I have a '95 4x4 4.0 and the front passenger wheel bearing went out.

Last time I did a wheel bearing (on a ford escort) the whole job became a big mess that involved replacing the axle, the knuckle, and the ball joint (F$#K!NG balljoint forks!), so I am being cautious this time around

I have gathered some information from the forums and the chilton manual about timken bearings, bolt sizes and torque specs, but I still have a few questions.

Will I need to have a machine shop press the new hub into the knuckle? Or is the hub only attached by the 3 13mm 12pt bolts and the axle nut?

If its the later, then this sounds like a real piece of cake job.

Anything I should be warned of before I get dirty?

 

its held in by the bolts. pretty easy and straightforward swap

 

I love it when i dont have to hop on my bike to get to the machine shop!

Thanks

 

They are very easy to do. The most you have to worry about is rust. Take the wheel off, brake assembly off, remove the axle nut (36mm, very tight, and probably rusted, mine took two people standing on a 4ft breaker bar), take out the 3 bolts and use a puller (or alternatively a hammer, crowbar, and some brains)
Rust makes it a pain but its pretty easy otherwise, just have lots of PB blaster and patience.

 

I've actually got mine apart, gimme a few minutes & I'll have pictures...

 

Haha I know how you feel only having 1 vehicle sucks sometimes, but a bike definitely comes in handy. Swapping in new bearing hubs is very simple. I would recommend you make sure you get the beefier type of bearing hubs though. There is definitely a difference in size and strength between the cheap ones and the high quality ones.

 

Alright, short & sweet -

You have whats called a "utilized hub bearing assembly".

Basically heres the steering knuckle. (mines currently gutted) There are 3 bolts in the backside of it (they're 12 points, so beware).



Just break them loose for now. Next, remove the cotter pin and sleeve over the axle nut. Remove the nut itself. This is my old bearing unit. I'm doing all new stuff in the axle, so I removed my hub assembly from the Jeep with the yoke & axle nut still attached. You'll remove that pin & nut on yours, and those threads in the center will stay in place when you remove the hub.




This is the backside of it, to give you an idea, you don't have do do any of this though.





Then, loosen those 3 bolts about 1/2 way, keep the socket on the bolt, and hit it with a hammer, this way you don't damage the bolt. Stick a flathead inbetween the hub assembly and the knuckle, to help pry it free.

Once it's out, install your new one.



Reassemble & have a nice day!

 

I did the same thing last week or so. You can see my posts in my build thread but it's super simple to do. Kinda expensive to buy the whole hub assembly but at least you don't have to press bearings. I did it to both sides of my XJ just to be safe. If you have any questions feel free to PM me!

 

Just some fun facts...

The hub bolts are 13mm 12 point bolts. The torque spec is 75 ft/lbs.
The axle nut is 36mm 6 point. The torque spec is 175 ft/lbs.

An easy way to remove the hub after the bolts are out is place a 3/8" extension between one of the loosened 13mm 12 point bolts and axle C then turn the steering wheel to force the hub out.

The front axle's aren't held in with clips, they just slide out. It would be a great time to put in new U joints...

New hubs from Autozone and OReilly's do not come with any hardware.... so don't booger up the bolts!

 

Where's a good place to get hubs? I paid $65 for mine just wanna make sure I didnt take it up the rear. Any sites online that I could get them cheaper?

 

Rockauto has them for what is typically the cheapest price I can find. I always go with the Timken's, which are more expensive, but also much higher quality. If you just daily drive yours with no lift and stock tires then the cheaper ones will probably last as long as your Jeep will. Running lifts with 33"+ tires I would definitely recommend the higher quality Timken unit bearings.

 

Thanks for the info you posted, I'm replacing everything in a brake job. Since I'm down to the hubs Im thinking what the heck, might as well replace the hubs too. The hubs are tight and they turn nicely, so I'm still wavering-thoughts? Thanks-EWI

 

I'd suggest that if the hubs and u-joints are okay, leave well enough alone. It's hard to find good quality replacements even in the "name brands" nowadays, and the chinese junk may have a shorter life than the one you yank out. The cheaper bearings tend to fail within a few years. Plus there is small chance you can damage the axle shaft seals in the differential and cause them to leak.

 

What is the determining factor in replacing the whole assembly, or just replacing the bearings?
Would it just be bearings if that's the only thing wrong with the hubs?
Or is it one of those deals where its MUCH better to replace the whole thing and not just the bearings?

 

You can't replace just the bearings in the hub. At least not on the later models. They very early hubs could be pressed apart, but really not worth the effort.