I literally just wrote out this super long post.. and lost it. So, I'm gonna just say this: Replace your wheel bearing if it is in any stage of deterioration. I knew it was bad, but had no sound, or signs of it actually -being- bad, so I was putting it off. Long story short: Highway, brake line exploded, wheel bearing detonated, everyones safe - truck did not get destroyed.

Pictures:

 

Glad everyone is ok!

Just be glad you don't have ifs. My buddy's 05 had a similiar scenario. Except his wheel flew off his truck going down the highway.

 

How many miles did that hub have on it ?. My truck has 168.000 miles on it, and im sure the hubs are original. I will be having them replaced very soon.

 

The truck only has 120k miles on it -- but it did sit for about 5 years before I bought it - likely in the grass, rotting out. Everything was/is pretty crusty - I had to replace the oil and transmission pans due to rust holes, among other things. -- I will say, the wheel bearing was bad PRIOR to the aftermarket wheels being put on (with the psycho wheel-bearing-destroying offset). So, that, im sure, was absolutely a contributing factor.

 

Replace your other front brake line as well. They both live in the exact same environment, so, if one goes, it's a safe bet the other isn't too far behind.

 

Oh, no worries - I did. They were both crusty as hell, for the 20$, it was worth taking the 3 minutes to replace it. Every other line on the truck has been replaced (short of the rear axle line, I think), so no reason to skimp on such a cheap important part.

Bled the brakes, installed the 4wd vacuum actuator, truck is driving and all is well again. -- Well, 4wd still doesn't work, I need to clamp the vacuum lines on (or get a new line.. this one is pretty gross). But, it's driving, and it's spring, so who cares.

 

My truck has 168k miles on it, and the previous owner did little to nothing to take care of it, so next month I will be ordering new hubs and ball joints for it. If the hubs on my truck are original, I figure there way past due needing to be replaced.

 

Good luck! Everything is 12 point down there, so if you don't have a set - go pick em up! I had to use a mixture of SAE/Metric as they were all super crusty, and nothing would fit 'just exact'. Luckily - If you happen to bust off the bolts holding the hubs on - they thread into the hubs themselves, through the knuckle... so you won't have anything to extract later on.

 

When I replaced my hubs, I only needed a 12 point 14MM impact socket to remove the 4 bolts that hold the hub onto the knuckle. Everything other bolt was a 6 point, as I recall.

 

My dad once explained that many auto manufacturers could not sell many vehicles during WWII, and as such parked vehicles in large lots. Some sat months or even years after having been parked before buyers could finally be found. Shortly thereafter, bearing problems were prevalent among these vehicles that a bit of analysis showed was due to moderate movement of the vehicles while in storage.

What was that?

Yes. Apparently, a vehicle sitting for a very long time is susceptible to gravity (a given) along with back-and-forth motions due to wind. The resulting rocking, caused by the wind, results in flat spots developing on the bearings which leads to bearing failures.

So, for car nuts who pick up a vehicle deal that has sat for a long time, it is wise to consider bearing replacement along with the brakes and other components.