Hub & Bearing Assembly 95-01 (I think)

[Jefe]

That's what I was told in another thread. That the 5.0 AWD and 4.0 4WD hubs are the same.

Actually it was in this thread

 

[stretch]

Oh. Now I know that memory is one of the first things to go after pulling a 24 hour duty at work and staying up after you get off.

 

[jwrezz]

So, should this be added to the "over 100K mile" list of things to do?

Is there any indication that they might be going? Thanks!

Joe

Mine started w/ some queaking from the offending wheel. Not bad at all tho. Then a grinding noise accompanied by the ABS light. These were the "exciter ring" part of the ABS, it's built into the hub. When I pulled the sensor out of the hub, it was scratched, and the grease inside was a watery brown liquid (too much water crossing). That's when I purchased one, and looked for another on ebay. I was assuming the other one would go, it still hasn't shown signs tho. Even after an extra 25,000mi.

 

[toddious]

easiest symptom is to jack up one side, and see how much play the wheel has while pulling/pushing it. todd.

 

[stretch]

So, should this be added to the "over 100K mile" list of things to do?

Is there any indication that they might be going? Thanks!

Joe

If they do this when you pull the wheel and rotor off it might be time to replace them. (No, I did not pull it apart, all those pieces just fell out of the knuckle when I unbolted the caliper mount)

 

[jwrezz]

WOW

 

[Jefe]

If they do this when you pull the wheel and rotor off it might be time to replace them. (No, I did not pull it apart, all those pieces just fell out of the knuckle when I unbolted the caliper mount)

Yeah, you might want to think about replacing them before that.

Stretch, so others know what to look for, what were your first symptoms, and how long after them did you continue to run it? I always replaced them as preventative maintanence because I never knew what they would do when they need to be replaced.

 

[toddious]

Yeah, you might want to think about replacing them before that.

Stretch, so others know what to look for, what were your first symptoms, and how long after them did you continue to run it? I always replaced them as preventative maintanence because I never knew what they would do when they need to be replaced.

my only symptom at first was a very slight scratching sound coming from the wheel well. it sounded like the wear indicator on the brake pads, and thats what i assumed it was. the sound was only there for about 4 days though before things got bad inside the bearing.

now that i know what the problem is, here is the easiest way to diagnose:
jack up which ever wheel you are trying to test. grab the tire from opposite sides. with one hand push the wheel away from you, and the other, pull it towards you.

your wheel assembly should have very little angle movement. if your bearings are going bad, there will be a lot of play in there. try comparing the two front wheels, that was how i knew for sure that mine was bad.

 

[jwrezz]

Couldn't a loose wheel also be signs of:
1) Ball joints, if the wheel is loose on the vertical axis, or;
2) Rack or tie rods if it's loose on the horizontal axis?

 

[Jefe]

Couldn't a loose wheel also be signs of:
1) Ball joints, if the wheel is loose on the vertical axis, or;
2) Rack or tie rods if it's loose on the horizontal axis?

yes, and yes

 

[stretch]

I did not get to much warning because I wasn't driving it for about a week befrore the hub went. My front R&P gears were popping and grinding real bad and since I'm in the process of a D44 build up I decided I would just convert to 2WD using Jefe's method of using the outer stubs of the CV axles to hold the hub together. When I drove it to where I was going to do the work I noiced that my ABS light was on and wasn't sure why. I took off the driverside wheel and saw that my caliper was only being held on with one bolt and wasn't sqeezing on the rotor at all, just the air. Well, there's my ABS problem, I thought. So I got a new bolt and replaced it an finished with the 2WD conversion. I take it out for a test drive and while I'm out I hear what sounds like the brake wear indicators, the normal squealing. I'm thinking WTF? I just replaced both pads and rotors up front about a month ago. I got less than a half mile from my house and this awful grinding noise starts coming from the front passenger side. I didn't get 100 yards farther down the street when my front end dropped down toward the passenger side and about caused me to wreck. When I got out I saw my wheel was severly angled in at the top. After I jacked it up I could move the wheel in a side to side motion and saw that the stub axle was moving right along with it. Between that and the bearings all over the gound I figured out that my hub had gone. Obviously, I was right about the hub being bad. That was this past Saturday, by Thursday I had it replaced and everything's good now.

So, I guess the warning signs I had were:
1. ABS light came on
2. Squealing from brakes
3. Grinding sound from up fornt/Play in lateral movement of wheel
4. Wheel bearings all over the ground

 

[toddious]

i had the same scratching that i assumed was the wear indicator, then (lucky for me) the hard grinding was heard when i first started moving the truck one time, so i was fortunate enough not to be driving. stretch, you're lucky you didn't crash when your front end dropped like that. when i heard those terrible scraping noises, i decided immediately not to drive it.

 

[toddious]

so i've got the hub nut off, and the 3 hub bolts out, but my hub doesn't seem to wanna come off. it's all sprayed down with pb blaster right now....there isn't anything else i need to unbolt to get this hub off right? i don't wanna start whacking this thing with a hammer, and rip something out the back. thanks, todd.

 

[toddious]

never mind fellas, got it off, just took some prying. took out the hub to find a whole lot of sand and crap in there (like a full handfull), and one of the seals from my old hub was in there.

put back together, and it no more squeaking, scratching, or scraping sounds (except for that passenger side upper ball joint, but that's another days project). managed to break my socket extension while tighening the hub nut, so i'm gonna have to go buy another one, and make sure it's tightened enough.

other than that, i think i'm all fixed up. thanks everyone for your help, todd.

 

[jwrezz]

Well, my other one went yesterday, and suddenly! Thought I felt some thing in the steering on my way to work. On my way to get gas it made some squeaks, grinds, and clunks, then got quiet. I knew what it was. Stayed quiet, but while on my way home it came back, at highway speeds. It REALLY came on QUICK this time! Horrible noises too!

Well, got it home just before dark, had every thing (cept the hub itself) dis-assembled inside 20 minutes. Soaked the hub bolts in deep creap, got some work lites out, and then heated one bolt up and tried to loosen it, to no avail! Re-soaked every bolt, put every thing away. I'm gonna get it out (hopefully go get one of those 18v impact wrenches!) this morning, after I call work and tell them I broke down! Job really is easy once you've done it once!

 

[toddious]

Well, got it home just before dark, had every thing (cept the hub itself) dis-assembled inside 20 minutes. Soaked the hub bolts in deep creap, got some work lites out, and then heated one bolt up and tried to loosen it, to no avail! Re-soaked every bolt, put every thing away. I'm gonna get it out (hopefully go get one of those 18v impact wrenches!) this morning, after I call work and tell them I broke down! Job really is easy once you've done it once!

yeah, i have to agree. if i had to do it again, it would definately take under an hour.

about those 18v impact wrenches, do they work pretty good? are they cordless, or plug in? and what kind of price? i really need to get this fill plug out of my rear diff, and i think it's gonna take an impact wrench to do it. thanks, todd.

 

[jwrezz]

So it's all apart, was about to put the new hub in, and figured why not replace the axle shaft while I'm in here? Right? I mean it's original w/ over 130,000mi on it! Pop it out and put a new one in. I'm gonna call for the part right now, let me know what y'all think.

 

[toddious]

any word on those impact wrenches? just curious, cause i might go get one if they work ok. thanks, todd.

 

[jwrezz]

Got some pics coming. Bad day! Got the axle, put it in, no prob. Put the hub in, and it was the wrong one!! This is the xtra that I got on ebay last year when I did the first one. Well, that's 60 bucks down the drain. Called Ford, Napa, and Pep boys for a new one. Ford=$289, Napa = $285, Pep boys=189 w/ tax=201. Which one do ya think I got?!? Well after that all went well. I'll post some pics later. Why the huge diff in price? Any one?

Box I got from ebay w/ the wrong hub on it has part # "3L2Z-1104-AB WHEEL BEARING KIT" from FoMoCo. Any one can find out what that part belongs too? I doubt I'll be able to track down the guy that sold it too me, but if I can repost it on ebay w/ the correct info, maybe I'll get a few bucks for it!

As for the electric impact wrench. It was cordless, 18v battery, that my buddy uses at his shop. It's a Snap On product. Retail was $500. It worked great! He loves it for changing tires really easy while 4 wheeling. Swears by it, except the price. He got one for his home, some "cheap" ($200) asian made product, but he says it works just as well. He doubts it's as reliable, also 14.4v, so maybe a bit weaker? I want one, that's for sure!

 

[toddious]

man, that sucks about the hub. when i got mine, i just bought a used one from ped5stang who was parting out an explorer. i think it has about 65k miles on it, so about half what mine had. I only payed $40 with shipping for it though, so i can't complain. as easy as it is to change them out, i figured i'd save my money over buying a new one.

I bet for the price change, the one you got is refurbished. those prices are about exactly what mine were when i went shopping, and discount auto had 1 that they said was a refurbished unit, and were gonna sell it for $169 compaired to the same one for $199.

man, thats a steep price for a wrench. I bought a cheap ($150) one from home depot today, but it's only 12v, and doesn't have power at all. i'll be taking it back tomorrow. Looks like i won't be getting one if a good one costs $500. thanks for getting back to me though, and good luck with your fix.