Maintenance-free hubs from Iveco, instructions for adjusting the tightening of the hub bearings and replacing the wheel bearing of the RZM axle shaft for Chevrolet Niva (VAZ 2123)

How to determine the serviceability of a wheel bearing on a Lada 4×4?

Before replacing a bearing, you need to make sure it is faulty. One of the symptoms is a hum when driving on the highway, which changes when cornering. But the hubs on the Niva can be adjusted. If the car's mileage does not exceed 20-30 thousand kilometers, then the hub on the Chevrolet Niva simply needs to be adjusted. After several adjustments, adjustment is no longer acceptable and the faulty bearing must be replaced.

How to determine its malfunction? It is enough to do the following:

1. Hang up the wheel.
2. Grab the wheel with both hands and swing it in a vertical plane. Large play is a sign of a malfunction.
3. Spin the wheel by hand. It should spin for a while without making a sound. The presence of extraneous noise is a sign of a problem.

Which bearing to choose?

The best wheel bearings for the Chevrolet Niva and short Niva can be selected from the list below:

• FINWHALE - price 450 rubles;
• AVTOVAZ - price 350 rubles;
• KOYO - price 800 rubles;

Also good companies are SKF and SNR.

Adjustable bearings should not be confused with the new type of double row bearings. They are different in width, price and article number. The catalog number of the wheel bearing on Niva is 2121310302010 . This number is the adjustable bearing.

"Niva Chevrolet": creation and reviews

In general, AvtoVAZ tried to come up with a car to replace the Niva back in the late eighties. It was quite logical that the glory of a new SUV at that time would not last long, and in order not to “lose face,” a replacement was necessary. But at first the project remained only in paper form.

In 1998, a sample of the VAZ-2123 was presented, which was considered “the same replacement.” But until 2002, mass production was not established.

In 2002, the license for this model, and at the same time the Niva brand, were sold to the General Motors concern. The technicians of this company made about a thousand different changes to the appearance and “filling” of the SUV, which allowed the new car to be considered an independent and independent model from now on. In September 2002, a conveyor was launched, from which the Chevrolet Niva began to roll off.

In 2009, the car's design underwent changes.

According to the reviews of those who purchased this car, it was still the same AvtoVAZ, and even attempts to intervene and bring about changes for the better in terms of electronics and design did not bring good results. But, as noted by car owners, this did not affect the off-road qualities - the Niva is still passable in impassable conditions.

How to replace front bearings on a Chevrolet Niva?

To perform this procedure, you must complete the following procedures:

1. Hang up and remove the front wheel of the car. Also remove the protective cap of the hub nut:

2. Unscrew the nut 27 of the wheel bearing and unscrew it:

3. To prevent the hub from turning, you can fix it with a mounting tool:

4. Remove the brake caliper. To do this, you must first remove the pads. Then unscrew the caliper bracket and remove it. The caliper itself with the pistons can be suspended on a suspension spring or any other element. The main thing is not to damage the hoses:

5. Remove the hub with the brake disc:

6. Remove the cotter pin of the steering end nut:

7. Unscrew the nut 22 securing the steering tip to the steering knuckle:

8. Applying light blows to the tip and eye, knock it off the steering knuckle. Or use a puller:

9. We knock the ball joints off the steering knuckle. How to do this is described here. After this, take out the steering knuckle and remove the outer oil seal from the bearing:

10. Remove the thrust ring:

11. We take out the bearing itself:

12. We install a cylindrical stop under the steering knuckle, larger in diameter than the hub bearing on the Niva.

13. Knock out the bearing with a drift:

The photo below shows where the drift rests to remove the outer race of the Lada 4×4 wheel bearing:

15. Clean the old seat from dirt and rust. Press in the new bearing race. You can use the clip of an old part as a mandrel. To do this, you can clamp the parts in a vice and gradually press the part inside the steering knuckle or use a press:

You can use another mandrel:

16. The pressed-in clip looks like this:

17. Lubricate the holder well with lithol:

18. Lubricate the wheel bearing well with a portion of lithol and place it on the outer race:

19. Reassemble all the elements in the reverse order: install the steering knuckle on the Niva, secure the ball joints, steering end and caliper. Adjust the new bearing. This procedure is mandatory!

Front hub design on Niva Chevrolet

The hub on a car is the element that connects the wheel and the drive shaft. It has two bearings, which reduce the friction force when rotating on the shaft.

Diagram of hub assembly.

A special feature of the hub is that the play gap can be adjusted.

This gap may increase over time and due to wear and tear of parts. In this case, the wheels begin to vibrate on the axles, which is the cause of premature tire wear . To correct the situation, the wheel bearings should be changed in a timely manner.

Hub assembly on steering knuckle

When is it necessary to change a wheel bearing?

With such lifting, the load on the wheel bearings will be increased.

There are two reasons that may indicate that the bearings need to be changed . This:

1. Increased wheel play and knocking in the hub area.
2. Grinding or humming noise in the hub area.

To more accurately determine the breakdown, you should disassemble the mechanism and inspect it.

How to diagnose a broken hub

Surely every driver has at least once encountered a situation when, while driving, a so-called crackling noise is heard. The sound can appear at speeds of 40 km/h and above. Using a car with such a sign is fraught not only with danger to the life of the driver and passengers, but also with serious consequences for the car itself. Most likely, you will notice a hum in a loaded car when turning.

Finding out which wheel bearing is worn out is quite simple: if there is noise from the wheel when turning to the right, the left bearing should be replaced. Similarly, if a hum occurs when turning left, pay attention to the right bearing.

There are several stages of wheel bearing wear:

• hum when turning;
• hum during normal driving with a loaded car;
• hum when driving an empty car;
• constant hum that increases during turns;
• a strong hum, accompanied by crunching, grinding and unregulated movements of the car from side to side.

The period of time between the first and fifth stages with moderate driving can be up to 5 years. It is recommended to replace the part as soon as possible so as not to put the car and the driver’s life at risk.

What could have caused the Niva Chevrolet bearing to fail:

• in 70% of cases, breakdown occurs due to unsuitable lubricant: its quality, excess or shortage may well damage the part;
• it happens that various contaminants and moisture penetrate deep into the bearing;
• this is the cause of failure in 18% of cases;
• There is also a possibility of incorrect assembly of parts, which entails excessive load and overheating.

What are the risks of driving a car with a damaged wheel bearing? There is a considerable possibility of the wheel jamming, which can end in disaster when driving at high speed. It is quite possible to lose control of the car due to the wheel “moving to the side”. Spreading brake pads is also a possible consequence.

Symptoms of a problem

Bearing wear manifests itself as the following symptoms:

• Vibration of the front wheels, which can be reflected in the steering wheel or felt in the cabin.
• Knocking or crackling sounds in the front of the car when driving;
• Heating of the front wheels in the axle area.

If such manifestations occur, you need to check the condition of the wheel bearings. To do this, jack up the car and rock the wheel in different directions. Play and knocking in the bearing area indicates the need for replacement and adjustment. The malfunction may also manifest itself in the form of noise when the wheel rotates.

1. The hubs get hot. It is important to understand that when braking, the kinetic energy of the car is converted into thermal energy. As a result, the brake discs and the hubs on which they are attached become very hot. Heating of the part during movement, and not during braking, indicates wear of the bearing or its incorrect adjustment.

The second option is typical for adjustable hubs. The adjusting nut must be tightened with a force of 2 kgf*m. If you tighten it further, the tapered bearings will be too tight.

Their rotation will be difficult. Prolonged operation of the machine in this condition leads to bearing failure and wheel jamming.

This is interesting: How to replace the “pants” on a VAZ 2106 car on your own?

2. The adjusting nut is unscrewed while moving. Sometimes this happens literally after 20-50 kilometers. The phenomenon is observed in three cases: the master forgot to tighten the nut, there was a misalignment between the bearing races, or play appeared in the coupling of the CV joint with the hub.

Adjusting the clearance in Niva hubs

After installing a new bearing, a new wheel nut should also be used. The wheel must be on the car.

Adjustment of the front hubs on the Niva and Chevy Niva is carried out as follows:

1. Screw the hub nut all the way and loosen slightly.
2. Checking the play. If it persists, tighten the nut.
3. We check the play again.
4. The procedure is carried out until the backlash disappears.
5. Use a sledgehammer to break a tire or drive a Niva a couple of meters.
6. A small backlash appears. We also tighten the nut and leave it barely noticeable.
7. Now the nut can be tightened.

Attention! You should drive the car for one day, after which, adjust the bearing again.

This is how wheel bearings are replaced and adjusted on Niva 2121, 21213, 21214, 2123 and Lada 4×4.