last night driving home from my buddies house i heard a slight pop and the steering wheel jerked. i then drove to work today and i listened to the truck closely while driving.. every once an awhile i heard a slight pop and a slight grinding/swirling noise.. but itd go away.. driving home.. i pretty much heard it the whole way.. (least i think so being it was hailing and pouring like a mf...) i can also feel it popping every now and again through the floor and i can feel a vibration almost all the time since last night. i talked to some guys at work and they said they think the hub is shot on the drivers side front wheel. another guy at work said is 79 dodge had a sealed unit and he had to buy everything as a complete set.. there was no way for him to repack or take it apart.. which was about 1200 bucks in the late 90s.. i am hoping im able to pull it apart and just simply repack the bearings, the guy said if i can do that.. itd be fine.. im hoping this is the case since this would be cheaper then having to replace the whole hub.. im hoping someone on here can give me some advice on how to do this.. or if they encountered it or anything at all.. thanks guys in advance.. you guys havent let me down yet

 

Guy you work with is on crack.

If you need a front hub, from what I've seen on here, it's one complete unit and runs under $200. I'm sure others have done it and can give you a lot better instruction.

 

wtf...he paid 1200 for a unit bearing
i paid less than 200 for mine, and it ain't too bad replacing them, just be very careful putting the axle shaft back in, you can tear the axle seal if you manhandle the shaft [that last bit sounded wrong lol]

 

well the reason it was so much, was because it was an obsolete part. i understand why it was so much. only one company made it for his old dodge. secondly, i work at a harley shop.. so we see obsolete quite often, and we have to go to aftermarket where prices can nearly double or triple what original oem price was. but if its only under 200 bucks thats not to bad.. i wonder if i can junk yard gem one.. thatd be even sweeter. do you guys know how bad it is to install? or should i go to autozone and get one of those manuals.

 

I believe it's under the DIY section? Manuals at autozone are good for toliet paper, so if you're low, go get one.

 

hahaha yeah i figured.. man. .this is the worst possible time for this sh&t to happen to. i gotta get a new windshield. i need to fix my exhaust manifold cuz i recently found the previous jackass owner snapped two off in the heads. im puttin a new muffler and sh*t on too.. like wtf. whats next.. thank god my tranny is brand new.. i just think march isnt going to end well for me.
on a serious note...
do you guys no how long i can try to limp this little issue through? i dont have off til friday, and im gonna try to ride the harley as much as possible.. but even so. im going to have to take the truck at least on wednesday n thursday due to rain.

 

I wouldn't drive it, if something locks up nothing good can possibly come from it.

 

thats not the answer i wanted to hear... well im pretty sure its the hub. well.. where can i get a kit? i need to have the truck done by this coming weekend.. and i cant imagine itd take more then friday to fix. least i hope. ne ideas?

 

I haven't had to do it, so I don't know. I've only seen it talked about on threads that have run through here. Believe you can get them at any auto parts store or through Rock auto.

 

and I still think your coworker is on crack. A 79 Dodge wheel bearing in the 90's couldn't have been that hard to find. Same generation of truck I had in H.S. and know parts were still dirt cheap on them in the early 90's.