Front wheel cotter pin size?

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Pinger

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Hello all.
I've just recently bought a 1999 Suburban and am attending to a few small jobs before it properly hits the road.
I've found a bit of play in a front wheel bearing and my plan is to strip it and if it is still serviceable, clean, grease, and refit.
Haynes manual tells me I'll need a new cotter pin - but not its size. Does anyone know what size I need?

PS. As I'm in Scotland, just popping along to my local GM dealer probably isn't going to get me very far!
TIA.
 

Pinger

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Cheers.
I was just wanting to know the size in advance of starting the job to be sure of having the correct ones at hand. No matter, I started anyway and I'll nip down to the local auto shop tomorrow and get what I need prior to putting it all back together.

While I have your attention though - metric or imperial - the fasteners on my 1999 Suburban? Some, eg the bolt that retains the harmonic balancer is imperial (7/16 UNF) but I'm not convinced all the nuts and bolts on the truck are imperial. Not helped by reading that GM went metric some time in the 1980s. What's the truth?
 

454cid

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Most fasteners will be metric. You'll find fasteners that go directly into the block/heads to be SAE.... probably the rear axle too. It's the fasteners that go into the older designs that are on our trucks that are still SAE.
 

Pinger

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Thanks 454cid.
Now I have to go and educate myself on the differences (or similarities) between imperial and SAE!
I'm so used to metric everything, I haven't encountered anything but since having a British bike as a kid - until the Suburban that is.
 

Pinger

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I think that it is a 1/8" cotter pin 1 1/2" long.

Just collected some - in that size. All I need now is some better weather and I can get it back together again. Cheers.

Should probably start another thread for this question but.....
I can't find headlight flash on my Suburban. Where I'd expect to find it (stalk) has indicators (turn signals), headlight dip/main beam switchover, wiper/wash control, and cruise control - but no flash. Have I missed something? Is it or isn't it there? If not, is this an American thing?
 

454cid

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Thanks 454cid.
Now I have to go and educate myself on the differences (or similarities) between imperial and SAE!

Our non-metric tools are usually refereed to as SAE. I believe SAE is to imperial/english as SI is to metric..... it's the scientific/engineering standard.
 
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