[bigbee67]

Sorry if this has been covered but I couldn't find it anywhere.

I have changed front wheel bearings a couple times so I thought I was pretty good at it. When I reassembled it, I couldn't get the splined end of the hub flush with the bearing in the knuckle. All the others had gone all the way down. Now the mounted wheel still wobbles a little.

This time, one of the bearings was REALLY bad. I thought I filed down the dings on the shoulder where I had to use the bearing splitter to get the race off. I wonder if this hub is too worn or damaged to fit properly, or if I just need to try larger press? I have used my 12-ton press on all previous, but I have access to a 20-ton.

Thanks.

 

[DJMurphy]

The hub may be slightly out of round where it meets the inner race of the bearing, usually from pounding on it. Either that or there's some marring or nicking on it that you've missed, it takes very little to interfere and a massive amount of force to overcome. Try dressing the hub shaft a bit more.

I've placed shafts in a freezer and warmed the bearings up to get enough clearance to get them to practically fall onto each other. You may need to try that also.

 

[bigbee67]

Thank you. That's kind of what I was thinking. I will pull it apart. Again.

The hub went in so easily the first couple times, I didn't really spend much time preparing it, or putting it in the freezer. I did cool the bearing before I pressed it into the knuckle.

 

[DJMurphy]

Cooling the bearing will shrink the centre hole, making it more difficult to press.

Check the shaft for scoring, it really doesn't take much to interfere. Did you apply a light coating of oil to the shaft before pressing?

When I heat bearings at work I use a wax crayon set to melt at 160F so if you do heat the bearing be mindful of the temp.

 

[bigbee67]

Yep, that was it. The hub was beat up from getting the old race off. My shop guy that assisted me filed off some of the dings but missed the ones in the radius/undercut area.

The bearing and seals came apart when I disassembled it. The seal is a little bent because it popped out from under the snap ring. Do you think it's okay to use it? I'm thinking no, and am having a new one picked up.

But the hub is in really bad shape. I think I'm going to replace the whole knuckle. I can't find any aftermarket parts, just OEM. About $250 from Rock Auto.

Do you know the difference between FDII knuckles and the Dorman made for without off road package? I thought there was a thread on here about that, but I can't find it at the moment.

 

[bigbee67]

So I pulled the hub back out. The bearing came apart in the process. It was really dinged up near the shoulder and undercut. I filed and sanded for a while. Pressed it back together and it still wouldn't seat all the way.

But I finally found a solution! I found an SKF kit with hub, bearing, and hardware. I don't think these were available the first couple times I did the bearings.

The SKF kit is Part# SKF BR930558K. I found it on Rockauto for about $150.00. The only one I could find at a local parts store was $230! I can get a new Mopar knuckle complete for that.

Rockauto also has economy WJB WA930558K for about $40.00. It will be here in a couple days.

This has certainly been an exercise in patience, but I hope it might help someone who just needs bearings and the hub, not the entire assembly.

 

[DJMurphy]

I know there are two different knuckle part numbers but I don’t recall which one fits the FDII. Do they end in 498 and 499?

Good work on the SKF solution, I have a bent hub from a recent curb strike so I’ll be looking at that.

SKF is our go-to in industry when we have problematic environments like dirt, heat and water. Hard to beat their premium line even if they cost more. I got bit too many times trying to save the company money going with lesser brands or offshore noname and redoing the job earlier then necessary.

 

[bigbee67]

I think:
FDII knuckles are 68088535AB & 68088536AB
others are 68088498AD & 68088499AC

The front wheel problem should be solved. I decided to save $100 bucks and bought the cheap one. The Jeep has almost 200,000 miles on it and I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep it.

Now onto the rear. I have the new hub and bearing assembly, but can't get the axle out of the hub. I think I'm going to have to replace the CV shaft along with it. Already broke several pullers, used a couple cans of PB Blaster, a little torching, a sledge hammer, etc.

 

[Sandstone]

Air hammer on the end of the axle?

 

[bigbee67]

Tried that with a small one I have.

I went home last night and fully expected to pull the axle shaft with it and replace it too. I had left the puller snugged up for 24 hours. I noticed it was not as tight as it was. So I started turning it, and it POPPED! I kept alternating cranking with a six foot cheater pipe, smacking with a sledge hammer, and spraying PB Blaster. And it came off. Learned a great lesson. Patience and persistance.

I can't easily find an M22 die to clean the threads up, so I'm going to file a chamfer on the end. And use a mini triangle file to clean up any distorted threads on the shaft. Bought a new hardware set for the nut, etc.

Next task is removing the dust shield/parking brake assembly. I have read others has great difficulty getting it off. It's been soaking in penetrating oil and I brought it to the shop today so I can use the press if I need it.

 

[DJMurphy]

I saw that value solution on Rock Auto for the front wheel bearing and hub. A lot less than SKF, probably a good solution for those not planning on keeping it more than a few years. Never know, they could be from the same production line minus the branding.

I’m replacing all the power steering lines on my buddy’s SAAB this weekend, he chose offshore brand lines for a quarter of the price of well known brands, they only need to last another year before he dumps the vehicle.

 

[bigbee67]

Well she's all back together. Still sounds like a bearing noise in the right rear, and the wheels still wobble. I'm going to make another thread.

 

[bigbuckdown420]

Yep, that was it. The hub was beat up from getting the old race off. My shop guy that assisted me filed off some of the dings but missed the ones in the radius/undercut area. The bearing and seals came apart when I disassembled it. The seal is a little bent because it popped out from under the snap ring. Do you think it's okay to use it? I'm thinking no, and am having a new one picked up. But the hub is in really bad shape. I think I'm going to replace the whole knuckle. I can't find any aftermarket parts, just OEM. About $250 from Rock Auto. Do you know the difference between FDII knuckles and the Dorman made for without off road package? I thought there was a thread on here about that, but I can't find it at the moment.

I'm wondering about the knuckles also on a 07