to believe that this is one of the best sources for good Corvair information on the Web. The members are helpful and anxious to assist. Just browsing around will be very informative to you.

I have been involved with Corvairs since I was nine years old, when my parents bought our first Corvair -- a brand new 1961 Monza 2-door coupe, white on red with a 4-speed transmission. I now own Corvair number ten, which I purchased last June. (If you want to read a brief personal biography that outlines my family background and our experiences with Corvairs, go to CORVAIR FORUM > Introductions > New from Lake Chatuge North Carolina. viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4032)

If your diagnosis is correct, I'm guessing that the roller bearings are starting to become dry and inadequately lubricated. As the bearings get warm during driving, whatever grease there is probably gets distributed a little as the grease warms too. Heat may also affect bearing clearances a little, which may stop the squeaking, or chirping sound. But if the bearing is failing, it will only get progressively worse.

I strongly suggest you order a complete rebuilt bearing assembly from Clark's Corvair Parts (see the URL below, under the Clark's section). These bearing assemblies are relatively easy to remove from the car, but very difficult to dismantle, overhaul, and reassemble/set up properly. I have had two fail in past years (one in West Germany, during the cold, snowy winter in 1982, while I was stationed with the USAF there) and one in Cheyenne Wyoming (different Corvair) in 1981 while I was traveling from California to New Jersey with my wife and children. As you can imagine, neither was a convenient breakdown. These bearing assemblies are sealed and if your Corvair has never had them rebuilt, they are packed with grease that dates back more than 40 years!

NOTE: Clark's Corvair Parts recommendation is to have these 1965-69 rear bearing assemblies repacked every 5-8 years (50,000-75,000 miles)

The cost from Clark's Corvair Parts is as follows:

NOTICE: Price includes core value: $99.00. You will be issued a refund of $99.00 when you return the used part.

Weight: 19 lbs 0 oz
Catalog Pages(s): 166
Price: $ 263.30 plus shipping (less $99.00 core refund)

Also, consider that if one is failing, the other may also be fairly dry and on its way out. You may want to consider replacing both with rebuilt units. (My wife and I are planning a cross-country, coast to coast trip next summer in our 1966 Corsa convertible. I have no record of these bearings ever being replaced, so I intend to have them both replaced with overhauled units prior to our trip, to eliminate a known failure point in our 46 year-old Corvair. Better than risking a failure during our long trip. Also cheaper than probable motel costs and meals while we would be stranded, waiting for delivery of a replacement!)

Removal of the wheel bearing assembly involves wheel removal, disconnecting the rear axle (half-shaft), removing the brake drum and brake components, disconnecting the parking brake cable, and finally removing four nuts that secure the assembly and brake backing plate to the suspension. Then the whole assembly, with the brake backing plate, is boxed up and shipped to Clark's for a professional rebuild. If you don't want your Corvair sitting on jack stands for a few weeks, you can order the parts in advance and then get your core refund later when you return the faulty unit(s).

If you don't have a factory shop manual, you can download a 1965 Chassis Shop Manual in Adobe Reader format using the link below. If you cannot do your own mechanical work, you should probably order the rebuilt assemblies and then take the car and new parts to a mechanic to have the work done. Don't forget to examine/repack/rebuild/replace (as needed) the universal joints in the half-shaft(s) while everything is apart.

Here are some good Internet sources, and some additional links for Corvair-related information:

Downloadable Corvair Shop Manuals, Parts Manuals, Service Manuals, etc.
http://1969corvair.com/techpages/Corvai ... Index.html

Early Model Corvair Shop Manual & Other Useful Manuals
http://www.corvair.org/chapters/corvanatics/manuals.php

CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Chapter Locator
Locating a local CORSA chapter near you can be very helpful, and attending meetings, parties, Corvair shows, etc. can greatly add to the enjoyment of your Corvair hobby.
https://www.corvair.org/index.php?optio ... crmSID=3_u

Clark's Corvair Parts
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/pages.cgi
The following URL will take you directly to the Clark's Corvair online catalog page for the parts you need
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/catalog ... N&page=166

California Corvairs
http://www.californiacorvairparts.com/p ... roduct=264

Corvair Ranch (Used Parts, Machine Shop, etc.)
http://www.corvairranch.com/

Corvair Corsa (Good technical and historical information.)
Corvair Corsa is a plentiful source of Corvair history, information and pictures. Here, you can explore the entire collection of production Corvairs including the Corsa, Monza, Monza Spyder, Corvair 700, 500, and the Corvair 95 truck series.
http://www.corvaircorsa.com

This Web site seems to have the most comprehensive and well-researched data for fitting various tires and wheels to EM (Early Model, 1960-64) and LM (Late Model, 1965-69) Corvairs:
Sizing Corvair Wheels and Tires: http://autoxer.skiblack.com/tires.html

Again, welcome to the Forum. I hope thie information I have provided helps you. Just let us know if you need anything else.

[jwarren]

Thanks for the advice. I knew that Clarks sold the rebuilt kits definitely the way to go. Switching out the units is the way to go. I don't think I will have a problem replacing it. Probably will do the u joints. I bought my 66 in 2006 and did not receive any maintenance logs so its very possible that they were never replaced.

[azdave]

have developed a chirp in the right rear wheel of my 66Monza that stops after driving the car for a while. I am suspecting the worse. That is the dreaded rear bearing failure. I have checked the wheel for play and the brakes. Both seem to be ok. Any advice would be appreciated

You don't have any details or photos posted about your car (which are always helpful when you ask questions) so I don't know what rims you are running. Make sure you aren't being fooled by a hubcap that squeaks while rolling. I''ve twice thought I had a problem that turned out to be just the plastic center insert squeaking because the locating tabs were loose.

You also don't mention where you are located (another helpful thing to list in your sig line or profile). I highly recommend Steven Goodman at Rear Engine Specialist (Colorado) as someone who rebuilds rear wheel bearings and knows exactly what he is doing . It looks quite simple when you study it online but they have a high PIA factor if you don't have a good press and the means to accurately measure the tolerances required.

http://www.rearenginespecialists.com/
Steve Goodman
16010 W. 5th Ave Unit 12
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 278-4889
(303) 936-7420 fax
rearengine.steve@worldnet.att.net

[jwarren]

Have 13 " rims with the wire hub caps. Don't/ believe its something simple sounds like a bearing noise to me

[ClarkHartzel]

Do something simple and no cost first. Remove all your wheel covers and go for a drive. If your squeak is gone you can be assured its the wheel cover. If not then major surgery is required.
Clark Hartzel, Fraser, MI

[jwarren]

A quick update. The noise wasn't from the hubcaps. I removed both bearing assemblies. The one that was not making the noise, felt like gravel was lubricating the bearing. The noisy one rumbled when spun. I bought the rebuilds from Clarks and put them easily. I pressed in new u-joints on the half shafts. What was a royal pain was remounting the half shafts. It was hard lying on my back to get them into place w/o knocking off the new cups. There is not much room to get them back into place.

[cad-kid]

Thanks for the update