[justin]

96 XLT

Without warning Thursday my driver side bearings started making some god awful noise and started causing some vibrations. I pulled over immediately and had it towed home. Cracked it open today.

Got the hub off (manual supreme mile markers) and I knew it was going to be bad. The bearing cage was ****led behind the hub body and in front of the spindle lock nuts. Picked it out with a few of the bearing rollers.

Got the lock nuts off and the goddamn hub assembly won't budge. I went and rented a slide hammer...still can't get it to move. I don't have an acetylene torch so I got my little propane torch, tried it heat it and then use the slide hammer nothing. The rotor will still spin....although not easily.

How the hell am I going to get the hub off the spindle?

 

[justin]

Pics

 

[snookgetter]

Knock out the rest of the rollers out the hole that is already there and try again...

 

[justin]

I tried to hit a few out and they don't budge, bearing is tapered so it shouldn't go in.

Tried to pull them out with some needle nose pliers and can't get them that way either.

 

[snookgetter]

Chisel and a 3lb hammer is what I would use. I do this at work all the time with our bearings that go out, dont see what would be differnt about this situation.

 

[justin]

Well I tried to hit them in with a five pound sledge and a brave and slightly drunk neighbor holding the chisel. I was just making it worse.

Woke up this morning and said **** it, I cut off the top hat and removed a chunk of the outer bearing race, spun it around it get all the needles to spill out. Then used the rotor as a slide hammer to get the inner bearing and seal off. I cut a groove width wise in the rest of the bearing carcass, gave it a good hit with the sledge and chisel and it spun right off.

Now the question is, can I salvage the spindle? It looks like I damaged the first few threads (I think) when the outer bearing exploded. I have two nicks on the spindle on the area between the inner and outer bearing...not to concerned about that. What do you guys think?

 

[impalaslayer]

god damn, what a mess. id try to smooth the nicks out of it and run it unless you can afford a new one

 

[justin]

I can afford but would rather not...just dropped300 in parts at napa...the area where the bearings ride look pretty good all considering.

Ill let ford rape me for a spindle another day

 

[snookgetter]

I think you'll be fine. Emory cloth to smooth it out or they make grinding wheels that are essentially made of emory cloth and only take off very small amounts of metal, like a polishing disc.

 

[justin]

I've already smoothed those nicks out, looks pretty good. Cleaned up the areas where the bearings ride.


NAPA gave me the wrong ****ing seal...off to NAPA again.

 

[Mike4xdriver]

the area there between where the two bearings sit is fine with the knicks in it. Nothing rides on that area. I used that area to knock off the spindles before I got the slide hammer adapter for the spindle.

 

[justin]

Anybody know a NAPA part # for the spindle lock nut set, I tried BK 6301654 and get nothing at NAPA.

The nipple on the inner lock nut that locates the lock washer sheared off...trying to get this god damn thing back together tonight.

 

[Kingfish999]

napa and andvance auto didnt have spindle nuts for mine. i had to order mine at JBG cause the dealership didnt have any either and they wanted a good price for a set. napa may have gave you the wrong seal cause theres 2 kinda of seals for 96 spindels, a 1 piece and a 2 piece.

glad you got it all apart. when mine started that noise, i was 15 miles away and i drove home. there was no salvaging of anythnig but the knuckle. had to cut off the balljoints to take the knuckle off, then cut the spindle studs off so i can reuse the knuckle. then i had the trouble of the spindle i ordered from JBG wasnt correct with the parts i ordered. took bout a months to get back onroad

 

[justin]

He gave me the correct inner seal, just the wrong outer one. Got it fixed.

I went to NAPA (a state distribution center I might add), Oreilly's, Advance, and the zone and nobody had the damn lock nuts. Soonest they could get it was Wednesday and couldn't even guarantee me it would be right.

Went ahead and ordered from JBG...hope it gets here before Thanksgiving.

 

[sniper365]

sorry to hear of your troubles. Do you have two seperate lock nuts on your spindle or is it the ford mess with the multi part unit with the internal locking teeth?
have youtried summit to see if they had any stage eight kits for your 44 they could next day air?

 

[justin]

It could always be worse, I'd be in it another few hundred bucks if the spindle was trashed...assuming I could find the right one.

I converted to manual hubs so I have the 3 piece lock nut/washer set. I ordered two sets (one to keep as a spare) from JBG, should be here Wednesday.


I considered having it sent overnight, but by the time I did that, I could have bought the $75 Warn locknut set that NAPA had. I wasn't at that point of desperation quite yet.



Got everything back together, covered up the new stuff with a plastic bag. Went ahead and repacked the inner/outer bearings on the other side too. Started getting dark so I didn't get to do that side's spindle bearing. I'll save that shit for another day.


Whoever invented this is a ****ing genius:

 

[snookgetter]

The toolman is always pimpin those things, I've still got my old school one from discount with its lifetime warrantee. How much that thing run you?

 

[miesk5]

yo, Just in case J, read this by Tony R; he went thru the NAPA parts mess too in his 96
Originally Posted by Steve83
"...The spindle bearing seal is 3 pieces (1 rubber & 2 hard plastic), but it's only shown in this diagram as parts #2 & 3.

I wouldn't be surprised if the aftermarket (old-style) part isn't identical to OE, but it's functionally identical..."
====

Following by by Tony R:
Item 2 is Ford F3TZ1S175BBA
Item 3 is FOrd F3TZ1SZ175AA
Item 6 is NAPA NOS25009
http://www.napaonline.com/MasterPage...+-+Front+Wheel
Item 7 is Napa NOS23276

Ford has replaced some of the numbers with seals that are not correct. When I did mine last year (96, not sure how closee to yours), the parts guy new his stuff and said when they crossed some numbers they didn't get it right. I went to five dealers and each had the same problem.

Don't go to Pep Boys and get the seals they sell. Even though they are Chicago Rawhide, same as Napa relabel, they are not the better ones. The parts they have are a very cheap version, which may work, but I wouldn't trust.

Napa had to order in the 25009, but they got it in a day.

As far as seal 3, the one I got new from Ford was one piece, but the one that came out broke into the three pieces. If you get the Ford one, you will see how easy it is to snap apart. Seal 2 is actually a smaller version of seal 6, but the oneFord parts guy said that they don't have a replacement. Fortunately Napa has one.

They have one part D3TZ3C132A that they try to sell. It is a metal slinger that could be pressed in place of seal 2, but it has no sealing properties, just a stamped part that looks like a washer with a lip where it slides over the axle.
===

Replacement, Front Wheel in a 96; w/Links
Source: by Ford via miesk5 @ FSB from 96 Bronco Workshop Manual
See many diagrams & Torque Specs.

 

[justin]

The toolman is always pimpin those things, I've still got my old school one from discount with its lifetime warrantee. How much that thing run you?

Picked it up on Amazon for $20 a few months back, first chance I got to use it. Beats the hell out of packing them by hand.



Thanks Miesk, I think I got the seals and bearings straightened out. I've written down all the NAPA Part #'s for future reference.:toothless