Does anyone a have step by step break-down of the front wheel bearings REPLACEMENT process on an '85 CJ7? I have a good idea from YouTube videos but they are on NEWER Jeeps; not the 82-86 CJ7's. I don't have sealed bearings and this is what I have found. It seems so much easier with the sealed bearings. Anyway, my manual ONLY shows a picture of the bearing placed inside the axel of the rotor and a vague breakdown of the process. Frustrating! I need a better manual, I swear, lol. I want to simply make SURE I get everything I need replaced while I do them.
Is the HUB an issue to remove? What special tools? So, right now I had to order the bearings; Inner and Outer from NAPA (out of stock) along with their races and the seals. What else is there?
Will a worn bearing cause ROUGH wear on the tire as well?
Is the HUB an issue to remove? What special tools? So, right now I had to order the bearings; Inner and Outer from NAPA (out of stock) along with their races and the seals. What else is there?
Will a worn bearing cause ROUGH wear on the tire as well?
My advise is to dive right in. It isn't a difficult job. The only special tool I've ever used is the big stamped socket to get the locknuts off.
If you want to change the needle bearing that supports the 4wd driveshafts you have to pull the spindles. You'd need to do this if 4wd is used a lot and you were changing the U joints. The spindles are always a bear and require a special puller.
Worn wheel bearings can case weird tire wear, but so can many other things. I'd put ball joints and steering alignment at the top of the list.
So, if I don't change the 4WD driveshaft spindles, I simply remove the tire, brake caliper, rotor and replace the bearings; right? I don't use 4WD too much. She's a daily driver and a weekend small trail blazer. >
The steering is SPOT-ON but I may just have it looked at tomorrow for peace of mind. You never know! The ball joints never crossed my mind so it is worth having them looked at.
Jack up the front and put it on jackstands.
Remove the tire.
Remove the locking hub.
Remove the brake caliper.
Remove the bearing nuts and lockwasher.
Remove the outer bearing.
Remove the hub. If you put the nut back on and give the hub a good jerk, you can remove the inner bearing and seal. Otherwise, lay the hub down and using a driver/drift, drive the rear bearing/seal out of the rear of the hub.
Using a soft aluminum or brass drift, hook the back edge of one of the bearing races and drive it out with a hammer. You will have to move the drift around the race to keep it from cocking in the bore. Flip the hub over and remove the other race.
Remove the nuts/bolts and remove the spindle. These can be tough to get off, but inspecting/lubing the spindle bearings is a must on all wheel bearing packs. Lube/replace as necessary.
Clean the stub axle bearing surface and check the u joint.
Clean the rear seal surface of the spindle.
Install the spindle.
Inspect the bearing bores to insure there aren't any dings or high spots on the back of the race bore (you can sometimes catch the steel with the drift and pucker the metal). If you have one, simply hit it with a file to get it flat.
Replace the bearing races by driving them into the bores with the drift/driver. Insure they are straight and bottomed.
Pack and replace the rear bearing/seal. Drive the seal in gently around the outer edge till it bottoms and insure you didn't knock the spring off the back.
Install the hub.
Pack and install the outer bearing.
Torque the nuts/lockwasher.
Install the hub assembly.
Insure you wash any greasy pawprints off the rotor before you install the caliper.
Install the tire.
In the on line repair manual, pick your model. year and section (Steering and front axle) look around page 154.
There really is nothing better that a Factory Service Manual; they are specific to the model and year you want to deal with. Chilton's, Haynes and the rest are poor comparisons as they try to cover too many years in too few of pages. They are generalists, and poor at that.
You may find some useful tips on this thread. It was one of my first wheel bearing replacements and Jeep Hammer walked me thru it. Ended up replacing spindle bearings and ball joints - that is the time to do it when it's apart.
HA you beat me to it. Did this same thing on my 83cj7 about 2 months ago. Printed that thread and did it with no problems. Its pretty simple to do once your in there.
as long as your in there i'd do the spindle bearings/seals. I threaded the large spindle bearing nuts (both) back onto the spindle where one was right next to the other then used a 2 jaw puller to put pulling pressure on the spindle nuts. Then used a hammer to 'tap' around the spindle flange, put on more pressure, tap, tap, tap, pressure, tap.....etc. You'll will need a specific type puller to remove the needle bearings from the spindles.
I will echo others comments. If it's been a long time since the bearings have been serviced and the condition of the inner seal and needle bearings are unknown, I would pull the spindle. It's not that hard to remove and can be done without a puller. Once the spindle is off, I would pull the shafts out and inspect the u-joints and ball joints at a minimum. If they are worn or even questionable, now is the time to address issues and give yourself some peace of mind. These are relatively cheap and easy parts to replace once everything else is removed.
Thank you CSP, EXTREMELY valuable information. All pages downloaded and SAVED!
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