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Even though I do not have ABS, the bearings came with the ABS ring on it, and it fit just fine.
You need a 36MM socket for the hub nut and a torque wrench that can go to 221 ft-lbs.
15MM socket for the caliper bracket bolts.
Use ford factory spindle nuts if at all possible!
Procedure:
When the wheel is off, use a small pry-bar or hefty flat head screw driver to push the caliper plungers back a little.
Remove the two anchor/bracket bolts, and remove the caliper assembly as one piece, and hang it.
You do not need to remove the caliper, then the bracket, just remove it as one whole loaded assembly.
Remove the hub nut cap. Use a flat head screw driver and hamper, and pound the flat tip between the
cap and bearing in between each stud. IT will separate slowly. I have a cap removal tool...
Remove the nut; do not use the torque wrench to remove the nut.
Bearing should slide off when pulled on, you may need to wiggle it some. Mine came right
off, no issues.
Clean the spindle stud, and wire bush any rust at the rear mating surface on the knuckle.
Apply a very thin layer of anti-seize on the stud, and rear mating surface.
Slide the bearing assembly on the the spindle. I may require some wiggling...
Torque is 221 foot-lbs for the nut, you can do it in stages to set the pre-load, but
the repair manual, and videos show going directly to 221 ft-lbs. If you want to do
it in stages, you torque to 50, 100, 150, then final torque. Do not put anything on
the spindle threads! The cap will keep it clean, mine was 100% clean. You do
not need any thread locker.
Put the cap back on.
Put the loaded caliper back on, 85 ft-lbs for the bolts.
PICTURES:
Why you should not use the aftermarket nut:
Aftermarket nuts are a once piece nut, and the whole thing turns as it clamps down on the front bearing race.
This puts friction on the front race as clamping force is applied. This generated heat as you tighten, and can
gall the nut to the bearing race. This also makes them very hard to remove the next time and may need torched
off, and can damage the spindle threads.
Ford nuts are two piece nut that provide increased clamp force while maintaining optimum torque/tension.
The nut spins independently of the collar, thus does not put friction on the front bearing race.
Thanks for posting. It is an easy job, for anyone needing to do it......or, should be. 08MustangDude, I see you used an OEM spindle nut. Good on you, mate.
For anyone looking to do this job, DO NOT use an aftermarket nut!!!! Below is my experience with the aftermarket nuts from the auto parts store (posted on another forum):
So I decided to replace my front hub/bearing assemblies, which SHOULD have been a simple couple hour job. I ordered decent hubs but when it came to the spindle nuts, I just ordered ones from the local parts store where I was borrowing the 36mm socket and 250 lb-ft torque wrench (my 1/2" torque wrench only goes to 175 lb-ft). I mean, it is a nut...how much difference can it make. The Haynes manual, or as I like to call it, the "comic book version" of the manual, just says you should replace the nuts. The Ford manual tells you to replace them with OEM nuts and not to use a different design nut.
So When I get the first side off, I see that there is a significant difference in the nut styles. The OEM nut is a 2 piece design with a captured washer that allows the nut to spin on the washer. The aftermarket nut is a one piece metal locking flange nut. My thought was that the flange nut would lose some torque during installation because of friction, and that is why Ford recommends their nut.
I decided to put the driver's side back together with the aftermarket nut, get the correct ones from the Ford dealer and do the other side in a couple weeks. I would just replace the driver's side nut when I did the passenger's side.
Well, 2 weeks later when I try to remove the aftermarket nut, I find out the REAL reason Ford says don't use a different nut! It took 1/2 hour of hammering on the nut with my impact gun, using heat and lubricant and anything else I could think of to get it off. The metal locking nut is harder than the spindle so it tore the threads up as it came off. So a 1 day job of replacing hubs turned into finding a good used knuckle/spindle, replacing the knuckle, which also prompted replacing the outer tie rod ends (they were looking worse for the wear), and a trip to the alignment shop.
TL,DR? If you are going to replace the front hubs/bearings, spend the $30 to get the OEM nuts ($15 per side)
Pictures are attached:
1. Aftermarket spindle nut
2. Aftermarket spindle nut
3. Old OEM spindle nut (the new ones look a little different, but function the same)
4. Old OEM spindle nut (the new ones look a little different, but function the same)
5. Old Knuckle
6. Damaged Spindle threads.
Yes, looks straight forward and I second the whole, use OEM spindle nuts.
I made the mistake of using the one-piece nut that came with a new CV shaft when replacing the drivers cv shaft and bearing on our FWD 06 Escape. After the initial results being great, I started getting a wobble on turns after about a month and almost 1K miles.
I though it was the other side CV shaft or bearing going bad. Nope, no play and the shaft was golden. Went back and checked the nut on the Drivers side, mind you it was torqued to 221 ft/lbs..frickin thing was 1/4 turn loose! Think about that..221 ft.bs right tighty, lefty loosey. As the car moves forward on the drivers side, the bearing is turning counter clockwise (lefty) so it ended up backing the nut off!
Went back to the OEM 2-piece nut (Thank god I saved it) been good for almost a year and about 8K miles!
About a year ago I replaced the hubs in my '08 with the FRPP hubs (mainly because of the ARP studs, which gets into a different story entirely). Fortunately, they came with Ford hub nuts as well.
In general, things that are being held together by only a single fastener can have that fastener taken straight to full torque. But in this case it's probably worth it to go in stages if you're also going to rotate the hub at the end of each intermediate stage.
Good vid. Mentioned anti-seize on rust prone contact points to avoid future disassembly issues. Do this all of the time on any vehicle I work on. Drum brakes are the worst if they glued on from rust!
10-26-2018, 10:02 PM
Front Wheel Bearings
