2002 4.6L Rear Bearings Axle?

[Scott2008]

A few months ago I started hearing a grinding sound coming from the back. I pulled the wheel and noticed the pads wear worn almost all the way down. (Rotors were fine). Anyway, it seemed to help but still there was a slight sound.

I notice that the right rear wheel hub seemed loose... I do not have a socket big enough to try and tighten it.

I'm wondering if it could be that easy of a fix? If so, what sozie socket is that? 2"?

Next, a friend said it sounds like a problem with the bearings. Does this seem symptomatic? If so, is there a part number(s) I need to get? How can I tell if that's the case?

I also think that wheel is wobbling a bit because at highway speeds I get that feeeling like the a gust a wind suddenly pulls to side or the other.

Any help diagnosing this would be great!

 

[Scott2008]

I forgot to mention... my expploer has a drivetrain warranty still... is this something that is covered? I don't want to take it in and find out cause the dealer charges $200 just to look at it. If this would be considered part of the drivetrain THAT WOULD BE SWEET!

If not, I'm going to have to bust out the hand tools and give it a try.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[IZwack]

Get that wheel up in the air with a jack and check for up/down and side to side play. If play exists, then the bearings assembly needs to be replaced. Typical cost for a wheel bearing for a 2002 Explorer will run between $150 and $175 at most local parts store.

 

[DavidS]

Mine on my '02 cost over $600 to be replaced at my dealer. Fortunately it was still under an extended warranty. Mine sounded like I had big off-road tires on it, a lound "zinging" noised that changed in relation to speed and went away with side loading like on an exit ramp. I thought I had bad tires. If Scott2008 still has a warranty, I'd definitely cash in on it with the dealer. The dealer said they weren't easy to repair and took about three hours on their book.

 

[billonion]

rear wheel bearings

Same here: My 2002 X sounded like I had big off road tires on it, so I bought new tires. Still made the noise, so I figured it was the bearings. The dealer replaced them and charged me $600. All quiet now. Mine only had 63K miles on it at the time. Good luck.

billonion

 

[Scott2008]

Sorry it took so long to get back to this thread. I haven't been driving my explorer as the sound has been getting worse. Yes, I learned it is the bearing pack. My dealer said it was 6-750 per side. I was able to get the parts needed to do the job for about $100. Regarding the warranty, I have a limited drive-train warranty that doesn;t cover what they call "external parts."

So now, my buddy and I thought we'd give it a try... see next post:

 

[Scott2008]

We have the caliper pulled and the center axle nut off. I have been pounding away at the rotor and it will not move. Also, canot seem to get the hub assem off. Anyone have any suggestions or a write up how to do this? My manual just says "take off center nut and press on bearing pack."

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!

 

[Scott2008]

Update, we got the hub assembly apart. You have to disconnect the emerg brake line pop out three bolt on the back-side and pull what looks like ball joints.

Once out, pulled out an o-ring and pounded out the rotor. I also found the emergency brake shoes were all busted up. So, for this job I need a couple new bearing seals, new emerg brake shoes, and a rotor.

Next part of the job is to press out the bearing pack, then press the new one on.

Perhaps in a shop with the right tools, this is about a 2 hour maybe 1.5 hour job. The fact the dealer would chrage 6-$700 a side is robbery.

Does anyone know if there is a specialty puller/press for this? I have a friend down the road who said he has a press, but just wondering if there is another way? thanks

 

[Scott2008]

I was looking up some parts I need to pick up and found this write up:

This information is from the Ford Service Manual for a 2002 Ford Explorer, however it can be used for all 2002-2005 Ford Explorer’s, Mercury Mountaineer’s and Mercury Mariner vehicles.

The hub bearing on the rear of these vehicles is unfortunately not a bolt on hub assembly. This is a job that a do-it-yourselfer can do, however this repair requires the actual bearing and outer hub to be pressed in/out. This best way to go about this repair is to have a machine shop do the actual press work. You can do all of the other labor yourself and save several hundred dollars over what a shop would charge. A quick preface to these instructions is that you can remove the brakes and the entire hub and knuckle assembly yourself and then take the hub and knuckle assembly to a suitable machine shop with a new bearing kit in hand and have them do the pressing. Many machine shops have most likely performed this job several times in the past as these bearings are extremely common to fail. You should probably pop open the phone book and call for a quote from several machine shops to make sure they can do it and also they will probably want you to drop it off with them and then pick it up later when they are done. You can also call our tech support phone number at 1-866-770-2771.

We sell these hub repair kits on our website at wholesale, here is a link to the wheel hub bearing kit on our website:

2002-2005 Ford Explorer Rear Wheel Hub Bearing Replacement Kit
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

1. Remove the wheel knuckle.

Wheel Knuckle
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

CAUTION: Do not loosen the axle wheel hub retainer until the wheel and tire are removed from the vehicle. Wheel bearing damage will occur if the wheel bearing is unloaded with the weight of the vehicle applied.

1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly.

NOTE: Have an assistant press the brake pedal to keep the axle from turning.

2. Remove the nut and washer and discard the nut. A new nut is recommended and can be purchased at a Ford dealer or we can supply one with the bearing. Call us at 1-866-770-2771 if you would like the nut with your order.

3. Remove the brake caliper by removing the bolts from the back side of the caliper bracket. Hold the caliper out of the way but do not allow it to hang by the brake hose. Hanging the caliper from the brake hose can cause internal damage to the brake hose. The brake caliper will slide off of the hub once the caliper is removed.

CAUTION: Do not damage the boot while separating the toe link from the knuckle.

4. Remove the nut and bolt and separate the toe link from the wheel knuckle and discard the nut.

CAUTION: Do not damage the boot while separating the ball joint from the knuckle.

5. Remove the nut and bolt and separate the upper ball joint from the wheel knuckle and discard the nut.

CAUTION: Do not use a hammer to separate the outboard CV joint from the hub. Damage to the threads and internal CV joint components may result.

6. Make sure the axle is free from the hub. The axle basically floats inside the hub and you can usually push slightly on the end of the axle to make sure it is disengaged from the hub.

7. Remove the nut and bolt and the wheel knuckle, hub and bearing as an assembly..

Rear Wheel Bearing***

NOTE*** This is where you can take the entire assembly and a new hub repair kit to a machine shop and let them do the actual press work. Doing this yourself is not recommended unless you have access to a heavy duty press with all of the proper adapters. Improper equipment or experience can cause damage to the new bearing, knuckle assembly, and could also cause bodily harm.
BEARING REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION

2. Remove the three bolts.

CAUTION: Make sure that the press adapter outside diameter is slightly smaller than the hub outside diameter or damage to the knuckle will result.

3. Using a suitable press, remove the hub from the bearing and discard the hub.

NOTE: The retainer ring is tapered and must be installed flat side down.

4. Remove and Discard the retainer ring.

5. Using a suitable press, remove the bearing from the wheel knuckle and discard the bearing.

CAUTION: The hub and bearing cannot be reused after disassembly.

To install, reverse the removal procedure