Thanks for all the advice! I just really need to know how to get the assembly off so i can take it to a shop to have the bearing removed and re-pressed. Thats my biggest concern at the moment. Theres no way i could press a bearing at home!! Lol!!
I happen to have done both rears in the past month, so it's fresh in my mind.....support the rear of the vehicle under the FRAME, each side, close to the rear suspension, be careful of the gas tank, very close to frame on RH side. ALL the weight needs to be off the wheels.
Pull off the wheel where your doing the work. First, remove the disc brake caliper, and support it out of the way. The UPPER control arm, and the TOE control rod need to be removed, as well as the big axle shaft nut in the middle of the hub.
Upper arm has a ball joint with STRAIGHT stud, retained by a cross-bolt which clamps the KNUCKLE about the ball joint stud. Remove the cross-bolt and nut, squirt some penetrating oil in there, the stud will be rusted in place. The wedged "V" of a small cold chisel driven into the "split" of the knuckle where it surrounds the ball joint stud will "spread" the hole open a bit, greatly simplifying loosening of the stud. Mine popped out by hammering on the BOTTOM edge, carefully, of the upper control arm. It's aluminum, don't get carried away. Toe rod, same story.
Assuming you have removed the center (axle) nut, it's 36mm, need deep socket, you must force the axle spline loose of the spline within the hub....strongly suggest a puller-pusher type tool. I used the 3-lobed type which fits over 3 wheel studs, lugnuts to bear against, center bolt presses against axle shaft, pushes it loose in spline- you can rent this type of tool. Hammering on the axle shaft to loosen spline is STRONGLY discouraged! A bit of penetrating oil helps here too.
The spring and shock attached to the LOWER control arm, will hold the arm in place. Remove the large bolt and nut at the underside of the arm which attaches the knuckle to the arm. You now simply pull the knuckle away from the suspension, while PUSHING the axle shaft back out of the splined hub....the hub comes away with the knuckle. The brake rotor can be removed any time, but early on, it removes weight from the knuckle if done first. Now you are ready to press the old bearing out of the hub, which separates the hub, leaving the OD of the bearing in the knuckle. The bearing itself then presses out of the knuckle from it's back side.
Simple, huh? imp
