Dan, good point. I hope my preload is right. Here is my write up on the knuckle housing/bearing part of the job for anyone's comments or critique...
-remove the bolt holding abs sensor on top of the knuckle housing (12mm) and lay the sensor out of the way propped against the caliper.
-unscrew the retaining plates that hold the inner wiper seals to the knuckle housing (10mm). peel away the felt, rubber and metal rings from the housing. You will need a wrench to access some of the bolts.
-remove the two bolts (17 mm) holding the upper bearing housing to the knuckle. The bearing housing can now be gently pried off. Be careful of the shim, which varies in thickness between trucks. If you encounter difficulties, try using two flat head screw drivers at the same time at either end so that it lifts off evenly.
-loosen but don’t remove the 4 nuts (17 mm)that attach the lower control arm/bearing housing to the knuckle (consult FSM and remove the tie rod if you plan to check the preload)
-tap the studs or the housing with a brass hammer to loosen the cone washers.
-remove the nuts, washers and cone washers, clean for reuse. If any studs come loose, remove and reinstall them using lock tight during reassembly.
-Clean all grease off the machined surfaces and out of the thread holes on both bearing housings
-pry the control arm away from the knuckle housing
-slide the outer knuckle housing off taking care to catch the bearings if they fall out (if you plan to reuse). label any bearings you might reuse. Replace any you drop unless it is a very soft landing.
-if you have not already done so, remove the birfield now. Line the flat mark in the housing to the top of the knuckle housing and slide it out.
-pull out the inner oil seal
- after removing the birfield and the old inner oil seal shine a flashlight into the axle housing and look around. There should be nothing visible loose in the housing and there should be an index ring about 2 inches from the oil seal flush against the inner lip of the machined surface (it may look like part of the housing). This ring can occasionally come loose. If it has it will likely be lying in the housing and you will need to reseat it somehow.
-clean the upper and lower bearings and inspect checking the rollers carefully for scoring and any signs of damage or discolouration to the housing. If you are satisfied to reuse them, thoroughly clean them and repack with fresh grease. don't forget the labels
-if you are not reusing bearings, remove the races from the inner knuckle housing. use a brass hammer and a long brass drift threaded into the housing from the hole for the top bearing to remove the lower race and vice versa. There are prominent slots in the knuckle housing around the races to expose a surface to strike the races for removal.
-if using new bearings, replace the races using the old races as a guide to knock them in. Make sure the races taper outward. make sure you match the new races to the new bearings they came with. Pack the new bearings with moly grease.
-clean the inner and outer knuckle housings and remove all grease, including grease in all thread holes.
-clean and repack the birfield. If you don't plan to disassemble but have time then, after cleaning as best you can, drill two 1.5" holes in a piece of plywood and drop the birfields into the holes so the bowls face up then fill them with varsol and allow them to soak overnight.
-seat the inner oil seal. A big rubber mallet and a 3x3 block of wood with a face shaved to roughly the same size as the seal is the best way we found to seat it. A piece of 1.5" abs pipe will also work if you have a steady hand and cut both ends square. The seal does not seat flush in the housing but actually goes a little further in leaving a slight lip.
-slide the wiper seal kit over the inner knuckle ready for seating. starting with closest to the centre of the truck, the order is felt seal, rubber seal with ridge facing towards the differential, metal seal.
-coat the outside of the inner and inside of the outer knuckle housing with moly grease.
-insert the new upper bearing in its race, and balance the lower bearing inside the outer knuckle housing. Slide the outer knuckle housing over the inner housing lining up the bearings to the holes.
-lightly grease the machined surface of the upper bearing housing, and install using the shim. Before installing take care to make sure hole in outer knuckle is lined up with the bearing by moving the knuckle housing.
-lightly grease the machined surface of the lower bearing housing, and install. Press upwards until you can fasten two diagnoally opposite bolts onto the studs to secure. check that bearing is lined up by reaching finger down from inside the inner knuckle to feel the centre dimple in the bearing housing. Tighten bolts taking care to check bearing is lined up. Place cone washers and washers on the other two studs and tighten. Remove the first two bolts, install cone washers and washers and replace. Use locktite on any studs that came apart during removal.
-torque bolts and nuts on upper and lower bearing housings to FSM specifications (check the torque again after initial test drive and again a week after the job)
-grease inside of inner knuckle housing, without getting grease on inner oil seal.
-insert birfield with flat mark on birfeld bell housing at the top until bell seats all the way into knuckle. Be patient. This can take a few tries.
-clean grease off abs sensor and replace.
-install the two overlapping retaining plates that hold the wiper seal in place. Take care that all the bolts pass through the holes in the felt seal.
-when installing the spindle, check inside the shaft at the brass bushing. Newer versions have a roller bearing inside the spindle here which needs to be cleaned and greased in situ before assembly.
