Ol-dodge 1992

Hello again gents... been gone for a little while and had to create a new account here at DTR ... no biggie just a little frustrating.

Front left wheel bearing went out 2 weeks ago ... got everything out and was glad to see the hub was not chewed up , etc...

Drifted the old races out ... cleaned, degreased, cleaned , etc...

Following instructions in sticky ... I have now packed inner bearing as best as I know how (just used my hands no brush) ... "Now place the greased bearing in its race in the hub" quote from sticky... uuuhhhmmm it don't go!?!?

Do I have to drift the race in position then install bearing and seal?

I can't beat on the inner race of the bearing ... can I ?

Do I need to press fit the race and then drop in the bearing???

Sorry for the questions but I'm just learning how to mechanic (anyone that checks my other threads will see my inexperience very quickly) ... so please be patient with me and any help is greatly appreciated!

SD

maybe368

Use the old bearing race and a mallet to drive in the new race. You can grind down the outer diameter of the old race so that it doesn't get stuck. Make sure that the new race is completely seated, you can tell by the sound when you smack it. Do not beat on the bearing itself...Mark

Ol-dodge 1992

Thank you sir! I'll try again tomorrow... dark has long caught me tonight...

Do I use the seat side of the old race towards the new one or towards the hammer

maybe368

Put the thin side against the new race, that way if it gets stuck, you can grab onto it with some vicegrips and remove it...Mark

Ol-dodge 1992

Thank you

maybe368

Here is a thread where I did that, it is a king pin race, but the principle is the same. The pic is on the first page...Mark

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...g-pins-290373/

Ol-dodge 1992

Yes sir I found that thread about 11oclock last night. The hub is deeper so ... I'm still not sure as to how to fully seat the race ... I think I can certainly get the new race started that way any other ideas?

maybe368

Use the old race to fully seat the race, if your worried about not getting the old one out, grind the outer edge a little. It won't stick. I always just let it get stuck, then i use visegrips and a hammer to drive it out, ez peaxy...Mark
Edit: You can use a flat punch also, the sound changes from a ping to more of a thud when it is seated...

Ol-dodge 1992

I'm gonna get at it in an hour or so ... I'll try to post pictures of progress or troubles that arise... thank you for the info

Ol-dodge 1992

Uhm... well it's done but I'm not sure. I've never done this before so I'm only guessing that everything that could've went wrong did!!!

Seated the inner race using the old race (I did grind some off old race) ... got really stuck ... gouged hub badly trying to drive old race out (along with 1 finger)

Cleaned everything up best I could and flipped hub over lugs up to install outer race ... destroyed large flat screw driver seating it (I don't have a punch) ...

Forgot to put seal in back side ... and of course it started crooked (3times) ...

Cross threaded the first axel nut a couple of times before I was able to get it right ( if I wasn't a pastor I'd curse Dodge for the fine threads and my fat fingers )... of course had to tighten loosen tighten (a dozen times) the nut to get the pin to line up with the retaining washer...

Greased everything in sight and started slapping the lock hub back in ... (more to come) .....

Ol-dodge 1992

Warn hub went in surprisingly easy... got caliper back on and was gonna put wheel back on when I noticed that 3 of my lugs were loose ... must have separated the hub and disk a little while seating the races ... of course the nuts are on and I wire wheeled everything and painted matt black before assembling thinking the nuts would "clean" the paint off the lugs !!!!!!!!

Any ideas on how to reseat lugs WITHOUT taking it all apart?

It's Friday night and I'm taking the family for pizza and ice cream... my head hurts ...etc...

thrashingcows

You can re-seat the lugs with a larger nut, or pile of washers over the stud, then use the lug nut to tighten it up. I don't really like this way since it can stretch the stud, but this is about the only way to do it without dis-assembling everything. Also use lots of grease on the washers and nut so as to reduce friction while tightening....helps a bit.

Ol-dodge 1992

Thank you cow ... I finally brain stormed the idea of wedging a small flat screw driver behind the nut to pull it forward and hold the lug while tightening the nut ... not the best idea but it did work

I just stopped by NAPA and picked up the bearings and seal for the other front (glutton for punishment) ... two questions??

1. How do I get the hub/rotor off ... the side I just finished almost fell off literally I could shake the assembly up down left right... all I had to do was remove the inner snap ring and one little tug ... so how do I remove the assembly if it's tight ?

2. How many rotations should the tire make when the bearings are seated correctly? Or will the brakes drag/touch just a little differently on each truck so one could not say "2 rotations is about right" ?

maybe368

Once you have the spindle nut removed, remove the outer bearing and the whole thing will slide off. When you go to reassemble, sufficiently grind off the old race, so that you can easily slide it into and out of the space with your fingers. That leaves sufficient metal to install the new race, but not enough to get stuck. I bought a small flat punch and ground it into a half moon shape, so that it would not slide off of the race, in order to install the races. Remember, the second one is always easier ...Mark P.S. The brake pads are always contacting the disk, a little bit, so there will be friction. There should be no slop in the bearings. Make sure that you are setting the pre-load of the bearings correctly when you are tightening the spindle nut, instruction are in the sticky...

Ol-dodge 1992

Good evening fellas... been slow going to get the hub off the other side of truck to replace the bearings and seal ( work, snow, cold, etc...)

Got the drivers side hub/rotor off tonight and started cleaning the grease off everything... the bearings seem smooth and the races look fine ... no burrs, burns, or galling that I can see.

I had a heck of a time seating the new races in the other side hub sooooo, ... do I need to install the new races with the new bearings or leave good enough alone and just install new bearings leaving the old (looks fine to me) races in the hub????

Thanks again, SD