DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a mechanic! I have learned most my "skills" from watching others, asking stupid questions, reading books, and tearing stuff apart and hoping I can put it back together. Please feel free to correct me on any bad habits or false information.
BMC

Note: You need to remove the caliper and pads after removing the tire, if youy need a write up on that STOP right now and take your truck to a certified mechanic!

Step 1: Jack up the vehicle, secure it on jackstands and choke the wheels!
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB2.JPG

Step 2: Remove the front wheel, below is a picture of the tools needed.
a. Torque wrench
b. Spanner socket (Ford four prong)
c. Snap ring pliers
d. micro screw drivers
e. allen wrenches
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB1.JPG

Step 3: Remove the six allen head screws from the outer hub and pull off the cap
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB3.JPG

Step 4: remove the inner ring with the micro screw drivers...this is the hardest part!
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB4.JPG

Step5:Remove inner snap ring
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB5.JPG

Step6: I put two of the screws back in the body and wiggle until the hub assembly comes out...
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB6.JPG

Step7: Next step using the spanner wrench remove the outer lock nut, then remove the lock ring and finally remove the inner bearing adjuster nut. (The adjuster one on the inside has a little pin sticking out DO NOT BREAK IT OFF!) if you do try to drive it out a little from the other side so that it will still fit in the lock ring. http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB7.JPG

Step8:After you remove the nuts in the above step, pull off the whole assembly...it should look like this
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB8.JPG
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB9.JPG

Step9:Inner bearings and seal in this side outer bearings on the other side
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB10.JPG

Step10: remove the old seal by litely hammering from inside to knock it out. This is also how I removed the race. Lightly tap in the new inner race, GREASE the bearings and place them in then lightly tap the seal on when you put it back on the spindle use caution so you do not damage the seal. The new outer bearing then goes in...you did put the new outer race in didn't you? Then you put on the adjusting nut making sure that the pin is facing you. Torque it down to 50 lbs. while turning the hub assembly back and forth, next put the lock ring on making sure that the keyway and the pin are both engaged. Torque this one down to 150lbs. while turning the hub assembly back and forth. Old seal and new seal bearings also...anytime you replace the bearings it is a good idea to replace the races as well!
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB11.JPG

Step11: I went ahead and replaced my locking hub assembly because the bolt holes were chiped on two of the holes, I have spares! I also kept this one for a spare because it still works...
http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/users/2523/1608/HUB12.JPG

Step12: Put the wheel back on and torque the lugs to the appropriate specs and you are done!

Torque it down to 50 lbs. while turning the hub assembly back and forth, next put the lock ring on making sure that the keyway and the pin are both engaged.50 ftlb to seat the bearings,you have to back it off

I highly recommend using a Haynes manual...this is simply a reference and of course NOBS you are correct...

this would also be a good time to pull the spindle (6 more nuts)and check the condition and grease them to. I pulled the spindle bearings on my parts truck to strip it of its axles and the needle bearings in the spindles were dust couldnt be good

My spindles were replaced about two years ago, but that is definately a good tip!

Good job BMC, someting I think I am going to be doing sometime soon.

Yea BMC! rockon :cheers:
Nice one... even I could follow that! :P

Hey BMC what was your total bill??

Great tech article BMC, I'll be using it when I install my new/used spindles I bought from plug ugly. Thanks man. :D

good thread

trick to seal removal:

remove lockouts
remove spindle nuts
remove outer bearing
put 1 spindle nut back on a few threads
pull hard on hub like a slide hammer, one smooth pull
hub should end up in your hands with inner bearing and seal left on spindle from when they hit spindle nut

this will not damage the seal like beating it out will
better for inspection or 'in the field repairs'

You lost me at "choke" the wheels :goodfinge






























j/k, Good write-up
Nice job

Originally posted by Miketnf150
Hey BMC what was your total bill??



I don't exactly know...I had spare bearings and stuff so...I highly recommend if you find the lock nuts at a junk yard and they have the pins in them grab them...I think I paid like $27 for one from Ford.

I did them on my '92 for about $60 bucks, that was the inner and outter bearings on both sides and the hub seal on both side. I didn't include the price for the new spindle, that was an additional $50 bucks..

New guy here with a couple questions. I'm trying to replace my worn out rotors.

1. Can I find the spanner tool at a regular auto parts store or do I have to get one from Ford? All the ones I've seen at the store are too large in diameter.

2. How do you separate the the hub from the rotor?

3. Do I have to disassemble the entire wheel bearing assembly to replace the rotor?

Thanks guys. Great site!

Originally posted by NeedsSomeWork
New guy here with a couple questions. I'm trying to replace my worn out rotors.

1. Can I find the spanner tool at a regular auto parts store or do I have to get one from Ford? All the ones I've seen at the store are too large in diameter.

2. How do you separate the the hub from the rotor?

3. Do I have to disassemble the entire wheel bearing assembly to replace the rotor?

Thanks guys. Great site!
1. yes
2. pound out the studs, then hit on the rotor
3. not enitirely. you can leave the beack bearing/seal in, but it is a real good idea to repack them.

Thanks for the help! I got the left side done. Once I found the spanner I needed the rest was pretty straightforward. I pounded out the studs and it came apart. I repacked the wheel bearings too.

Unfortunately, when I went over to the right side, the allen bolts for the hub cover were stripped out! Any way to get them out? I was thinking of drilling them out. Will I have to go to the Ford dr to get new allen bolts?

Originally posted by NeedsSomeWork
Thanks for the help! I got the left side done. Once I found the spanner I needed the rest was pretty straightforward. I pounded out the studs and it came apart. I repacked the wheel bearings too.

Unfortunately, when I went over to the right side, the allen bolts for the hub cover were stripped out! Any way to get them out? I was thinking of drilling them out. Will I have to go to the Ford dr to get new allen bolts?
ya, just drill.
a junkyard is always good odd bolts source.
ford wont have them in stock, and may laugh at you when you say order some

Step 4: remove the inner ring with the micro screw drivers...this is the hardest part!

Theres an easier way. on the outside of the hub theres a small hole about 1/64 dia. you stick a small allen wrench in there and it pushes the metal ring up, then you jsut get under and pry out. it takes about 10 seconds to do. just though id share my .02 on this. it worked wonders on my 92.

Tim

Another Quick tip on Inner Locking nut. If locking pin is to short or worn ...I just drive it back out with a small punch, from backside, to about 1/16 th of an inch and dress it up with a small file. Those locking nuts are hardened steel and the pin can be driven easily.

Great Post!

Hooks up,
Forrest

'85 Blue and Tan(EB)
302 EFI('87) with 31.5/11/15s. Custom Dual exhaust and lots of body filler...lol

Duh.....You already said that sorry...its 5 AM here....lol

1. yes
2. pound out the studs, then hit on the rotor
3. not enitirely. you can leave the beack bearing/seal in, but it is a real good idea to repack them.

Thanks, now I can finish my rotor on the 80. And thanks to BMC, on cluing me in to the missing step (had no idea about the itty bitty ring thing)

~Critter

Theres an easier way. on the outside of the hub theres a small hole about 1/64 dia. you stick a small allen wrench in there and it pushes the metal ring up, then you jsut get under and pry out. it takes about 10 seconds to do. just though id share my .02 on this. it worked wonders on my 92.

Tim


Excellent tip!

this would also be a good time to pull the spindle (6 more nuts)and check the condition and grease them to. I pulled the spindle bearings on my parts truck to strip it of its axles and the needle bearings in the spindles were dust couldnt be good

....yeah that sounds easy....

I'm in the process of replacing the bearings and seals. I had no troubles up to this point; however, removing the spindle has got me stumped. I had to remove the ABS sensor bracket (which was a royal PITA!) and the 6 retainer nuts. Well, it looks like the spindle should come right off. Nope. WTF? I used hammers, chisels, a jack, screw drivers. No luck.

My two hour job just turned into a weekend job. Gotta love it, right?

I guess checking the condition and regreasing the spindle bearings isn't as important as I thought. I'm gonna put it back together and move on....

Anybody have any ideas for the next time I get in there?

BTW, should I have been able to unscrew both lock nuts with my fingers? (Sarcasm)

The wheel was so loose that a lot of grease was coming out of the back seal. There was a bunch of dirt/grease buildup on the ABS sensor and sensor ring. I'm hoping this fixes my ABS problems.

Thanks for the write-up. You guys are awesome.

'94 Bronco XLT
5.0 - Auto

Well, I think most on here will tell you to keep hammerin'. It is a PITA. I went to DA Zone and rented the slide hammer and spindle tool. Came off with two or three good wacks.

BTW....the spindle bearings are important and probably the most overlooked item on the maintenance list.

Well, I think most on here will tell you to keep hammerin'. It is a PITA. I went to DA Zone and rented the slide hammer and spindle tool. Came off with two or three good wacks.

BTW....the spindle bearings are important and probably the most overlooked item on the maintenance list.

Mine was the same way, it had not been off for awhile. It will come off easy once you get the slide hammer and spindle tool. When you put it back together, just use the permatex antiseize and it won't do this again.

....yeah that sounds easy....
BTW, should I have been able to unscrew both lock nuts with my fingers? (Sarcasm)
Thanks for the write-up. You guys are awesome.

'94 Bronco XLT
5.0 - Auto

The lock nuts on mine were the same way you could take them off with your fingers. Just make sure when you reinstall them that they are torqued down properly. The first lock nut should be torqued to the point that it provides a little drag on the rotor.

FYI to everyone ... if I'd read this, I could have saved myself the $303 I just spent at my local Ford dealer to have them re-grease and re-seal my driver's side spindle bearing ... It didn't sound like a normal "dry" bearing or "dragging" brake pad, so I took it to them to figure it out. Trust me, I will be doing this myself from now on.

I broke that pin off in the lock ring too. I used a needle bearing out of a u-joint...it fits perfectly

Just remember.. For those of us who have 87-88 broncos that have flanged hubs (wihtout the 6 hex bolts on it) the hub just pulls right off after you get the tire off.

:)

I just did the spindle bearing on mine this past weekend.
here is a trick. I used a small pry bar like the middle one here (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44912)
I ground the edge flat and rounded the corners of the prybar, so not to damage the inside of the spindle.
Then as there is a little lip you can get this thing into i did and 2 hits on opposite sides with a the modified prybar and hammer and out it came with no damage at all.

I am trying to pull off rotor to put in new wheelstuds. I was following the posted steps right up to #7. There doesn't seems to be those three locknuts inside and the rotor will not come off! Any suggestions. I have the Warn manual hubs. Is it possible whoever put these on left out the locknuts? What is still holding the rotor on?
Help

What year do youhave??

On mine there is a C washer you have to remove first then a Splined Spacer then you can remove the Locknut and complete step 7.

If you have a '95 or '96, you probably won't have the locknut, lockwasher, locknut setup. There will be one lucknut with a "cam retainer". You won't be able to use the spanner socket shown in the photo above; that one is for '94 and earler models. The one you need is similar, but it doesn't have square teeth like that. Autozone should be able to help you. Narzuhl is right; you will have to remove a little C clamp around the spindle before removing the locknut. I would suggest getting a Haynes manual and reviewing the process. It will have the correct steps for when you need to reassemble the monster. Also, you should do another search in the general forum and read all the discussions you can; I believe there is a picture somewhere that shows the newer type assembly. Good luck.

Thanks Narzuh and HiLander, you were correct. You guys helped me out more than my Haynes did. The steps they actually picture and go step by step are for the 3 locknut style. They mention not all setups are like this but have only "minor differences". That minor difference drove me crazy. But alas the c clamp broke on removal and cant seem to find one in any shops including ford. Any ideas of who/were I might find it?

Damn that sucks.

Try BroncoGraveyard I bet that would have one kicking around. I'd call them or try the Wreckers

"Lightly tap in the race" is a dangerous statement, they really need to be pounded firmly to ensure they are full seated in the hub so that they don't seat at a later time and allow the bearings to loosen. Though a bearing driver would be better, I've always flipped the old race over on top of the new one and slowly tapped it down into the bore evenly using a hand sledge and punch. Since the punch presses on the large surface of the old race, there's little risk of slipping and hitting the new race, which would ruin it. It's obvious when the race is seated, the pitch of the whack sound changes, and then I give it a couple more good whacks and it's in there. The races are part of the bearing, and changing them is not optional when changing the roller cages... they're a matched set and it doesn't make sense to not change them since you've paid for them anyway :toothless

I've used the "put the spindle nut back on and yank on the hub really hard" method to remove that rear seal and every time it has ruined the seal. Just trash it and get another, they're like a buck fifty at da zone. :rockon

My final word of wisdom, as I have replaced bearings 15 times on this truck, is get the $8 bearing greaser at one of the auto parts stores. It can pack grease into the cage like no other method.

Finally, if you're dipping in something brown and sticky, don't forget your hub condoms :histerica

I have a quick question.

I had auto-hubs & replaced w/warn standard hubs. I need to replace my front wheel bearings. According to the Zone, Set38 & Set45 are used w/manual hubs & Set37 & Set45 are used w/auto hubs. Which ones do I use?

The reason I am asking is in the detailed write-up w/photos on the boxes of Timken bearings it shows Set37 & Set45 which are for auto hubs, but he is using manuals.

I am just interested b/c I don't want to die while driving 80.

Use the auto-hub bearings/seal... that is what I had to do on my truck since the PO swapped to manual hubs. These are also the parts that work with all the older trucks, and I don't know what's different about the inner bearing, but I do know that the manual hub seal would not fit on my hub when I first tried it years ago. Your hub has not changed, so it makes sense that those parts will not change with the new lockouts you put on there.

I appreciate the info, muddybronco. I thought this was the case, but thought I would ask some of the 'experts' on this site.

Thanks for the input.

Excellent write-up with great additional tips from everyone else.

I'm in the process of replacing the bearings (outer/inner), hub (auto to manual), rotor, and brake calipers/pads on my 86. I have the new passenger side hub assembly back on with new bearings and seal. I torqued the inner locknut to 50, then backed it off, then re-torqued it to 40.

That's when I remembered about the little pin on the inner locknut that's used to key in the washer with the holes in it - doh! I tried using my finger to feel for the little pin, but couldn't feel it. So I removed the inner locknut to see where the pin was, and that's when I discovered there was no pin on either side of it. I double-checked to make sure I wasn't using the outer locknut by mistake. So I checked the other locknut to see if the locking pin was on it, but it wasn't. Neither locknut (inner or outer) has the locking pin on it, and neither has a hole or any other "evidence" that a pin was ever on it.

From reading this thread, this other great little write-up:

http://www.superford.org/registry/vehicles/showmedia.php?id=91930

and this other excellent write-up:

http://tophersworld.com/Bronco_hubs.htm

It sounds like there is supposed to be some kind of a hole in the inner locknut where the locking pin fits into. Is that the case? If so, I can always try to fit a needle bearing in it like someone else suggested on this thread, but unfortunately, I can't see any hole on either side of the locknut. In fact, didn't even think about double-checking for that locking pin when I unscrewed the locknut awhile back. The surface on both sides of it is so smooth and clean looking (even after wiping it clean with a cloth) that it looks like the previous owner put on two outer locknuts at some point in time. Then again, I could be completely wrong about that, and the inner locknut could very well have had a perfectly good locking pin on it that I somehow managed to shear off when I unscrewed it and then re-torqued it back on.

Anyway, this thread and the sites I found seem to suggest that if the locking pin does not hold in place the washer with the holes in it, then the hub assembly will not engage properly. If that is the case, what exactly does that mean? That the new Warn manual hubs won't engage, or something more drastic? Can I still put everything back together again so I can finally drive this thing on the road, regardless of whether the hub assemply engages properly? If so, I guess I can always look for an inner locknut at a junkyard later on, but in the meantime, I'd like to get it on the street for now, and worry about the manual hubs engaging later on after I go to the junkyard. Any opinions, warnings or comments on that? And again, is the inner locknut supposed to have a hole on its outer face where the pin goes in?

Well, I figured it out when I did the other side. The passenger side had both outer locknuts on it while the driver side had both inner locknuts on it. Looks like a previous owner or mechanic thought they were all one and the same and didn't realize the mistake. I also discovered that the pins on both inner locknuts were pressed in flush. So I drove them out a bit using a hammer and a nail. Worked perfectly on one of the locknuts, but the other one took some doing til the pin finally budged.

When I assembled everything back together again, one side didnt have enough room for the outer axle snap ring to fit when I put in the Warn manuals. Found out that the washer that goes in between the two locknuts wasn't set flush with the pin going through one of the holes. Took me a little bit to finally get the washer and pin to fit by having to back off and re-torque the inner locknut a few times. Once that was taken care, there was plenty of space for that snap ring to fit on the axle.

Thanks for the write-up, pics and all the other helpful posts added throughout this thread. :thumbup

you wouldnt have the pics to this whole process. :rockon


big mike

got any pics of this process

Dang Superford...i'll see if I can repost the pictures...

Dang Superford...i'll see if I can repost the pictures...

Please try, I'm interested in seeing them too.

where are the pics?

http://www.supermotors.org/vehicles/registry/detail.php?id=1608&s=9169#content

me, foghorn and Tomh971 just did the bearings, tie rods and had to replace a spindle. it cost me about $250 and a couple cases of beer.

one thing to look out for is that the bearings amay loosen a bit. you may have to retighten them.

I'm trying to remove the spindle nut to pull off my rotor and hub. I have a spanner tool I picked up from NAPA. The length of the notches on the spanner wrench is 1/4". The depth of the notches in the are about 1/8" deeper than the wrench's notches.

I doesn't seem to me that the notches are pressing on anything to release any kind of locknut. I'm wondering if I have the right tool.

I tried a 3ft breaker bar and couldn't get it to budge. Tried some impacts with the hammer with no effect.

Am I on the right course? Or is my spanner tool the wrong one? It's not some kind of reverse thread? Do I need some kind of impact hammer to do the deed? Do I just need to keep pounding on it till it gives way?

1981 Bronco 351M.

The spanner tool should have four prongs, (the Chevy ones have 6)!

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/53001/fullsize/HUB7.JPG

this is all there is to them...you have two of the notched rings with a "lock washer" in between....do you have the first ring off? If so you have to work out that lock ring as it will usually stick the the inner ring. It has holes all the way around it, usually I take some mini screw drivers and play around with it moving from one side to the other until I can get it out.

Nice write up, in the process of doing this...my front drivers side axle broke but I plan to replace everything while I am in there.