I replaced both of my front wheel bearing hub assemblies yesterday on my 2002 Explorer 4x4. The motivation was obviously because the driver's side bearing was extremely worn to the point that the
ABS and AdvanceTrac and 4x4 HIGH Idiot Lights Came On. I changed the passenger side too because I felt that it probably would not have been too far behind and while I had the tools and knowledge ready to go I may as well.
I went with SKF wheel bearing hub assemblies. My motivation was to buy a quality American made product that hopefully would out last the cheap Chinese imports. The total cost for two units was $305 delivered. Oddly, these units came with Timken bearings Made in USA...LOL! So you can see that even manufacturers can and will purchase components from their competitors. I didn't go with the Timken assemblies at $245 because I was informed that the Timken assemblies do not include the 5 bolt kit or at least not at the $245 price. Most folks, especially those up north who deal with winter snow-salt, will want to use new bolts with thread lock already on the bolts. If you plan to reuse your bolts you should put Loctite-blue on the threads.
I had a little bit different experience from some folks on here that I will document with pictures I took along the way.
I went out to Sears to purchase some tools while my wheel bearings were on their way in the mail. I bought the 15mm offset box wrench like others had suggested. Since there were conflicting reports on the size of the axle nut being 29mm or 30mm I thought I'd be smart and purchase both at Sears. In the end I didn't use the 15mm box wrench (explained later) nor the sockets from Sears. I failed to realize that the socket must be very deep to get over the end of the axle spline to reach the nut As you can see in the picture the Sears sockets are very short compared to the 3 1/2 inch axle nut socket next to them. The Sears sockets were purchased as a backup in case I couldn't rent an axle nut socket from AdvancedAuto or AutoZone but in the end they were useless. As it turns out both AdvancedAuto and AutoZone do rent out axle nut sockets. My plan was to rent both a 29mm and 30mm socket to cover all my bases and find out what my axle nut size was later. But, both parts stores only rent 30mm and higher sized axle nut sockets so I rented a 30mm socket. But as you would have guessed when I went to try out the 30mm socket it was very loose. Alas, I need a 29mm socket! It figures...it just figures...LOL! I could have purchased a 29mm socket from AutoZone for $14 but I found an 7 piece axle nut socket set (29mm, 30mm, 32mm, 34mm, 35mm, 36mm, 38mm) at Harbor Freight (pictured). Normally, it's $60 for the set but it was on sale for $40 and I had a 20% off coupon so I got it for $32. I believe the larger axle nut sockets will come in handy when the rear bearings need to be replaced.
With the Explorer on the ground you want to loosen the axle nut and the wheel lugs prior to jacking it up. Normally, you just pop off the center cap on your wheels to get access to the axle nut. I have custom wheels that require the cap be popped out from the INSIDE of the wheel (if you don't want to ruin the the plastic cap). Therefore, I had to remove my wheels first, pop out the center caps, then put the wheels back on.
The next problem with the custom wheels was the depth to which the axle nut sits relative to the outside of the wheel. That nut sits 3 1/2" below the outside surface of my wheels...the same length as my axle nut socket. Many axle nut sockets are only 3 to 3 1/8 long.
This of course means that you better have a 1/2" extension in your tool kit.
Only then can you get that breaker bar on there to loosen up the wheel nut. I recommend loosening the wheel nut significantly while the vehicle is on the ground. You don't want to break the nut free just a little just to find it is still on rather tight after you've removed the wheel.
With the axle nut very loose and the wheel lugs loosened it is time to jack up your Explorer. So, I read where someone, in this thread, wanted to know the proper place to jack up the front of the vehicle. I'm close to telling anyone who doesn't know the proper place to jack up his vehicle as already being way over their head for this project. From your owner's manual you should know that the proper jacking position is below the "diamond" in the frame. For purposes of safety I'd recommend you don't just rely on your jack to hold up the vehicle. If it slips off the jack it will not be a pretty sight for you or your vehicle. Always put a jack stand under the vehicle just in case and at a minimum put your wheel/tire under the frame somewhere if you don't have jack stands. Remember, you are potentially going to be cranking the heck out of some of those bolt heads with a wrench and cheater bar.
