Spindle Bearing Replacement? Do I need a press? (2 Viewers)

[pnolanIH8MUD]

I replaced my CV axles a month ago but I need to go back in to do a full bearing job (216k miles) and bearing replacement including the spindle bearing, seal & bushing. Do I need to remove the entire knuckle from the upper and lower ball joints and steering rods to remove and replace the bearing/bushing and seal. I've had most of this apart but I don't want to remove the ball joints again if not required.

If I don't need to press anything, I could just remove the linkages and rotate the spindles to allow access.

THANK YOU in advance.

 

[pnolanIH8MUD]

I removed the driver side wheel bearings all the way up to removing the knuckle and spindle bearing. Instead of removing the two bolts holding the steering tie rod connector, I removed the tie rod end. Unfortunately I used the pickle fork style ball joint separator. Don't use that thing. Instead, get the 2 piece puller from O'Reilly and go through the trouble of pulling the dust shield off and you'll have plenty of access to mount the puller. I had the upper, lower and tie rod off in 15 minutes. PITA if you're not planning to get into the dust shield or spindle bearing but the two piece puller won't destroy your tie rod/ball joint boots.

I removed the rear seal that the CV goes through, then I took a long screw driver and punched out the old bearing and bushing. Judging but the quality of the grease, it really could have used more attention. The Slee tool is probably a great investment to hit this grease spot every few years depending on your H2O and dust habits.

Spent a few hours trying to press the spindle needle bearing back in but with no luck. I will have to buy a press tomorrow. Very disappointing. Upon opening up my wheel bearings, I discovered that the driver side bearing grease was kind of tired but not in awful condition. I did find that my new 54mm socket is too shallow to reach back past the claw washer BUT the nuts were way too loose. Once I removed the brake assembly, the hub spun way too easily. The axle bearings actually looked fine. They're only 3 years old. I'll replace them anyway. I did buy the bearing packing tool that forces grease into the bearing and if its an old bearing will push old grease out. Its the Lisle bearing packer. Seeing the grease flow outward around the bearings was actually pretty cool. The center of the bearing has enough remaining grease to smear around the bearing face. Good investment. Tomorrow I'll have to get a press, knock out the races from the hub, find a deeper 54mm socket and see if I can squeeze the next side in this week.

 

[DirtDawg]

I know you already answered your question, but the FSM calls for SST and press.

 

[badlander]

I just completed this job on both axles. You don't need a press if you have materials on hand and are creative. I used a thick aluminum disc with a hole in the center and a 1/2" dia. threaded rod going thru the spindle, large washers, nuts, etc. to pull the needle bearing into place. Once it is pulled in as far as you can get it (flush with the knuckle surface) you need to use the new bushing between the bearing and the plate to pull it in fully and the bushing will be seated at the same time.
I cut out a round circle from a 3/4" thick piece of oak board to match the seal surface and used it to drive the seal in with a hammer. Put a layer of plastic bag or aluminum foil under the wood to prevent wood dust from getting into the grease on the seal and in the bearing. I didn't on the first side and hated myself for it!
By the way, the bearings tap out fairly easily. If you use a brass drift you will not damage them and they may be cleaned and saved as emergency spares if they are still in good condition, as mine were.
The bushings will be knocked out by the bearings when you tap them out. No need to try to remove them first.
Hints:
- Be very careful when starting the bearing into the bore. Make sure it is going in straight.
- Put the wheel bearing nut and lock nut on the spindle and hand tighten them together to act as protection for the spindle treads while handling the knuckle while it's out of the vehicle.
- Support the knuckle so the spindle is vertical while inserting the bearing, bushing and seal.
- Make sure the back side of the bushing and the knuckle surface are absolutely clean and burr free or the bushing may not seat completely flat.
- Don't forget the plastic or foil between the wood and seal!!

By the way, the adjustable heavy duty pitman arm puller #27170 will easily fit on the lower ball joint with the dust shield in place.
Hint:
- Put the puller in place and tighten until quite tight (doesn't need to be SUPER tight) then using a steel drift and hammer whack the flat spot on the front of the knuckle right next to the dust shield. The ball joint will pop right out.
Next time I need to replace an axle I'm going to pull the whole hub, knuckle assembly all in one piece. No need to mess with wheel bearings plus the axle will just go straight in with no effort. Wouldn't even need to pull off the drive flange. Only problem is the assembly weighs 58 lbs. complete so it requires either 2 men or a floor jack. Sure would save a ton of time though. Trying to replace an axle by removing only the top ball joint is a pain if you ask me. More trouble than it's worth trying to manipulate that greasy shaft into the back of the knuckle and still keep everything clean. Just my two cents.

 

[pnolanIH8MUD]

I was wondering about options for the needle bearing. After taking the knuckle off the LC, I bought a heavy duty welding sliding clamp inserting it through the space between the lower ball joint I gently placed one end on the spindle end and then alternately used a ~22mm socket and using some PB spray coaxed the bearing down. I might add that I froze the bearing overnight but I'm not sure that helped. I thought about heating the spindle but decided it was a bad idea to heat this part.

Great ideas and thank you. So I inadvertently damaged the tie rod boot. I ruined it with the pickle fork separator. Once I had the hub and dust shield off, of course access by the pitman arm puller was easy and direct. No hammering. 15 minutes to remove upper, lower and tie rod. Yes, the first time I removed the brake and the knuckle together, I was shocked. You definitely should try to avoid doing that unless you've got a separate floor jack to manipulate it. Leave the top ball joint attached as long as feasible.

I found a bit of play in my drive plate. Not sure what should be allowable. A tight fit would help the clunk that occurs once a 30" tire is bolted up... Of course with aftermarket axles, its hard to say if they off or if the CV's were ground slighly smaller...

 

[2001LC]

FWIW:
The only hammering I do is with brass dowel on hub flange studs.

You can cool the races in your freezer, while heating your axle hub (heat gun, space heart, heat lamp. torch etc.). The race will slip right in. This was great tip from @AimCOtaco. This should work just as well on axle bushing & needle bearing.

These bushing & needles bearing rarely need replacing IMHO. Cleaning & inspection is key.

Personal I use solvent to clean all parts, then inspect. I then just use the palm of one hand with glob of grease and other to press grease in bearing section by section (old school). Most shop use the no cleaning method of just pressing out old grease with new, declaring re-calcification. Which if fine for some, except inspection is impossible. It is faster than cleaning & inspecting by far, something I spend a great deal of timing doing.

If axle hub flange teeth are worn I'll replace with new. If axle teeth are worn I'd replace those as well. Zero play is the goal between axle & hub flange. But some (very minimal) is to be expected with age. Play here is primary cause of N to D clunk.

I fill cavity of axle hub with grease making sure to leave at least 20% or more air space. Over filling holds in heat.

Then I'll get out my fish scale to set wheel bearing breakaway preload, and feeler gauge to set hub flange snap ring gap. Tight is your friend.

 

[pnolanIH8MUD]

FWIW:
The only hammering I do is with brass dowel on hub flange studs.

You can cool the races in your freezer, while heating your axle hub (heat gun, space heart, heat lamp. torch etc.). The race will slip right in. This was great tip from @AimCOtaco. This should work just as well on axle bushing & needle bearing.

These bushing & needles bearing rarely need replacing IMHO. Cleaning & inspection is key.

Personal I use solvent to clean all parts, then inspect. I then just use the palm of one hand with glob of grease and other to press grease in bearing section by section (old school). Most shop use the no cleaning method of just pressing out old grease with new, declaring re-calcification. Which if fine for some, except inspection is impossible. It is faster than cleaning & inspecting by far, something I spend a great deal of timing doing.

If axle hub flange teeth are worn I'll replace with new. If axle teeth are worn I'd replace those as well. Zero play is the goal between axle & hub flange. But some (very minimal) is to be expected with age. Play here is primary cause of N to D clunk.

I fill cavity of axle hub with grease making sure to leave at least 20% or more air space. Over filling holds in heat.

Then I'll get out my fish scale to set wheel bearing breakaway preload, and feeler gauge to set hub flange snap ring gap. Tight is your friend.

Thank you for responding.

Short story here is that I did the driver side. I followed procedures outlined for CV Joint change but of course had to remove brake/spindle/knuckle parts.

Key trick for me was NOT touching ball joints till the hub was completely off or a Pitman Arm Puller will not work well or at all on the lower. Once the hub is off, and the inner brake shield removed, then access to the upper and lower ball joints and tie rod ends all with the Pitman Puller. Like 5 minutes easy. Also don't buy or use the pickle fork separator tool. It just ruins the boots. I ended up buying the Energy Suspension repair kit for the tie rod boot and it worked fine with tightening.

The only other problem I had was not having enough remaining CV joint out to install a clip. After tightening the hub bearings 2x, I pulled the hub off again caring not to bump the bearings around and inspected the Races again. They were fine. I did go ahead and tamp down the rear hub seal. It was not seated deeply enough. I put the hub back on, torqued it and got about 15lbs preload. I had just enough room to put the clip on. Be certain to double check that races and bearings are fully seated. Using a bolt from a battery clamp, I was able to pull the axle out just far enough. It took a little nudge by a chisel to hear the CV get pulled into place, probably through the rubber seal.

Back to the original question. I did put the spindle needle bearing into the freezer overnight. I used a large welding C-clamp with worm gear, and small round plate and appropriately sized socket instead of a press. If I use a small butane torch to heat the spindle bearing area is there any risk to the structure/strength of the Knuckle? I had installed the seal first which incorrectly prevented me from using the torch there but I'm willing to try it this time if its safe.