I have had a squeak in one of my front wheel bearings and I am trying to find a place to buy new ones. I went to a parts store and they said that I could only get the hub assembly from the dealer. I know that I can get them somewhere else, but not sure where. Where have others gotten their hub assemblies from? And I was thinking about only doing the one side, or should I do both sides? The truck has 110K on it and I don't think that the hubs assemblies have been changed before. I would appreciate any info.
Thanks, Dave

 

All I can offer is this ..most bngs. have a nu. stamped on them and a bng store can problby supply them for you. (most towns have Bearings inc. or ect.)

 

Farmer,

I've done a bunch of these now, If your truck has all wheel abs you must buy the whole hub assembly-very expensive (check NAPA) I did a 96 with rear wheel abs only, you can buy just the bearings and seals for about 120.00 and rebuild the hubs yourself.

Good luck,
Mc

 

Napa does have them I have picked up a set there before sorry but I don't have part number

 

Id try the bearing supply house to,they are pretty good about matching up bearings if you have the old ones out.

 

NAPA treated me good with my wheel bearing/hub assemblies but they were pricey at around $200 each.

Tom

 

I've done both of mine. I got my parts from Advance Auto Parts. I'm not too familiar with the 2001 design, but if it is still using a solid front axle, Dana/Spicer 60, then the part number should be BCA 515012. Check it out to be sure, though.

 

Mcmopar,
How do I know if I have all wheel abs. I only have discs in the front, does this tell you anything. I have read of many people only being able to replace the whole assembly, so I thought that is what I would have to do. Is changing the bearings just like any other wheel bearing?
Thanks, Dave

 

A guy that used to work for me bought the whole hub assembly and replaced his. I can't remember exactly what it cost but it was around 200. His truck was a one ton dually, 2000 or 2001. I remember looking at the new hub and it had a timken bearing with a snap ring. He replaced the hub assembly and still had the squeek. I haven't seen him on a while but I don't think he ever stopped the squeek.

 

As for determining if you have 4WABS, there should be a tag/sticker on the underside of your hood that tells you what your vehicle should have. If it isn't there, look on the door jams, or check your owner's manual.

Well, since you have a 4x4, you'll have to replace the whole hub/bearing assembly. The procedure itself isn't that difficult, but you will need a press to get the studs out.

After you remove the calipers, pull the axle nut off first! Once you get the axle nut off, there are 4 bolts holding the assembly to the axle tube. With those removed, the whole rotor/hub/bearing assembly slides off ... just try not to pull the half-shafts out along with it.

You'll need to press the studs out of the assembly in order to transfer your rotors to the new hub/bearing assemblies. Just trying to use the lugs to pull the studs tight won't work; it takes between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds of pressure to get the studs fully re-seated.

If you don't have access to a press, there should be a shop in your area that has one, and they should only charge a nominal fee to press the studs out, and put the new assemblies together for you.

As a suggestion, while you have your rotors pulled off the hubs, check them to see if they're warped. You might also want to think about getting them turned at a brake shop. If they're unusuable due to insufficient run-out, now's the perfect time to put new rotors on. I got mine from NAPA for about $85 each.

When you put everything back together in reverse order, torque the axle nut down to 175 pounds, then back off 1/4 turn. Insert cotter pin, aligning the crown as needed. The rest is cake.

Bear in mind, this is what I went through on a 1998 2500 4x4. Yours might be a little different, but the procedure should be pretty much the same. Hope this helps out!

 

Look at the rotor/hub assembly, if there is a wire running out of the top you have ABS. These can be rebuilt quite easily if you have a press. I have been very sucessful taking the wheel studs out and replacing them with a 3lb sledge and a Big brass punch.

 

Really? Man, you're lucky! I tried popping the studs out with a mini sledge and a brass drift, but all that happened was the drift got dented up. I had to resort to the press. Just curious, but what's the GVW rating for yours? I have the 8800 pound setup, and there's a huge difference in the thickness of the front rotors. I wonder if that might have something to do with it?

 

All of the ones that I have done were 3500's or 2500's with the 8800 package.

 

I sit a piece of 1" thick aluminum plate over the studs and wail with a 20 lb sledge. Often more than one stud pops out at once, no single stud has ever taken more than one hit. Never had a stud that wasn't reusable. I have a press but found this method faster. Never had luck with a drift though.

Note of caution, torque the lug nuts down on each stud with a pile of washers under the nut the first time. The nuts can come loose and you can damage your rims, especially if aluminum, if you torque down with the rim in place after removing/replacing studs. What happens is you deform the rim around the stud holes rather than suck the studs up tight.

 

Well, maybe I'm just not holding my mouth right.

Since I'm lucky enough to have access to a press, I guess I'll stick with that. However, I shouldn't need to do that again for some time! I just replaced both hubs and rotors about 5 months ago. I'm hoping that will last a while.