2001 F-250 4X4 SD Front Wheel Bearing Replacement

[packer58]

Wheel bearings have finally went south on the drivers side, i will replace both sides while i'm at it. Looks pretty straight forward but for those that have done it are there any surprises that i need to know about ???

Thanks

 

[Squamch]

Nah it's easy. Wheel off, caliper off, hub off. Then turn the wheels one way, bust the 2 bolts you can get at loose, turn em the other way to have access to bust the other 2 loose. Then put some spice on it with a hand sledge, or wedge something between the leaf and the unit bearing and use your power steering to break it loose. Might be another 2 or 3 things you need to do that I'm not remembering off hand after a 16 hour work day, but it's a pretty easy job.

 

[packer58]

Thanks , yeah it shouldn't be to bad.

 

[Broomd]

Just did my wife's Lexus, easy peasey. The 30MM 12pt. axle nut socket and breaker bar was a must have...

 

[jjgrow]

Numerous how-to videos out there. Here's a good one: Wheel Hub Replacement

 

[Manosteel21]

Totally different vehicle but...on a 2013 gm I had problems. Couldn’t get knuckle separate from axle without removing knuckle. That then sent me into doing all ball joints PLUS the hub. So it might be good to at least have a contingency plan for extra parts. Not real sure if that’s standard process on most vehicles but I’m an idiot and think I can do anything

 

[Wapiti1]

Standard issue Ford design on that truck. Nothing weird. Front rotors are cheap, consider replacing those while you have it apart. They aren't a problem area that I know of, but for $200 to replace both sides, it's something that I would do. Great time to really inspect the ball joints.

Jeremy

 

[packer58]

Well, wasn't bad at all, just a little time consuming. About 2 1/2 hours per side, rotors were replaced last year so was good there.
$370 +/- all in..

 

[Wrench]

You can add grease to the bearings through the abs sensor port. I greased mine 100k ago.

 

[shardin]

Wheel bearings have finally went south on the drivers side, i will replace both sides while i'm at it. Looks pretty straight forward but for those that have done it are there any surprises that i need to know about ???

Thanks

easy job. I've probably done it 10 times on my truck lol. I recommend a C clamp to press your caliper back in for easy reinstall and a wobble socket to get to the bolts that hold your bearing in.

 

[shardin]

You can add grease to the bearings through the abs sensor port. I greased mine 100k ago.

riffraff diesel makes an adapter just for that. Definitely helps with your bearing life.

 

[packer58]

riffraff diesel makes an adapter just for that. Definitely helps with your bearing life.

I saw that, I also saw where a guy rigged up some fittings and adapted a small diameter tube for your grease gun. He then stuck it down the ABS sensor port and started pumping, I think i like that option better for two reasons. #1- Your filling the hub from the bottom up #2- Your not pressurizing the assembly and pushing grease by the O-rings. Just my take on it......

 

[Dalen88]

i press the hub off using the p/s, thread the nuts out till nut if flush with stud then rig up a socket and extention and turn your wheels with the truck running, pops them out easy.

 

[5MilesBack]

How did you know that the bearings had gone bad?

 

[Wrench]

How did you know that the bearings had gone bad?

On mine I thought I was hearing some bearing noise. I pulled it down and it was still tight, but not as smooth as i would like. I greased it with a syringe filled with grease pushed in through the hole. Been quiet since.

 

[DAJtheHunter]

I deleted the vacuum lines for the auto 4x4. Put a grease zerk in the hub where the vacuum line was. Made my wheel bearings and vacuum pump last longer.