Jeep Front Wheel Bearing Hubs
The noise in Jennifer Jeep was traced to a wheel bearing hub. The bearings are not normally serviceable. The whole hub is replaced as a unit.
To swap the hub, begin by removing the wheel and tire. Her 33” Dick Cepeks are very heavy.
Next, remove the brake caliper and rotor. There are two bolts holding the caliper in place. The old AMC Jeeps use a 7mm hex key while the Mopar built Jeeps use a standard 13mm bolt. For some odd reason, one side on Jennifer’s Jeep has 12mm head on the bolts.
Remove the cotter key and the keeper. Then using a 36MM socket, remove the center nut. An impact wrench works great for this. If you are using a breaker bar and need a way to keep the wheel from turning, you can remount a wheel with the center cap removed and use the weight of the vehicle to hold the shaft.
Remove the three bolts that hold the hub to the knuckle. These have 12 point 13mm heads. If the hub is stuck in the knuckle as it often is, I have three sacrificial bolts that have the same thread. I screw them into the hub and use a hammer on the bolt heads to drive the hub out of the knuckle. Do not hit the wheel mounting flange as this will damage the bearings.
Slip the hub and brake shield off the knuckle. You can leave the axle shaft in the axle to prevent loss of gear oil.
To replace; slip the new hub into the brake shield and then into the knuckle. If your Jeep is only for off road use, you may choose to delete the brake shield as it tends to catch rocks and debris and does not help cooling at low speed.
Tighten the hub to knuckle bolts. Place the washer and nut on the end of the axle shaft and torque to 170 foot pounds. I used a pry bar through the U joint to hold the axle while torquing it. It is possible to damage the seals on the U joint using this method, so be careful how you place the pry bar in the yoke if you choose to do it this way. The proper preload torque is important to making the bearings last. Replace the keeper and cotter key.
Mount the rotor and brake caliper. Be careful not to over torque the small brake caliper bolts after getting used to working with the larger bolts.
Remount the wheel and tire. Torque the lugs nuts and give it a test run. Jenny’s Jeep was much quieter after the bearing swap.
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