Unitized Hub Bearing Assembly Removal - Lessons Learned

[rbattelle]

I Got You, M^*@&#$^%*#!

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!! Oo. Oo. Oo.



The puller worked well, but it was a workout! I mean, it took a lot of force to pull this thing out. I was using a standard 1/2" rachet - a breaker bar would've been easier, but since this was an untested tool I didn't want to risk damaging something if the tool should fail.



Despite incompetent design, engineering, and financial management on the part of Dodge, I'm well on my way now to replacing the passenger side front universal joint.



I would love to throw this bearing through a window and directly onto most any substantial part of a Dodge engineer's body.



The tools I made for this worked exactly as designed. I am willing to lend them out to TDR members so that no one should have to suffer as I have. I only ask that you pay shipping costs. PM me if you're in need of these (HOBrian is already first in line).



Ryan

[Please excuse the masked profanity in the title - I'm loaded with adrenaline right now. ]

 

[HOBrian]

Oo. Oo. Oo. SWEETOo. Oo. Oo.





It makes you want to send it to dodge with a tag saying... Hey stupid, what the (fill in your own word) were you thinking when you thought this idea up#@$%!



Ryan, how much do both of those weight?? Just thinking about shipping.

 

[rbattelle]

Well, I don't build "small" things. The outer unit (the one that bolts to the wheel flange) weighs 32 lb, the smaller puller for the inner bearing weighs 12 lb.

There's almost 3 lb of welding rod in the small puller!

Ryan

 

[CBradford]

I just rebuilt the entire front end of my truck... ... i was noticing some vibrations when cornering and my tires were beginning to chop slightly in the front..... so i jacked up the front wheels and put a bar under the tires to check for verticle play... ... there was just enough play on the passenger side to notice that it was there... ... the driver side had quite a bit so i was assuming wheel bearings... ... i went ahead and ordered all the replacement items for the front end... ... NAPA parts only since i own the store

ball joints 260-1580 and 260-1579 both are greasable

hub units br930502

u joints 464

when i removed the wheels and brakes i grabbed the wheel studs and pulled up and down and the movement was only in the ball joints... ... . i went ahead and replaced all the parts listed b/c i didn't want to have to do the job over again for a long time... ... the old hub units came out with some pursuation from a large 2 jaw puller... ... luckily each one came out in one piece... ... but that's most likely b/c i replaced them before they were actually bad... ... i have had plenty separate trying to get them out... ... i also installed EBC green stuff pads and drilled/slotted rotors... ... . they ROCK... ... . only have about 100 miles on them but they stop great... ... . we'll see how they hold up with time.....

 

[brods]

Ryan, its good to hear you got the job done.



Now that you've done both sides and had some fun... . If you had it all to do over would you stick with the unit bearing/hub or switch to locking hubs?



PS Maybe you should enter: Dynatrac Ford/Dodge Free-Spin Photo Contest

 

[rbattelle]

Now that you've done both sides and had some fun... . If you had it all to do over would you stick with the unit bearing/hub or switch to locking hubs?

Good question. I still like the unit bearing for simplicity - there are a lot fewer parts in the unit bearing than there are in a locking hub arrangement.

However, the design is absolutely ruined without anti-seize lubricant applied at the factory.

Now that I've put the system back together properly, I don't have any desire to switch to lockout hubs.

The Dynatrac contest is interesting, but I doubt I'd win. I think they want people whose bearings grenaded whilst off-road. And this language worries me a bit:

Disclaimer: All materials will become the property of Dynatrac Products, Inc. and sender authorizes Dynatrac to use materials in all forms of marketing and promotional purposes in perpetuity with no further obligation.

I'd hate to think of them using something I wrote as some kind of an endorsement of their product. I'm not qualified to speak on the merits of their design.

Ryan

 

[robmints]

So you just used the existing threads to jack the housing out? What causes the bearing to separate when you pull it out? Does your tool allow it to separate?



So the other tools use the axle shaft to pull the bearing and it pulls the inner race out? And your tool pulls the outer housing where it is usually stuck and the inner race just slides off the axle?



Thanks Ryan.

 

[rbattelle]

So you just used the existing threads to jack the housing out? What causes the bearing to separate when you pull it out? Does your tool allow it to separate?

So the other tools use the axle shaft to pull the bearing and it pulls the inner race out? And your tool pulls the outer housing where it is usually stuck and the inner race just slides off the axle?

No, there are 2 tools here. One of them, the long slide-hammer type tool, bolts to the wheel flange while the bearing is still whole. Depending on how fused the bearing is with the knuckle, it will either separate the bearing into 2 pieces, or pull the entire bearing right out of the knuckle.

The other tool is a small press-type tool, which is used to pull the inner race out of the knuckle in the event the first tool split the bearing apart.

Most people don't seem to have any real trouble removing them with basic hand tools. The equipment I made is specifically for those stubborn bearings which have been electrochemically welded into the steering knuckle.

If the bearing separates, it's normally fatal. Although I know Steved has successfully pressed a bearing back together and put it back into service.

For me, new bearings were worth it. My old ones looked like they'd spent several hundred years at the bottom of the ocean.

On edit:
With a fairly simple modification to the slide-hammer tool it would be possible to leave the axle bolted in place, which would effectively prevent any possible separation of the bearing. I can't make the modification with the tools I currently have at my disposal, however. And besides, I doubt it would've been possible for me to pound my bearing out using only the 7-ton puller and a 14-lb sledge. That inner race was just too strong.

Ryan

 

[robmints]

So the unitized bearing is the 1. wheel flange and inner race, 2. balls, and 3. outer race and outer bearing housing that gets frozen in the spindle?



Sorry for the dumb questions, but when the time comes avoiding a surprise would be nice.

 

[rbattelle]

So the unitized bearing is the 1. wheel flange and inner race, 2. balls, and 3. outer race and outer bearing housing that gets frozen in the spindle?

Yes, although I call the part that's inside the knuckle the "inner race". The part that has the wheel flange is the "outer race". My terminology - not sure what the official names for these parts are.



Also, it's not a ball bearing. It's a roller bearing.



Ryan

 

[Wayne M.]

Excellent stuff, ryan. I just did a LOF, tire-X, and put the yellow bilsteins in the front (great). I noticed some slight play in the RH ball joints, so the nightmare is coming for me!

I get "Diesel Power" in the mail, and noticed there was a tool advertised there for doing these bearings. Basically it's a huge slap-hammer. It's a flange that bolts up to the hub, a real big weight plate with a hand grip that slides on a approx 1" X 2-3' long shaft with a stop on the end. At the end there is a stub that is supported by a jack stand. It looks real impressive, but I would almost worry about pulling the truck off the stands (sideways). Your tool looks good too- and works.

 

[MDSather]

Ryan,

Thank you for the awesome step by step directions. Let's hopee mine are not as "fused" together as yours were. However, Minnesota likes to use lots of salt in the winter.



Mike

 

[CarlsonR]

just recently installed the dyna trac manual hubs and had been dreading the thought of fighting with these hubs after reading the horror stories. here in tucson az we have no salt on roads and little rain so i was hoping for a less corroded hub. when i got everything removed and ready for the battle to remove the hub bearingit was anticlamatic,both hubs pulled out with just fingers pulling on the wheeel studs, i only has to use a small screwdriver to pry the hub over the outer axle splines . so if you dont live in an area where rust is a problem this may just be a simple 1 hour job for you. also if anyone wants two used 05 hubs(26Kmiles) i have two for free you pay shipping and handling. i hate to throw them in the garbage.....

 

[Austin Diesel]

2001 2 wd front bearing hub spindle retaining nut size ? cant seems to get the right size socket



looks like a 40 mm deepsocket 3/4 drive and a big cheater pipe





please advise



austin diesel

 

[Gonzo 1066]

Hmmm

just recently installed the dyna trac manual hubs and had been dreading the thought of fighting with these hubs after reading the horror stories. here in tucson az we have no salt on roads and little rain so i was hoping for a less corroded hub. when i got everything removed and ready for the battle to remove the hub bearingit was anticlamatic,both hubs pulled out with just fingers pulling on the wheeel studs, i only has to use a small screwdriver to pry the hub over the outer axle splines . so if you dont live in an area where rust is a problem this may just be a simple 1 hour job for you. also if anyone wants two used 05 hubs(26Kmiles) i have two for free you pay shipping and handling. i hate to throw them in the garbage.....

Sure go ahead and rub it in, for the rest of us poor schmucks that live in places that have winter,salt,rain and rust.