2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission 4x4 front end rebuild - any words of wisdom

[TFabian]

Going to be rebuilding the front end on my 96 4x4 this weekend. New ball joints, U joints, bearings, rotors, pads, and brake lines. Any gotcha's or problem areas to be aware of? How long should this job take on average? I have all of the tools that I think I need, ball joint tool, slide hammer, etc. Anything else anyone would recommend? Thanks in advance.

 

[KFroese]

i'm sure you heard this before but be carefull slideing the axles out and back in again so you don't damage the axle seal. it sucked when i had to pull the right side apart again a day later to replace the seal.

 

[TFabian]

Is the seal on the passenger side on the outside or inside of the vacuum coupler?

 

[Extreme1]

Outside.



Another suggestion: do one side of the truck at a time and jack up the side you are working on and leave the other side on the ground. The reason is that if you leave it level on jack stands, a little oil will run out past the seal. It will drip after you're done and may continue for a few days or weeks making you think the seal is dinged when it's OK.



Can I have your old bearings??

 

[TFabian]

Yeah, I read about the trick about keeping the side you are working on jacked up. You can have the old bearing/hubs if you want them, let me know. Hopefully, they aren't real hard to get off.

 

[dan_gilson]

Shoot the engineer who designed that front end.



With that said...



Make sure that you have all the special tools needed to complete the job. I had to just swap rotors a while back and the book said that I may need a puller. It should have said you WILL need to puller.

Be careful not to cross thread the axle nuts (from experience). You will probably have to drive the hub back on. I used a wood block and sledge. Make sure that you get it on enough to spin the axle nut a couple of turns.



Have a correct sized socket for the axle nut and don't be surprized that you may have to lean on it heavy with an impact to break it loose. They are supposed to be torqued to 175'#s. Dodge either over torqued or it rusted.

 

[Extreme1]

My recommendation for hub removal (since you're in the rust belt like me) is to use a large slide hammer. The local Auto-Zone has that tool that loan for free. It took 15 minutes of slamming the 3# weight against the stop to remove it.

 

[TFabian]

I picked up a 5lb. slide hammer a few weeks ago with all of the various attachments. How long did it take you to do the entire job? I am hoping to get it done in one day, although the last few things I have done on the truck took a lot longer than planned.

 

[CumminsPower98]

I just took about 4 or 5 hours last week and replaced both my front axle seals. I was lucky and my hubs slid right out. If you do it right you will not have to drive them back on. Take some emery cloth and sand the rust out of the steering knuckle before installing the new hubs. Also put some anti-seeze on there too and you will never have another problem. If they would put them together right the first time at the factory none of this would be any problem.

 

[Extreme1]

Mine took a long time, I couldn't get the lower ball joint out. I tried EVERYTHING! Pickle fork driven in hard, heat, small hydraulic jack. A mechanic friend of mine said "Take a hammer and just hit the side of the part the tapered part of the ball joint is in". It fell off on the first blow! I've done lots of ball joints before but this was new.



By the way, the lower joints take a wider than car sized pickle fork.

 

[wcjp]

I'd like to echo using antiseize on the hub. I did this on my Jeep. Made the job real easy when I had to tear apart the frontend alongside the freeway. Also, if a slide hammer isn't available try putting the tire back on after the brake assembly is removed. This will give you lots of leverage.