front spindles on 4wd explorers

[brad king]

Just some info for you guys that are having problems with front wheel bearings getting loose. Myself i have have had this problem for quit some time now. And i think i have finally figured it out. I have found on my own explorer that the front wheel bearing spindles have worn out were the bearings ride on. this has caused me a couple of problems. First off when the tire leans over while going into a turn it puts a bind on my hubs causing them to engage 4wd which does not sound very pretty. And also when i am in 4wd my hubs do not fully engage. they click, pop, bang, and end up making grinding noises.
My fix to this on my own. is replacing the front spindles. and replacing the automatic hubs with warn manuals. Just some info I thought might be helpful.

 

[Crankcase]

Have you dunked your front axle in lots of water in the past?

 

[brad king]

nope sure haven't not its not from rust. It is just normal wear. front the bearing and i think having 35s on it just added stress on everything.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

This is a common problem with any Explorer. It is even worse with the manual hubs as they have a diffeent spindle nut desing. Anything larger than the stock tires will cause the wheel bearings to loosen up due to the added stress. I am not sure how you wore your spindle since the bearings have a collar(race) on them that slips over the spindle that the bearings actually ride on. The only cure is a locking spindle nut that warn doesn't make anymore, or periodically check the spindle nuts regularly. I got in the habbit of doing it before every offroad trip or once month. On the manual hubs, there is an inner and outer(jam) spindle nut. The outer always loosens up and if it gets too loose it will allow the inner to back off as well.

 

[brad king]

huh thats interesting cause i do not have any collar that slips over the spindle. My bearings ride directly on the spindle. can you explain to me what the conversion kit for the auto hubs to the manual hubs consist of? i have not found any info on it. all the manufacturers say is that you must buy it. in order to convert.?

 

[brad king]

oh and by the way i do check my wheel bearing about every service i do every couple months.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

The collar is part of the bearing assemblt. It is designed into the bearing so that it will wear and not the spindle. If yo look at your bearing, the inside that slips over the spindle, is the collar I mentioned. The bearings do not acually ride on the spindle.

The conversion kit is simply two spindle nuts and a keyed washer. The inner nut has a small nub on it that lines up with the holes on the washer and then the outer nut is torqued doen to about 150 ft lbs. as a jam nut to keep everything from moving. However, large tires and time will still cause the to loosen up. You can get the whole thing at any local parts store as it is simply a stock part for manual hubs.

 

[brad king]

thanks that info helped.

 

[jemail]

Hey brad king, did you change out your spindles?
Where did you get them and at what price?

Thanks