I'm set to replace both front wheel hub/bearing assemblies, but have ran into issues. It appear the CV shaft has to be removed from the front diff to get to the bolts for hub assembly.

I have looked at various videos and they make it look so easy. I call BS... I'm convinced these don't come out. I have pried at this for about 3 hours. I also wrapped a chain around the cv shaft and the other end around a barn beam. I pulled on it with a load binder and all I managed to do is drag the truck across the barn floor.

These shafts are seriously stuck. Does anybody have any tips/tricks/advice?

 

The three bolts on the back of the spindle allow the hub to come out. Remove the center cv axle nut. Top ballpoint. This should give you enough room. It you live up north, you will need to use some pb blaster. May need to sit overnight. BFH will help with removal. Put antisieze on the new axle splines

 

Everything I have found says the entire cv axle needs to come out to get to the bolts on the back of the steering knuckle. The axle shaft is loose in hub, but I cannot get the shaft to come loose from the diff. I'll see if I can back the shaft out of the hub enough to get a shallow socket and an extension on the hub bolts.

 

Did you pop the top ballpoint?

 

First off... DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BUT TIMKEN BEARINGS! Your standard AutoZone & O'Reilly wheel bearings will fail within a year due to not being a tapered bearing, they always try to push those pieces of crap first and they cannot withstand turning loads and WILL fail in a year. The Timken bearing just so happens to be a tapered bearing that can withstand loading from all angles and its also a much beefier bearing assembly & casting and the best part is its $20 cheaper, but you MUST request it or the clerks will sell you on their in house store crap.


You don't need to remove the axels/cv to change the wheel bearing out, I didn't even pop the ball joints!, just leave all of that as it is and leave the ball joints alone.

I remove the 3 bolts that hold the bearing in, remove the axel nut that holds cv to the bearing hub and take a chisel and hammer and pound the bearing out of the steering knuckle, making sure to evenly pound the bearing out each time a side makes progress on popping out pound on the other side...easy as pie so long as you don't hit the chisel like a girl or hit yourself with the hammer. Heat from a small propane torch might help with extraction of the bearing/hub. After its removed, clean the steering knuckle/wheel bearing mating surface with emory cloth & pb blaster (to eat the aluminum corrosion) and to make install and future removals easier.


PB blaster works alright for some things, but you need to pick & choose your battles with it. People often times rely on it for what only brute force heating from a cutting torch can do to get the bolts cherry red or to heat an area up that needs extraction. I can't say theres been too many times I can credit PB Blaster or WD-40 for making a bitch job any easier or remember saying "where would I be without the PB Blaster?". I usually just move onto heat before waiting to finish a job. I lubed my exhaust manifold bolts up for a month straight every week in anticipation of removing my manifolds to install my headers and still the only thing that worked to remove them was the Gas Axe getting the bolts cherry red.

 

I did not pop the ball joint yet. I have not been able to get back out to the barn to work on it.

I managed to get a hold of a service manual. It says to remove the tire rod and upper ball joint from the steering knuckle. After they are removed, the knuckle will fold down enough to gain access to the hub bolts.

Hopefully I'll find time tonight to give it a try. Thanks for your help.

 

You turn the steering wheel left or right if you need access to those bottom bolts. No need to take anything apart.

 

Coby. Sounds like you're on it. I would advise against heating with a torch. The knuckles are aluminum.

 

A handheld propane torch will not harm the aluminum knuckle, you're only warming it couple hundred degrees to break the surface tension. Used to work at an Aluminum Extrusion Plant and aluminum is very tough.

 

I managed to get everything swapped out and back together. Things were stuck pretty firm, but luckily I didn't need much more than a breaker bar on the wrench. Thanks for all the help

Josh - Not sure about your truck, but with the independent suspension, I found I did have to remove the upper ball joint from the knuckle, but I did not have to remove the tie rod end. There is not enough clearance to access the bolts even with the wheel turned. The end of the half shaft takes up too much space in the knuckle.