Front end U-Joints

[SSalzer]

How hard are they to do? I've heard horror stories. The spindly has to come out, right? I've never had mine apart. Can anyone link me to a "how to" post please?

 

[RDHamill]

I've seen it done a couple of ways. one is to remove hub and slide axle out,then change the joint. The other is to remove hub and spindle as one unit , with the axle, and just do the joints. I prefer the first way but don't enjoy the removal of the hub.
good luck

 

[Slow Six]

The second way works good for me. Do a search on here and you will find a ton of info. Sorry I don't know how to link you to the threads.

 

[JKennedy]

Here's a link that helped me:

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...ntrac-free-spin-carli-ball-joint-install.html

Pulling the bearing hubs is the worst part of this job, however it can be done and I will tell you how I did it.
I made a pulling bracket for the bearing assembly, using a 1/2" thick piece of steel and drilled four (4) holes and to a-line with four wheel studs. I knocked out four studs and installed high strength threaded rod long enough for installing a hydraulic cylinder. With the bearing bolts out of the knuckle, I used the hydraulic cylinder to push against the end of the axle (the inner yoke will push against the axle tube so no damage will happen to your gear-set in the differential). One (1) side "popped" the bearing out as a whole, the other side removed the outer bearing only and I had to use a "engineers" hammer (has a duck-bill on one side) and sledge hammer to remove the inner bearing. I would also recommend removing the tie-rod prior to any "beating" on your knuckle or bearing. I would also recommend replacing the bearings also since you will be pulling and beating them out. I replaced my upper and lower ball joints while I was there since the job is tough and I did not want to get in there anytime soon after I did the work. The axle just slides out (might have to pry a little with a flat screwdriver between the inner yoke and axle tube). Burn out the old u-joints, do not try and press out as you will deform the yoke and have much trouble like the guy in the link above. I cleaned and de-scaled all parts and used the high grade anti-seize (silver grade as it has finer nickle flakes) for the reassembly.
I had all the tools necessary to pull the bearing hubs and they are as follows:

10 ton hydraulic cylinder (3-1/2" overall height)
1/2" thick steel plate 8"x4"- holes drilled at 2-1/2" x 6" and reinforced.
four (4) high strength 1/2" threaded rod 8" long
eight (8) 1/2" high strength flange nuts

I'm not going to lie, the job sucks and I almost took it somewhere to have done but I am too picky about who works on my truck so I did it myself. Like I said, I recommend replacing the bearing hubs while you do the job as damage from pulling and beating is not good for the bearings. I got my bearings from RockAuto.com, they have the best prices even with shipping and you can pick the manufacturer. I used the SKF bearings as I thought they were made in Germany, but they are made in Mexico so I was less than happy about that. Maybe the National bearings are made here and you can call RockAuto and ask. I also bought the upper and lower ball joints from RockAuto- using Moog which are made here and nice quality. The u-joints I went with Precision brand from RockAuto and again the quality is great. Cleaning and preparation are most important for assembly and the hubs go together much easier than they come apart. Read through the entire attached thread to get a good idea on what you will be doing for the job. I replaced all listed parts on both sides of my truck and the entire job took me three (3) days, I was on vacation and a lot of time was spent trying different ways to pull the bearing hubs. There is a learning curve and the second side you do will take a lot less time, my first side took two (2) days and the second side took one (1) day with cleaning, painting and assembly. Having a friend around for the bearing dis-assembly is recommended as if you need to beat out the inner bearing, I held the hammer on the inner bearing and a friend used the sledge to remove.
The whole job cost me about $1000 in parts, paint, cleaner etc. This was both sides and I've heard that if you have it done, it will run between $600 and $700 per side so I was ahead of the game doing it myself. Good luck and hope my personal experience helps you as I just did this work last week so it is still fresh in my head.

Best regards,

Jim

 

[rbattelle]

As a supplement to JKennedy's post, there's also this post:

Hub-Bearing Removal from the FAQ Section.

The "spindle" (I assume you mean stub shaft) is not pressed into the hub.

-Ryan

 

[SSalzer]

Thanks for the links guys. That's what I was afraid of. I think I'm just going to have someone do it. I don't have the time or the energy to go through that.

 

[JCockerill]

what joints are you guys using on the trucks? greasable or no?

 

[rbattelle]

I run all greaseable Precisions. But lots of others run non-greaseable Spicers.

-Ryan

 

[wcjp]

Use hydraulic power of the truck's power steering. It takes two people. One at the steering wheel the other at the hub. Very little effort. No damage. Try search for specific details. Use lots of anti seize before installation of the unit bearing. Not sure on your truck's mileage. Now is a good time to check for any play coming from the unit bearing. Replace if necessary.

 

[sag2]

I was talking to one of the Chrysler tech advisors the other day and he said he was at a shop and watched a tech change the axle joints without pulling the hub. He said he had done hundreds of them that way, just using the U-joint press with the axle in place. He said you can't use most aftermarket joints because the cross is larger and you can't get it in with the limited space. The other thing he said is the caps have to start moving right away or you can't do it, but in that case you just have to do it the old fashioned way and pull the hub and shaft. To me it seems like it would be more work to fight the limited space, but every tech has his own way of doing things.

 

[Madurski]

I just did this (sort of) for a friend of mine. OTC-6290 is a manufactured puller that you can use to separate the bearing from the spindle. I bent mine on one side :-(



I actually used the EMS off road manual hub conversion kit to install manual locking hubs for him. He drives a lot of highway miles with his truck and doesn't need the extra rotating mass and bearing wear/tear. Also replace all 4 ball joints.



Did the whole job for just under $3K.



Ron

 

[Jdorfmeyer]

Like WCJP said above, use the power steering and some extensions to push on the bolt heads of the hub bearing once you have backed them off 1/2 inch or so and it is easy to do this job. I had my wife turn the wheel for me when I replaced the axle ujoints and it took a couple minutes per side to get the bearings out and then the ujoint replacement probably took 15 minutes per side and then reassemble. Prior to learning about using the power steering to push out the hub I had fought for at least an hour or so before getting a hub out on my old truck and now it is a non issue. Take care,

 

[Madurski]

That's a great method to try for starters. On the truck I did ('06 85K miles, rust belt truck) the bearing carriers were rusted together with the spindle. The left side actually separated and I had to use a plasma cutter to get the rest out and the right side bent the 1/2" steel plate on the tool before it finally gave way.

 

[rjones]

Go Greasable

 

[JDKammin]

Snap-On makes a tool that looks like a long impact socket. After loosening your 4 bolts that hold the unit hub to the spindle, install the socket on one of the bolts and use your power steering to push the hub off. I have this socket on order and had great reports on this tool from a friend of mine. I have a OTC hub puller, but usually end up pulling the unit hub apart. Then I end up using the air hammer with the chisel tip and will ruin the splash shield. As stated above, clean up hub pilot in the spindle and install hub unit with antisieze.

 

[JCockerill]

Snap-On makes a tool that looks like a long impact socket. After loosening your 4 bolts that hold the unit hub to the spindle, install the socket on one of the bolts and use your power steering to push the hub off. I have this socket on order and had great reports on this tool from a friend of mine. I have a OTC hub puller, but usually end up pulling the unit hub apart. Then I end up using the air hammer with the chisel tip and will ruin the splash shield. As stated above, clean up hub pilot in the spindle and install hub unit with antisieze.

is this it?



DHP1, Adaptor, Removal, Wheel Hub, Dodge



i was wondering how this one works?



Amazon.com: Lisle (LIS39250) Hub Removal Tool for New Large Dodge: Home Improvement

 

[rjones]

That's nice I bought the one the dealerships use for 200 plus bux

 

[JDKammin]

JCockerill, I just received my Snap-On hub tool and it is the DHP1. I know a guy that used this one and said it worked great. The Lysle tool does not look as beefy, but may work as well as the Snap-On.

 

[RDHamill]

I had mine done under warranty at about 25,000 miles. At the time I made certain that there was lots of never seize used. Today I changed the left side again ( 110,000miles), the hub pulled of the spindle with ease. I was certain to use u-joints with greasefittings . I did find that the joints fitment was very tight.

 

[Linker]

Another helpful tip is soak everything down with Iodine before removal/disassembly abit messy but thinner than most penetrating oils and whole lot better than heat.