How to: Removing the rear wheel hub without brute force

[vmozer]

Hi all, it has been a while since I completed this repair, but I thought you may find some of the tips useful when replacing rear or front wheel hubs on your 4WD Explorer. The process is more or less the same as the hubs are identical for front and rear.

Little background: While driving I started hearing some humming noise coming from the rear passenger side. The intensity of the noise changed when steering left or right and the load on the hub was changing. After watching a couple of youtube videos I decided to give it a go and do it on my own. Here are a couple of notes that may help. The major issue with this repair is the chemical corrosion which causes the wheel hub (steel) to bind itself into the real knuckle (aluminum). The removal can be a major PITA and you may end up breaking the knuckle if you use too much brute force trying to hammer it out.

Disclaimer This writeup does not replace the workshop manual. These are just notes that hopefully make the repair easier. Focus is mainly on how to get the wheel hub off the knuckle.

Parts, tools and material required:
Parts:
1x New wheel hub - i went with SCHAEFFLER WH1162 (Made in South Korea) which should be a decent enough brand. The previous wheel hub was Adeco and lasted 3 years and about 25000 miles. If you are from Europe like, me don't bother trying to find decent brands locally - you will only find some obscure Chinese brands. I got mine from RockAuto.
1x Wheel hub nut W712435S439 (*W712435*S439) - Rockauto (there appears to be some thread locking compound on it - new one required per workshop manual)
4x Wheel hub bolts W714516S439 (*W714516*S439) - Rockauto (there appears to be some thread locking compound on them - new ones are required per workshop manual)
Tools:
A good set of sockets and ratchet (mostly 1/2 and 3/8 used by me)
Torque wrenches for:
15 Nm (133 lb-in) wheel speed sensor nut
103 Nm (76 lb-ft) brake caliper to knuckle bolts
165 Nm (122 lb-ft) wheel hub bolts
350 Nm (258 lb-ft) wheel hub nut
Brake caliper compression tool
Good jack and support for your car
Other material:
Good metal-free anti seize grease - I went with Loctite LB 8009 You need it metal free to inhibit/prevent the electrochemical corrosion aggravated by road salt and water.
A couple of M12 bolts - 80mm long threaded on their full length. Standard thread was enough for me but fine thread and high strength bolts are a safer option when your hub is stuck bad.
A couple of M12 nuts matching the bolts
A thicker (2-3mm) piece of sheet metal of about 10x10cm (4x4inch) or bigger
Some grease for the threats of the above bolts and nuts
General note:
You may be tempted to use antiseize on bolts or nuts. This is not recommended as the grease (any lubrication for that matter) modifies / reduces the clamping force and your torque specs will be off. Also double-tripple check everything - these are your brakes and you do not want them failing due to a loose bolt.
Repair tips and notes:

1. Make sure your car is securely fixed and lifted - block all three wheels that are on the ground.
2. There is tons of videos on how to remove wheel and brakes - check youtube.
3. You may not need to disassemble the brake caliper - if you rotors are not too worn down you should be able to remove the caliper with pads by gently prying on it. Just make sure that the parking brake is not on. Once you get the caliper off you must not leave it hanging on the hoses but use a piece of wire of bungee cords and hang it that way.
   
   
   
   
4. When removing the brake rotor put back one of the lug nuts - just a couple of threads . When you remove the torx screw holding the rotor and tap it with hammer it will not slip and fall on the ground.
5. Before you start messing around with the wheel hub, remove the wheel speed sensor. Mine was quite stuck and I had to spend quite some time carefully wiggling it out with a pair of pliers - just be gentle and patient. Make sure you clean the hole and sensor before putting it back.
   
   
6. Remove the wheel hub nut holding the halfshaft - I used an impact for this. It is quite large and you will need a 32 mm socket to get it out. Gently tap the end of the halfshaft if it needs releasing. You should be able to move it by hand without excessive force. Do not discard the wheel hub nut just yet, you will need it when putting things back together for pre-tightening.
   
   
   
7. Remove the 4 wheel hub bolts. The heads are from the rear of the knuckle and the access is not the best. You may need a breaker bar to release the bolts. Once removed you can discard these - new ones should be used.
8. Apply some WD40 or some releasing oil/compound around the perimeter where the hub meets the knuckle. It will not help much but makes you feel better. I did not release the metal shield just now - at this stage it will give you only a little maneuvering space but you cannot remove it due to the hub blocking it.
9. Using angle grinder cut one of the wheel bolts as close to the hub as possible and tap it out using a hammer.
   
   
   
10. Put some grease on the M12 bolt you bought and put it through the wheel bolt hole you just freed up and put on the nut from the rear side of the wheel hub disc. Place the piece of sheet metal under the bolt and with a spanner (19mm i think) holding the nut start threading the bolt into the nut. Using an impact helps to speed up the process. Just start slowly to get things into possition and make sure that the sheet metal rests on the shield properly. I found that putting the sheet metal on two of the four bolt holes of the hub (as shown below) works really well.
    
    
    
11. Keep threading the bolt in steadily until you see the hub releasing on this side. If not do not go all in give it a couple of tries. Release the bolt and rotate the hub 180 degrees. And tighten it again. Then turn it 90 degrees and so on. The idea is to apply the forces on multiple spots so the knuckle does not break. This is how I did it. Once you start seeing the hub separating from the knuckle, keep the above pattern, the victory is close.
    
    
    
    
12. When you remove the hub you will see what was holding it in place - make sure you clean it put properly, the new hub must go in just by hand. I used very fine grit sandpaper as wire brush drill attachments seem too aggressive to me and they remove too much material. You will need to remove the metal shield to gain access.
    
    
    
    
13. Apply good amount of metal-free antiseize on the inside of the knuckle opening and the hub part that goes into it.
    
    
    
    
14. Push the new hub into the knuckle - it must go in by hand without significant friction or resistance. I used the OLD hub nut to get the halfshaft spline into position and hold it there while installing the hub into place. Install the 4 new wheel hub bolts and tighten them to 165 Nm (122 lb-ft) in a cross pattern. I found it a bit difficult to get my torque wrench in there due to lack of space under the car, but got it tightened properly eventually.
    
    
    
    
15. Reinstall the brake rotor on the hub and fix it with the torx screw - tighten to 20 Nm(177 lb-in).
16. Put the wheel speed sensor in and fix it with the screw tightened to 15 Nm (133lb-in). I did not apply antiseize on the sensor, because it is made of plastic and I was not sure about the compatibility.
17. Now you will need to press the brake caliper piston back in using a special tool. The piston has two opposing v-shaped recesses into which the pins of the tool will fit and twist it clockwise as you rotate the tools handle clockwise. Again there is plenty of videos on how to use these tools on Youtube - just do not brute force it. I was able to press it it quite easily with little resistance. Before you start pressing and rotating the piston, release the rubber dust jacket around it by gently rotating the jacket. I found mine quite stuck and it could have torn.
    
    
    
18. Once the brake piston is pushed in enough, you can reinstall the pads into the caliper (make sure the pin align with the notch on the piston) and put the caliper back on. Install the 2 screws fixing the caliper to the knuckle and tighten to 103 Nm (76 lb-ft).
19. You must install and tighten the wheel hub nut with the wheel off the ground. I have seen a youtube video there the guy torqued it with the wheel on and on the ground. The workshop manual advises that this mus not be done.
20. Apply parking brake to prevent the rotor and hub from moving. Using the OLD wheel nut tighten it to 350 Nm (258 lb-ft). This will get the halfshaft pulled into the hub properly and ready for final torquing with a NEW nut. Remove the OLD nut and discard it. Install the NEW wheel hub nut and tighten it to 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) within 5 minutes of threading it in, i.e. before the thread lock compound on it starts curing.

And that is it, just put the wheel back on and test it. Hope your goes as smoothly as mine.

Let me know if more details are required on any of the above.

Vlad