You can reuse the hub nut as far as I know, or I have done. Just replace the cotter pin. It's an 1 11/16 nut and get yourself a good long breaker bar and some pentrating oil.


By the way, anybody have any input into tapping a zerk fitting into the assembly. Mine aren't bad yet but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little grease now and then.

 

What year do you have? It might be another year change. I read 00-01 you shouldn't reuse the nut but 99 down you can. The manuals didn't even mention a cottor pin for 00 up so I'm guessing you have a 99-down model then. It was so stupidfor Dodge to changestuff like this before the 3rd generations came out.

I don't know about the zerk fitting but according to Haynes you can easily repack the bearings but you need to basically take everything apart first then pack by hand. They say a press isn't really needed, a block of wood and a hammer will do for getting the bearings back in.

 

If the assembly is sealed, you won't get much from tapping it with a grease zerk. Greaseable seals are different than non-greaseable and are designed to flex a little and shed the contaminated grease. Non-greaseable seals are designed to keep everything out and don't give to release contaminated grease. More than likely you would just end up putting some metal filings into your current hub and ruin it. I doubt youd be able to pump the grease in.

 

What I meant in my old post is 99-down aren't sealed and you can take the unit apart. 00-01 you can't, it's a sealed unit.

 

Well I'm glad I didn't try it then. I think the guy that I saw do it had a 98 front axel under an 00 frame, so that would explain why he could get away with it if he already had greasable units. To answer Timb75's question, its an 01, with a cotter pin and I don't remember reading anything in the manual about having to replace the nut. I'm prettyanal about replacing inneficient parts and making sure everything isclean and nice and shinny and new when I'm doing something like that.

 

damn, deffinatly not what i was hoping to hear, ive got a 4x4 so I need the whole assembly, I was hoping that there was something serviceable, this will be the 3rd wheel bearing ive put in. But what about ball joints, any ideas on them?

 

I've only done ball joints on a chevy 3/4 ton but I'm pretty sure they're all about the same. Except for the fact that some are press in and some are bolt in. IMO I dont think they would be so hard. If you've already replaced the wheel huibs before or can turn a wrench I'm pretty sure you can do it. Its just nuts and bolts and I'm pretty sure you can find some with grease fittings on them .

 

On the topic ofhubs has anyone ever had one completely fail on them? How long can you go before you get a complete failure?

 

im on the same boat needing to change my bearing. ive replaced them once got a mechanic buddy to do it. In regards to the bearing lasting before totally failing would be on the damage already caused. In march i knew my bearing was slowly detiriorating felt the vibration. and now im down to the metal noise. i always wait for the noise to fix it, make sure u dont get taken by a ride by a shop, someplaces will charge 360 for a bearing without labor!!! u can get the bearing for 180 and should pay approx 2hrs shop time so u figure bout 300 per side if its an honest shop, once doing that check ur ujoints

 

ive done the bearing everytime by myself, its relativly easy. I did have one totally fail on me, it never squeeked or anything, just going down the road the truck started pulling really hard to one side, I got turned around and headed for home before the brakes locked up. What happened was the bearing totally let loose, causing the wheel to go out at a 45 degree angle, put a pretty good groove in the rotor.