Wheel popped off while driving (!!!) Serious lesson learned. Now replacing manual lock hubs + rotors. Could use some purchasing advice…

[eightynine4x4]

Well my parts all arrive tomorrow and Friday. I got 3 of the MOOG 436’s hoping they are correct.
I’ve got everything off up to the spindles. Those are soaking and soon I’ll start attempting to pry away. I’m aware of the recommended methods and care required here.
IF they come off and I’m pulling out the two axle shaft ends, that’s the easy part. The thing that concerns me is dropping the front diff so as to gain access to the U Joint that’s known as the “center’ U joint of front axle. I‘m going to read up on this, and i do have the actual shop manual which I’ll scour, but does anybody have any pointers for when disconnecting and later reconnecting the front diff? I heard there is potential for total destruction inside if it’s not fastened back together in proper alignment.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Got the spindles off. Went and bought the right tool for the job before i started and it only took maybe 5 minutes per spindle and not all that much effort. Don’t get me wrong they were very much stuck on, but this mortar chisel had just the right amount of edge and strength to get right in there with the mini sledge.

So everything is out and ready to be worked on. i am tempted to not touch the front diff and middle u joint, because i was now able to test the middle u joint isolated from the other joints and it’s pretty darn snug for an old joint. It just barely has the tiniest amount of movement and it’s quite difficult to detect. In fact I’m not even positive i could detect it. But it doesn’t feel right to just avoid doing that one due to laziness. So maybe I’ll just pop the diff out soon.

The passenger side u joint is a joke. It was the main culprit in my front clicking sounds when engaging 4x4. It’s got like a 1/4” of play or more. So I’ve avoided 4x4 as much as possible and only used it when actually stuck somewhere and for that only for a few dozen feet until i was in better standing. The drivers side u joint has a little wiggle but not much.

So I’ll be doing some homework trying to understand what is required when removing and reinstalling the front diff so that i don’t mess anything up.

I also forgot to undo the hose clamp for the passenger u joint, and it didn’t even matter i guess. The thing slid out without any resistance at all, which is why i forgot about it. Pics below. I will assess the boot and make sure it’s ok, then assess the reinstall of the boot and get it back on whichever part it needs to be on before trying to reassemble everything.

In my driver side spindle, one of the studs was obviously missing in the past and so somebody put in a regular hex bolt in its place. It was fully loose once i had the spindle off and i just pulled it right out the back. In one of those pics you can see me holding the bolt in my hand, and in the other you can see how much shorter it is than the rest of the actual studs. I have no idea how i was able to undo the nut from that bolt, it was just luck that the bolt held itself in place without spinning. Probably enough crud or rust was stopping it from spinning. In any case, I want to figure out a better replacement for that stud. Can we just hammer in new studs in situations like this?

My driver side also had no heat/dust shield whatsoever. The bolts were missing and everything. So someone removed it. The passenger side has the shield, but it’s in pretty rough shape. Maybe I’ll replace both.

The flat metal circular pieces that go behind the spindle are both is pretty thinned out rough shape too. I’ll try to find replacements of those as well, although i don’t really understand what they do.

Also in this first pic you can see that the drivers rotor has been flattened on some edges!

 

[sgtsandman]

Good luck on the dust shields. People have been having a very difficult time finding even used ones and are often just doing without. Even with the 2011, finding new dust shields was not easy. I finally found an unpainted pair. Painted them up and installed them but I suspect I won't be able to find them again the next time they need replaced.

 

[eightynine4x4]

Good luck on the dust shields. People have been having a very difficult time finding even used ones and are often just doing without. Even with the 2011, finding new dust shields was not easy. I finally found an unpainted pair. Painted them up and installed them but I suspect I won't be able to find them again the next time they need replaced.

Something interesting is that in the shop manual they call them “splash shields”.
Some drivers call them heat shields, some dust shields. But nobody I’ve seen refers to them as splash shields. Sounds IIke Ford’s priority was water? Not heat or dust? Or maybe all three.
I’m just going to commit to not having them. Yeah it’ll probably reduce the lifespan of something consumable but it seems like the only way to replace these is to have them fall in your lap somehow. I only have one and it only has one of three bolt spots. The other two bolt spots are gone. So it’s one bolt holding a rusty dilapidated splash shield haha.

 

[bobbywalter]

make sure you properly phased the slip shaft.

 

[eightynine4x4]

make sure you properly phased the slip shaft.

Is this correct?