Removing the front hubs

[JHumphries]

I bought a 93 W350 dually. The dealer installed new hubs, among other unrelated things. After a drive to Seattle(home) from Denver, I've been driving around for a little while. The steering was acting funny, so I jacked up the front end and was able to wiggle the drivers side wheel assembly at least an inch back and forth. This is the first 4x4 I have ever worked on, but I've done lots of 4x2 stuff. It acted like the bearings were loose. I bought the socket for the spindle nut, removed the hubs and the two nuts and the washer that goes between them. The hub will not come off. Looking into the hub, there is what looks like another lock washer, but I can't get it to move. Can any one help with this? The picture didn't come out as good as I had hoped. The washer that is visible has holes in it like the washer that goes between the two nuts.

 

[JGrefenstette]

yea these hubs are a royal payne. if my memory serves me right, there is a "ring clip" i guess you could call it. kinda like a big snap ring with no eyelets in it. the one one here i believe is a full 720 degrees around the shaft, and you have to pry it out. you get the first edge out, then pull/twist it, and you should get the doubled up clip out. (this may have been one a ford dana 70 i worked on, but im pretty sure our trucks had this type clip/ring) does that kinda answer you question?

 

[JGrefenstette]

oh yea, and welcome to the TDR my friend. youll grow to love this place, trust me

 

[JHumphries]

There was a clip in the front of the hub that held the hub into the axle. It matches your description. It was what held the piece with splins inside and out into the part in the picture.

 

[JHumphries]

Here is a slightly better picture.

 

[JGrefenstette]

oh ok, yea sorry i was thinking of that one.



sorry i dont see another picture



maybe i just caught you before you added it :-laf

 

[JHumphries]

Here is a slightly better picture, take 2.

 

[JGrefenstette]

ah ok. give me a minute here, i ran out to the truck and grabed my FSM, im checking it out right now. ill let know here in a minute

 

[JHumphries]

Okay, I went and took a better picture.

 

[JGrefenstette]

ah! yes. ok i think i see where your at now. haha, took me long enough. from your second picture, and what im seeing in the fsm. i think there is one more small lock ring left. in the 2nd picture i think i can see the gap in the two ends. then i think your home free. that ring just sits in a small grove in the spindle. then it should slide right on off.

 

[JGrefenstette]

that ring with the holes in it has to be pulled off that shaft that the special nut was on. that ring has a tab on it that fits into the slot on the shaft. it should slide right off.



i still believe there is a small lock ring on the spindle though, that is at the front of that shaft the nut and ring with holes, are on. once you get that lock ring out i think thats it.

 

[Philip]

There shouldn't be a lock ring on that setup.



The socket I have for those style of nuts is a Snap ON S6146. (I miss typed the number for that socket. I have corrected it).



There are 4 notches around the outside of that style nut. The socket fits into those notches.

 

[cerberusiam]

There is no snap ring to hold the hub on the spindle. The only snap rings should be uses to hold th eaxles into the lockers. You should have the washer you see in the last picture between 2 nuts and a flat washer against the bearing.



If you have already pulled 2 nuts from each side and the hub won't come off there is another nut under the lock ring.



Somebody did NOT put it back together correctly from the looks of it.

 

[Tippin Spotted Cow]

Jimmy and Phillip combined for the right answer I believe. There is a lock washer with a tab that fits into a slot in the shaft. That washer is behind the nut you see there. The washer also has a little dimple on it that locks into one of the holes on the nut you're showing. The tool Phillip gave you will pull that nut off. Napa has a cheaper version if you feel you're only gonna use it once in a long while, too. You'll need a breaker bar on that socket if it was assembled correctly because that dimple keeps that thing from wanting to break loose.

 

[JGrefenstette]

now fellas, i could be wrong here. but dosnt he have that special nut already off?? i thought that nut covered the majority of the lock washer. it looks to me like its just the lock washer there, and the threads are bare.

 

[Philip]

He has one nut off. There should be another one under that washer with the holes in it. The inner nut is the same as the outer only it has a small raised pin that fits into a one of the holes in that washer.

 

[JHumphries]

Both of the nuts and the lock washer between them are all off. I could not get the piece with the holes to move, but I will try to get at it with a pair of needle nose.

 

[Philip]

Both of the nuts and the lock washer between them are all off.

That piece with the holes is suposed to go between the nuts. That is the lock washer for the round nuts used on the later 1st gens.



Show us a pic of what your calling a lock washer.

 

[JGrefenstette]

ok, now i remeber. yea one of the raised nubs on my second washer was smashed, from where somebody didnt line up the washer with the nub.

 

[JHumphries]

Here are the two nuts and washer. By the way, one of the nuts has a small dowel pin on it. That one is the outside one correct? When it gets put back together, the first nut goes on, then the washer, then the nut with the pin, pin facing the washer. I'm trying to make sure it goes back together right.