Commodore (VB-VL)

1978-1988 / Sedan / Estate / Australia

Common Suspension and Steering

Rear Axle Bearing Noise

Humming or whining noise from the rear that changes with speed but not with steering input. May also develop a clunk on deceleration.

The rear axle bearings (wheel bearings inside the axle housing) wear with age and mileage. These are sealed units that run in the diff housing.

Replace the axle bearings.

This requires pulling the axle shafts.

Budget $200-400 per side.

Replace both sides, if one has failed, the other is not far behind.

Cost mentioned in fix

Budget $200-400 per side

Owned a Holden Commodore (VB-VL)? Share your experience with this issue. What worked, what didn't, costs, tips. Help the community.

// More Commodore (VB-VL) problems

Clunking over bumps, vague steering, wandering on the highway, uneven tyre wear.

Power steering fluid on the ground, heavy steering at low speeds, whining noise from the power steering pump.

Blue smoke on startup that clears after 30 seconds to a minute. May also smoke briefly on deceleration after sustained highway driving.

Hard starting, rough idle, flat spots on acceleration, flooding, poor fuel economy, black smoke.

Oil on the garage floor, oil smell, oil coating on the underside of the engine.

Temperature gauge climbs into the red zone in slow traffic or on hot days. May push coolant out the overflow.