Greetings all looking for some good advice on replacing the front wheel bearings.
I have a 2005 4x4 Cummins pickup and already have had one replaced on passenger side. After getting new tries I discovered the driver side is now bad..Im looking to do it myself so I figured I’d ask my Dodge friends.
Any advise would be greatful..thx joe

 

It's really not that bad. The worst part is usually that the hub is rusted in place. The best way I've found is to loosen the 4 bolts on the back that hold it on about halfway and hit them with a hammer to drive the hub out. Try to do it evenly on all sides. (use anti-seize when you put it back together). Other than that it's all pretty self-explanatory. Remove wheel/tire, then caliper and bracket, then axle nut and hub bolts.(If its a 3500 then you'll have to remove the hub extension). If you don't have an impact, then loosen the axle nut first while the truck is on the ground. And as always.... use good jack stands.

 

Thanks Evan..reading allot of post. you know how it is when you start something new..im sick of what it cost me the first time to let someone else do it..not going there again.

 

any idea the size of the axles nut?

 

Joe,

As far as the axle nut size...don't quote me but I believe it was 1 11/16" you'll need a 3/4" solid breaker bar and a cheater pipe to break that puppy loose. Of course if you've got a 1" impact gun it will come off without any issues(atleast it did for me).

Couple of things if a hub puller doesnt work or the socket method doesnt work...be prepared to cut the ball joints to get that hub out. I'm up north and my truck had 176k on it when I did mine for the first time. They were not coming off with either of the usual methods of removal. We had to cut the ball joints and take the hubs to a friends shop to put it on a 50 ton press and heat the crap outa the hub before they popped out.

That thread alone will explain most of the stuff for hub removal and replacing ball joints:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...s-t217250.html



Have you considered installing a free spin front end that would completely replace the stock hubs and remove alot of the problems. I know its a bit more expensive but if you do the work yourself it would probably be cost neutral had you paid someone to replace both your stock hubs and do the work.

Check out:

Dynatrac:
http://www.dynatrac.com/products_freespin_dodge.html

Solid Axle:
http://spyntec.com/category/dodge-02...onversion-kit/

EMS Offroad:
http://www.emsoffroad.com/store/inde...roducts_id=330


The entire job for me took about a day of solid work, but I ran into a number of issues that held us up for a bit. I replaced pretty much the whole front end. Spyntec Freespin kit, Dynatrac Ball joints, u-joints, new 08 steering upgrade, shocks.

Good luck and if you've got a friend to help it makes the work alot easier.

 

excellent info..... I was wondering - do the free spin kits use serviceable bearings??

 

Outstanding Roger on the info you gave..I was just talking to my wife about doing the free spin install. Me looking at replacing the bearing at every 40,000. So it’s a investment to make the change for sure..the only question I have is the same as Evan’s can you replace the bearing in the free spin setup or service them..it looks as if you can..A little more research need I’m thinking..lol But none the less great feedback, thank you for that it helped a ton

 

Another trick to loosening up the hubs is to back out the bolts holding the hub on about 1/8" and carefully drive the truck around the block and make sure to hit every bump you see. Alot of times you will hear a "pop" when the hub breaks free. Same thing with the axle nut place a breaker bar on the nut with a cheater pipe end leaning on the ground (pointing to the rear), then very carefully back the truck up a little bit to break the nut loose.

Just another way of getting to the same results with least amount of effort..

 

Great words of wisdom there ASHER..lol

 

I have found 3 hub replacement kits. and don't know which one to get or even if there’s really any difference in performance. I know the price of them is different. But cheaper isn’t always better..

1.Dynatrac
2.EMS
3.Spyntec

 

Joking & Evan...yes the bearings are serviceable and replaceable. Infact I have a spare set sitting in my garage just in case i need them one day. They are a fraction of the price of a OEM hub setup...I want to say it was like $75-80 for a full set of bearings. Not sure on that price so don't quote me.

 

Plenty of material on here about all the hub kits...just run a search on each and I think you'll find what your after.

Personally, I went with the Spyntec Kit. They certainly were not the cheapest but they also were not the most expensive...and the quality of the kit is outstanding. The directions left bit of detail out but with the exploded engineering view your able to figure everything out.

I actually ordered the kit through EMS, they were extremely helpful and I had the kit at my house 2 days after ordering.

I'm sure in your search you'll see just how much these kits improve the trucks ride and performance.

Its worth the time and money to go this route...may not seem like it at the time when your paying out the cash for it but trust me it is!

 

just chose to let the shop do it when they replaced my tires. 134,000 all original parts up front. BUT my question/comment here was: i paid 360 each for wheel bearings. this sounds outrageous! labor alone was 360 bucks and that was all the joints, seals, etc.. I just thought that was very high. any opinions?

 

You can buy the hubs for around $200 / each from RockAuto for instance and get Timken or SKS brand (the best two which are probably identical). I had a local mechanic charge only $100 to install them but he was a part timer on the side kind of setup and for that cheap I didn't want the headache. Most shops will probably charge a something close to your number I bet.

 

I did the Dynatrac kit myself. Now I have Warn hubs and the bearings are serviceable and easy to get. Dana 60 style setup. The Dynatrac keeps the front at stock width. Thousands of miles on mine now. If I bought a new truck, this would be the first thing I would do to it.