[Tomb Raider]

Ok....

So, figured since I had to do it....I'd take pictures

Scenario:

Driving home last night I hear a big "Ping!!!" under the jeep driving about 70mph. Felt a

little something..but not sure what, so I proceeded home at a slower 50mph pace.

Nothing drastic happened, so figured I'd check it out in the morning. So I start in

looking around and don't see much wrong visually...until I look at the passenger side

ujoint.....





So I begin the job of teardown and replacement. BTW...this is a stock Dana 30,

nothing fancy other than the crossover steering bracket, which has no bearing on this

R/R project. Needless to say....let's begin.

Jack up the jeep. Find a secure place to lift, paying close attention to the jeep/jack

as you raise it. I had a jackstand to place under the axle....but if your on the trail and

this should happen....always have someone man the jack to make sure it doesn't fly

out and the jeep fall and crush you. I chose the front bumper...because it's

welded to the frame




Next up, remove the wheel lug nuts and the wheel to expose the axle/hub/brake

assembly. From there, you will need to remove the caliper. There are two caliper

retaining bolts on the back/inside of the caliper that need to be removed. I used a 1/2"

12pt socket to get them out. The pads may still have some force applied to them. If

so....a light tapping should get them moving. If not, loosen the brake bleeding valve

and push on the caliper cylinder just enough to get the caliper off the rotor. Retighten

the bleeding screw. Once the caliper is out, set it aside. I set it on the leaf spring...as

not to pull on the brake line.



And removed:

[Tomb Raider]

Next up, you need to now remove the hub retaining bolts. This is where many ppl get frustrated. And rightfully so. A hub has usually been on for anywhere from 12-19 years! Ujoints, for the majority, only get changed when they break. But there is an easier way. This was originally posted by mr blaine I believe a few moons ago...and has since worked for many a jeeper. Here's what you do.

There are 3 hub bolts holding the hub/axle assembly in place. Mine are 1/2" 12pt heads. First things first, if you know you have lots of rust....PB blast these bolts in advance of this project. I personally....just got a long pipe to the end of my ratchet You will need to loosen these 3 bolts roughly 1/8" to 1/4".....but not remove them. You will need to turn the steering driver to loosen the back two bolts...and passenger to loosen the front bolt.



Once the bolts are loose, take a deepwell socket slightly larger than the hub bolt and put it over the front hub bolt. Now, slowly turn the wheel until the socket binds on the inner "C" of the axle. Since my sockets were a bit long...I had to kinda tap it in so that it would hold. You may need another person to turn the wheel while you hold the socket until it binds. Be careful not to get fingers caught between moving parts! Once the socket is in place....crank on the steering wheel....hard driver. Only need to do this once/twice. Then check the hub:








Repeat this on the back two bolts, turning hard passenger this time....then remove them. With a few slight taps, the assembly comes out! Take note of the position of the brake backing plate....you will need to reinstall in the same position! Voila!

[Tomb Raider]

Now....here is where I kinda lost out getting pictures. I was gettin in a bit of a hurry at this point...as I need to get the rig done to drive to work!

Getting the ujoint out is not as hard as one might think. A good writeup on removing and replacing the ujoint in the axle shaft can be found here. I followed it to the tee, had the joint out in just a few min. Follow it to the tee and you will have your joints out in no time as well. Otherwise....take em to the local parts house and they can usually replace them in just a few minutes.

It must be noted that this is a great time to check your axle seals, and any wear and tear items...such as ball joints/tie rod ends/brake pads/rotors....etc.

Once the new ujoint is back in, the procedure is the reverse. Carefully slide the axle back in the axle tube with the brake backing plate on, being cautious not to rub the sides of the tube and risk damaging the axle seal. Make sure the backing plate is in the same position as when it was removed, as it will only allow the brake rotor to be installed in one position.

Insert and tighten down the hub assembly bolts to recommended torque (alot).

Install rotor on lugs and reinstall caliper with caliper bolts. Again, tighten to recommended torque.

Reinstall tire/wheel....and your ready to wheel again! This is a relatively common failure on the trails....so doing this in your driveway or garage is great practice if you or your buddies ever need to do it on the trail.

-Scott

[RockWoRM]

thanks for the write up and pics... good info.

Originally Posted by Tomb Raider

Jack up the jeep. Find a secure place to lift, paying close attention to the jeep/jack as you raise it.

one of the best things I ever bought that has been the most usefull is the cheap charlie 3 ton floor jack from HF. Makes everything soooo much easyer. and on sale, was'nt that much $$$.





WoRM

[Tomb Raider]

Originally Posted by RockWoRM

thanks for the write up and pics... good info.


one of the best things I ever bought that has been the most usefull is the cheap charlie 3 ton floor jack from HF. Makes everything soooo much easyer. and on sale, was'nt that much $$$.

WoRM

Your welcome.

Unfortunately, a 3 ton floor jack under an SOA and 37's....doesn't raise enough to get the tire off the ground.

[ID89YJ]

Good write up Scott, i have a LF axle that needs that done.


Steve

[Tulsachokehold]

this should be made as a sticky. too many people ask this exact question.

[rustywrangler]

Great write up man. The info you linked from pirate works great. I found that using my bench vice instead of hammering went a little faster when at home. The info you posted here will work great on the trail someday. Thanx man

[atomicmoose]

Nice writeup, Scott.

[Jeepfreak81]

Originally Posted by Tulsachokehold

this should be made as a sticky. too many people ask this exact question.

This write up has been on JF since about 2002, then I was asked to repost it when it was lost late last year...

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302057

Sorry I just found it funny

[E_ROCK]

You forgot a step. You should have done this so your caps don't work themselves out again.

[atomicmoose]

Originally Posted by E_ROCK

You forgot a step. You should have done this so your caps don't work themselves out again.

And when you have to replace them?

[E_ROCK]

Originally Posted by atomicmoose

And when you have to replace them?

You grind off the tack.

[Tomb Raider]

Originally Posted by Jeepfreak81

This write up has been on JF since about 2002, then I was asked to repost it when it was lost late last year...

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302057

Sorry I just found it funny

Definitely a good thing to have multiple writeups. How many times have you seen this posted....even tho both your's and mine were here. I've been a member since 05, yet never saw your post...even with search. Go figure.

Only other thing different I see....I used "trail tools." instead of an impact, 3 jaw puller and vise....none of which I think most ppl carry on the trails.

You forgot a step. You should have done this so your caps don't work themselves out again.

In theory...that probably works well. I personally however....would not want to heat up my brand new cap bearings like that. If the caps work themselves out....they needed to be changed regardless, or the axle is "wallered" out and should be replaced.

[Jeepfreak81]

Originally Posted by Tomb Raider

Definitely a good thing to have multiple writeups. How many times have you seen this posted....even tho both your's and mine were here. I've been a member since 05, yet never saw your post...even with search. Go figure.

Only other thing different I see....I used "trail tools." instead of an impact, 3 jaw puller and vise....none of which I think most ppl carry on the trails.




In theory...that probably works well. I personally however....would not want to heat up my brand new cap bearings like that. If the caps work themselves out....they needed to be changed regardless, or the axle is "wallered" out and should be replaced.

oh definitely! I just was saying I thought it was funny how often it was asked, when there has been a halfway decent writeup on JF for a very long time... it is also 2 very different ways of doing it...

A 3 jaw puller is not always the best way either, I have been told you can pull the hubs/bearings apart using it, I never have though and I have ~225,000 miles on the jeep now.