M Hankel
Full Access Member
I'm writing this so that anyone that is having a hard time removing their hub/s can have an alternative and easy method for removing the hub assembly if it's rusted in place. Also, these years of vehicles (200-2006) are getting up there in age so front hub/bearing assembly is going to become more common on these things.
1. Secure the front end of the vehicle on jack stands so front wheel/s are off the ground.
2. Remove front wheel/s from vehicle
3. Remove the two large bolts holding the caliper to the spindle
4. Remove the caliper and secure the caliper to the frame or upper a-arm with zip ties so the weight of the caliper is not hanging from the brake line.
5. Then remove the brake rotor from the hub assembly.
++++ If you have 4WD or AWD model continue with steps 6-9. If not then skip to step 10++++
6. Then remove the bearing cap and remove the large nut and washer that holds the CV axle in place.
7. Then remove the bolts that hold the CV axle shaft to the front differential assembly, there are either six or eight bolts, can't remember off the top of my head.
8. You might need to remove the bolts for the sway bar end links to gain a bit more clearance when removing the CV axle shaft assembly.
9. Remove the CV axle shaft from the hub by sliding it inwards toward the center of vehicle. Tip: sometimes it helps to turn the steering wheel to one way or the other to gain a bit more clearance when removing the CV axle assembly.
10. Follow the abs sensor wire up the top of the frame rail and undo the clip. There are several plastic retainers holding the wire loom in place, your new hub assembly should have a new sensor and wires with clips but verify this before hand. I've heard of some cheaper brands don't have the clips and you might have to re-use your original clips. If your new hub has new clips, sometimes its easier to cut the old ones off with snips.
11. Remove the three bolts that retain the hub assembly to the spindle. These are located on the inward side of the hub/spindle and might be easier to access by turning the steering wheel on way or the other.
Now comes the hard part, removing the hub assembly from the spindle. Sometimes these pop right out, and sometimes they seem like they're welded to the spindle. Mine had 240,000 miles and I believe these were the original hubs so they were NOT budging.
Now, for the next part I am not taking credit for at all but I wanted to document this method of removing the hub assembly. I read about this method on this forum about a year ago and after searching and searching for that thread I gave up trying to find it. So,,, if this is your idea/method of removing the hub assembly, then please let me know I will update this thread and give you the credit you deserve!
So, on to the next step.
12. If you have an old brake rotor or are upgrading your brakes at this time then you will need to sacrifice a brake rotor. If you do not have a spare rotor then you can purchase a new one. I shopped around and found a brand new one for $29.99 and probably could have found a cheaper one if I wasn't in a hurry to get it done but it was starting to get late in the day for me.
13. What you'll need to do is drill and tap two holes through the brake rotor approximately half way between the inner braking surface edge and outside braking surface of the rotor. You'll need two holes, spaced 180 degrees from each other. Any size bolt between 1/4 and 1/2 should be fine and it has to be at least 4" long with threads all the way along the shaft of the bolt. I will post pics of this later so it makes more sense.
14. The idea is that after you get those holes drilled and tapped, you'll attach the rotor to the hub with lug nuts, then using the two bolt holes you just drilled/tapped, install the bolts to push against the spindle.
You'll need one lined up at the top side of the spindle and one lined up with the bottom part of the spindle. You'll want to apply a little pressure with the bolts to the top and bottom at a time so that you can rock the hub assembly back and forth out evenly so it doesn't bind up. Voila.... easy removal of stubborn hub assembly and a tool you can use from now on.
-Couple tips:
-When drilling the rotor I put the holes in between the vanes of the rotor so that I wasn't drilling through 1.2" of steel, and just drilling through the outer parts of the rotor.
-I was a dumbass and used a 1/2"-20 fine thread because that was the tap size I had and it matched a couple bolts I already had (which ended up not being long enough). Come to find out they don't usually make a 1/2-20 fine thread bolt with threads all the way down the shank. So,,, I had to use some all-thread with a couple bolts pinched together on the end to make a make-shift bolt. Not a big deal but it took longer and if I were to do this again I'd just use a more common sized course thread and smaller bolt, like a 3/8 or 5/16 size should work just fine.
Other than that, the installation of the hub is very easy. Clean up the surface where the hub is retained, install a bit of marine or lithium grease on the edges to help prevent rust again in the future and the rest of the install is the opposite of removal. Here's a pic of new hub installed, I was converting mine to 2WD so there is no hole for the axle to poke through.
Good luck! I'll post up pictures later on to make this a more interesting "How to".
Mike
1. Secure the front end of the vehicle on jack stands so front wheel/s are off the ground.
2. Remove front wheel/s from vehicle
3. Remove the two large bolts holding the caliper to the spindle
4. Remove the caliper and secure the caliper to the frame or upper a-arm with zip ties so the weight of the caliper is not hanging from the brake line.
5. Then remove the brake rotor from the hub assembly.
++++ If you have 4WD or AWD model continue with steps 6-9. If not then skip to step 10++++
6. Then remove the bearing cap and remove the large nut and washer that holds the CV axle in place.
7. Then remove the bolts that hold the CV axle shaft to the front differential assembly, there are either six or eight bolts, can't remember off the top of my head.
8. You might need to remove the bolts for the sway bar end links to gain a bit more clearance when removing the CV axle shaft assembly.
9. Remove the CV axle shaft from the hub by sliding it inwards toward the center of vehicle. Tip: sometimes it helps to turn the steering wheel to one way or the other to gain a bit more clearance when removing the CV axle assembly.
10. Follow the abs sensor wire up the top of the frame rail and undo the clip. There are several plastic retainers holding the wire loom in place, your new hub assembly should have a new sensor and wires with clips but verify this before hand. I've heard of some cheaper brands don't have the clips and you might have to re-use your original clips. If your new hub has new clips, sometimes its easier to cut the old ones off with snips.
11. Remove the three bolts that retain the hub assembly to the spindle. These are located on the inward side of the hub/spindle and might be easier to access by turning the steering wheel on way or the other.
Now comes the hard part, removing the hub assembly from the spindle. Sometimes these pop right out, and sometimes they seem like they're welded to the spindle. Mine had 240,000 miles and I believe these were the original hubs so they were NOT budging.
Now, for the next part I am not taking credit for at all but I wanted to document this method of removing the hub assembly. I read about this method on this forum about a year ago and after searching and searching for that thread I gave up trying to find it. So,,, if this is your idea/method of removing the hub assembly, then please let me know I will update this thread and give you the credit you deserve!
So, on to the next step.
12. If you have an old brake rotor or are upgrading your brakes at this time then you will need to sacrifice a brake rotor. If you do not have a spare rotor then you can purchase a new one. I shopped around and found a brand new one for $29.99 and probably could have found a cheaper one if I wasn't in a hurry to get it done but it was starting to get late in the day for me.
13. What you'll need to do is drill and tap two holes through the brake rotor approximately half way between the inner braking surface edge and outside braking surface of the rotor. You'll need two holes, spaced 180 degrees from each other. Any size bolt between 1/4 and 1/2 should be fine and it has to be at least 4" long with threads all the way along the shaft of the bolt. I will post pics of this later so it makes more sense.
14. The idea is that after you get those holes drilled and tapped, you'll attach the rotor to the hub with lug nuts, then using the two bolt holes you just drilled/tapped, install the bolts to push against the spindle.
You'll need one lined up at the top side of the spindle and one lined up with the bottom part of the spindle. You'll want to apply a little pressure with the bolts to the top and bottom at a time so that you can rock the hub assembly back and forth out evenly so it doesn't bind up. Voila.... easy removal of stubborn hub assembly and a tool you can use from now on.
-Couple tips:
-When drilling the rotor I put the holes in between the vanes of the rotor so that I wasn't drilling through 1.2" of steel, and just drilling through the outer parts of the rotor.
-I was a dumbass and used a 1/2"-20 fine thread because that was the tap size I had and it matched a couple bolts I already had (which ended up not being long enough). Come to find out they don't usually make a 1/2-20 fine thread bolt with threads all the way down the shank. So,,, I had to use some all-thread with a couple bolts pinched together on the end to make a make-shift bolt. Not a big deal but it took longer and if I were to do this again I'd just use a more common sized course thread and smaller bolt, like a 3/8 or 5/16 size should work just fine.
Other than that, the installation of the hub is very easy. Clean up the surface where the hub is retained, install a bit of marine or lithium grease on the edges to help prevent rust again in the future and the rest of the install is the opposite of removal. Here's a pic of new hub installed, I was converting mine to 2WD so there is no hole for the axle to poke through.
Good luck! I'll post up pictures later on to make this a more interesting "How to".
Mike
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