2008 Front Wheel Hub Replacement

[Beamie]

Having to replace a front hub. Looks like just three bolts and an axle nut, all with high torque specs.

Assuming those all come off well, is there difficulty getting the hub out knowing that we live where the roads get chemicals in the winter and there is rust on other suspension parts.

Is there a specific puller that might make life easier or would one really be needed?

Trying to decide if this is worth the experience or just let a shop get it done. Shop time quote isn't bad but the part cost has more than $100 premium over RockAuto.

[CamGTP]

If you have a breaker bar it's not a bad job at all. I've had some bolts fight me but they take me less than a half hour with power tools. Just turn the wheel to make it easier to get at the bolts for breaking them loose.

 

If you have a air hammer that helps a ton with separating the bearing from the knuckle, it helps jar things loose. If you don't have that, then just smack the bearing hub with a big hammer with some force to get it to come loose. Sometimes I need to wedge a pry bar between the hub and knuckle then smack the pry bar with a hammer to get it inbetween the two to help get them apart.

 

I live in Minnesota, things rust pretty damn bad here.

[dna9656]

I have performed this maintenance. Most shade tree people have the tools to do this. You can rent a torque wrench (the problem with that is you don't know how it's been treated and therefore how accurate it is (if you get one at harbor freight don't get the cheapies, they aren't worth the trouble) trust me... but otherwise you don't need any special tools. Just coax it out with a mechanic's hammer. What I do (because I think it's smart)  after I get the hub out is clean the knuckle where the hub lives as best you can with a wire brush moving the brush along the phonograph finish in the hub's home. A soft brass wire wheel in your drill does wonders here. Hit it with some wal mart brake clean and clean it again. Dry it and put a thin coat of bearing grease over the complete surface, this will help keep water (rust)out and hopefully make removing it the next time a lot easier. Be sure to check the CV joint really hard, if it's FUBAR NOW is a good time to replace it. They aren't at all expensive, the hardest thing about a CV joint is they are no longer cores, you throw them away, a waste I think but that's the way it is.

Edited August 8, 2021 by dna9656