wheel bearing replacement

[swynx]

Gotta replace both front wheel bearings soon. The hubs are getting hot, burn your hands hot. Might as well do the d44 knuckles right? Also need new brakes and rotors.

I notice Todd mentions you get larger rotors and brakes. The Dana 44 rotor and brake pads bolt up to the Dana 35 ttb brake setup? Or do I also need to get the brake bracket thing for the Dana 44?

 

[AgPete139]

If they are getting that hot, you probably are burning them up pretty good. Have you lifted up the wheel and jiggled it at 12 & 6 o'clock yet?

I'm on 35's, and I just replaced my bearings because I'm going on a camping river trip soon. But, I am picking up D44 knuckles from an '87 F-150 4x4 from a guy I found on Craigslist. You can find these from 1980-1996 F-150's.

I already bought the $100 ball joint reemer from Summit.

No, what's happens if that you get the entire outer assembly from a TTB fullsize truck. These have larger, wider-spaced wheel bearings, slightly better axle shafts, larger ball joints, and larger rotors. This is also on a 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern, so you will need wheel adapters.

After that, you basically enlarge the holes on your D35 to accept the balljoints from the D44. You adapt your steering the same way, by making the holes large enough to fit.

Then, you switch out the u-joints on the axle shafts. They use the same size joints.

The brake lines are also direct bolt-up.

You do not need additional brackets to adapt this modification.


Pete

 

[adsm08]

Don't you mean all 4 front wheel bearings?

 

[pillen140]

I wouldn't say a wheel bearing job is worth doing a 44 knuckle swap. Unless you planned on doing it anyway. Bearings are very easy to do and only require a few tools. Just get good ones and use the correct torque specs. If the hub is getting really hot, it could be your brakes as well... Just something od check.

 

[swynx]

I had already planned to do this swap and was looking into it as I'll be right there any ways. For now tho I'm just gonna install Dana 35 bearings and stuff till I gather the parts for this, as I don't think it's gonna last much longer.

I changed the tire yesterday but was in a hurry so I forgot to jiggle it. When I took the lug nuts off I couldn't hold them. Grabbed the manual hub (plastic style) its too hot to hold halfway out. The grease smells burnt. There is air in the brakes and it needs new pads and has slightly warped rotor. But I don't think the brake is dragging. It pulls to the opposite side cuz of alignment. In neutral it rolls fine, feels like there's no resistance, every wheel bearing I've had go drags quite abit.

the knuckle swap seems easy enough tho.

 

[swynx]

Also its both fronts seem equally hot on my scale of burning flesh

 

[AgPete139]

Don't you mean all 4 front wheel bearings?

Me?

I had already planned to do this swap and was looking into it as I'll be right there any ways. For now tho I'm just gonna install Dana 35 bearings and stuff till I gather the parts for this, as I don't think it's gonna last much longer.

I changed the tire yesterday but was in a hurry so I forgot to jiggle it. When I took the lug nuts off I couldn't hold them. Grabbed the manual hub (plastic style) its too hot to hold halfway out. The grease smells burnt. There is air in the brakes and it needs new pads and has slightly warped rotor. But I don't think the brake is dragging. It pulls to the opposite side cuz of alignment. In neutral it rolls fine, feels like there's no resistance, every wheel bearing I've had go drags quite abit.

the knuckle swap seems easy enough tho.

It sounds like your whole front end sucks! It could be any combination of things how one thing may have led to another.

If you've got all of that to do, you might as well just do the knuckle swap now. If this isn't your daily driver, I would do it. You are only going to replace the brakes, rotors (or at least turn the rotors), bearings, and then the cost of an alignment.

Do you want to pay for it twice?

 

[PanamaExpat]

Me?





It sounds like your whole front end sucks! It could be any combination of things how one thing may have led to another.

If you've got all of that to do, you might as well just do the knuckle swap now. If this isn't your daily driver, I would do it. You are only going to replace the brakes, rotors (or at least turn the rotors), bearings, and then the cost of an alignment.

Do you want to pay for it twice?

I agree with Pete... Just drop the whole front end out now and go through it end to end..... Quit being a chicken. While you are at it make sure your calipers are fully releasing and your brake master cylinder is allowing them to do so. How old is the fluid and the MC?

 

[AgPete139]

Original Ford brake fluid.

 

[swynx]

Original Ford brake fluid.

This!! Probably.

its not my dd, I only use it to drive to work 3 nights a week. But I can get a ride. And I was going to replace all the seals and everything but the gears pretty much, these are the reasons I was thinking about the swap. Gonna do the rear too. Was looking at the body bushings and they are all dried and cracked so I can only imagine how the seals and everything else looks..

I know it's a l/s axle and the l/s doesn't work lol.

 

[PanamaExpat]

Could be some crud in the brake line not letting the fluid flow freely back to the MC. How do things spin when it's up in the air and how do the spin right after you apply and release the brakes while still up in the air?