96 GTS Hub Replacement Options - Any?

[Tom and Vipers]

Poor Ol' Bad Viper needs all 4 hubs replaced (noisey bearings.)

What are my options? (Although the manual says they are not rebuildable, I question that...)

Tom

 

[Viper Wizard]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tom and Vipers:
Poor Ol' Bad Viper needs all 4 hubs replaced (noisey bearings.)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What did we do to deserve all four Wheel-bearings? Have you been a bad boy Tom?

If you can get the bearings, they can be re-built! If you can't get bearings, give me a call!

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Chuck just set me up with the 2 front wheels. I'm sure he can take care of you also!!

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Ol' BV is pretty long in the tooth at 80k.

Bearings aren't "bad," just noisey... and one of them is OK so might as well do them all and have a completely rejuvenated Bad Viper!

I will be calling!

 

[GTS Dean]

The thru-bolts on the front hubs are staked to keep them from coming apart if the nut loosens. Removing the nut will destroy it and booger up the bolt threads. The rears are held together with a castellated nut and cotter pin and I'm pretty sure they can be serviced. I think the front assemblies were about $130 ea. 14 months ago. They are double-row ball bearing assemblies, not tapered roller bearings. Therefore, they don't handle the axial thrust loads as well as the radial loads.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

The front hub assembly on my 1996 GTS was not rebuildable.

The flange thru which the wheel studs are pressed is the inner race for the wheel bearings.

However, there was a singular part number for the 1996 front hub 4763183 which was used in no other year.

This part number was superceded by 4848716 which was used also in the 1996 REAR and the FRONTS of 1997 thru 2002.

The question as to whether the 4848716 hub can be rebuilt remains.

I would like, very much, to hear from anyone who has seen with their own eyes whether any Viper hub assembly is rebuildable.

Thanks
Tom

 

[onerareviper]

Tom,

What did the noise sound like coming from the front wheels? Any other symptoms (steering wheel vibration, etc...)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

The "noise" was found when the hubs were completely stripped in the spindle and you turn them and listen to them. The rotors, calipers, halfshafts must be removed to do this.

My only driving sensation was a very slight "thump, thump, thump" and I mean VERY slight, that you would feel going around a corner.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

The latest is turning into a Soap Opera.

It turns out that for my 96 GTS, the rear hubs are bigger than the front hubs.

The Dodge Parts Manual shows the same part number for front and rear. In particular:

96 F/R is 4848716/4848716
97-00 F/R is 4763182/4848716

NAPA shows the 96 having all 4 the same.
NAPA shows the 94/5 being not available from them.
Dodge shows the 94/5 all the same but a completely different part number 4642653.

THE BIG QUESTION:

Does my 96 have Gen 1 front hubs and are they SMALLER than Gen 2?

The stub spline (nut) changes from 96 and earlier to 97 and later suggesting 2 spline sizes. (Mine has small splines in the front, big splines in the rear.)

If there is a big front hub (equal to the rear) I want to get this upgraded. Maybe I better talk to some road racers.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Latest:

Gen 2 front hub is smaller.

The parts books have lots of bad numbers.

It looks like the 182/716 are the F/R.

 

[androbud]

Does anyone know the part number for the rear hub assembly for my 96 GTS? All the parts dealers in Birmingham have the same part numbers listed for the front and rear assemblies even though they are different. The front has 26 splines and the rear has 31 splines I believe.

Thanks for any help.

 

[androbud]

Found it. For future reference the rear part number is 4848716