tips for replacing hub/bearing units on this site! http://www.wheelbearingsinc.com/Tech...0Bulletins.cfm

 

Thanks,
I suppose I may have ruined the Autozone bearing hub by snugging up the axle nut with my impact wrench. However, I have watched 3 youtube videos about bearing hub changes on my vintage truck that the mechanic snugged up the axle nut with an impact wrench. My new Motorcraft bearing hub is supposed to arrive today. So, I will find out soon if that one works. I will tighten it with a ratchet and final torque with a torque wrench and see. One thing I heard on one of the videos is that if you don't get the nut tight enough, it will fail in a few thousand miles. Perhaps that is what happened to the one the Ford Dealer in Homestead, FL installed. It failed in 6k miles. I paid the stealership $536.83 for that one installed and about $130 plus tax for the Autozone hub that I installed. The Motorcraft hub from rockauto with shipping is about $192. So, I'm spending a lot of money on trying to get a good bearing hub installed correctly.

I also watched videos on bearing hub changes on the 04 and newer trucks and the front steering and suspension is totally different. Coil springs instead of torsion bars. Rack and pinion steering instead of the old style steering box. 4 bolts holding the hub instead of 3. Small axle nut with only 20 ft lbs torque. 6 lug wheels instead of 5.

 

The Motorcraft bearing hub came today. The bearing in the hub is a Timken made in the USA. Surely do hope this one does the job.

 

Good luck man, I've got my fingers crossed for you.

 

Have you put the newest hub on yet?

 

Yes I did. I finished the job yesterday and while I was at it, I changed out the LCA ball joint and replaced the split sway bar bushings with polyurethane bushings. Guess what? It did NOT fix the problem. That wheel/hub is running a little hot so I must have dragging brakes. So, the next thing I intend to do is to replace the front calipers and master cylinder. I don't expect that will resolve the noise, just the sticking brakes. Not long ago, I replaced all of the pads and afterwards replaced the rear calipers, one of the parking brake cables, anti-seized the joint in the parking brake and all 5 flex hoses. I'm getting more and more tempted to put some new tires on it. The Michelins I have on it have a good 10k miles left on them which is about 3 years for me now on that truck but I have to eliminate that possibility I think. If the tires don't fix it, I don't have a clue as to what is causing it.

 

The Master Cylinder and front caliper replacements are complete and maybe that fixed the hot brakes, but not the roar. I didn't expect it to fix the roar.

I drove it some today and felt around the rear differential. It feels hot at the front pinion bearing area. So, now I think the pinion bearing(s) is the culprit. Looks like a rear diff rebuild is the next thing to do. I don't think I want to tackle that job. I've done it before when I was in my 30's. Now, I'm 71 and don't want to spend that much time under my truck.

The roar still goes away when I turn left hard and doesn't when I turn right. Seems to me that a pinion bearing roar would not care which way I was turning. ??

 

That doesn't sound like a pinion bearing issue to me either.
Have you checked on the condition of the front diff fluid? Maybe there's a bearing inside that's going, but is relieved of load on left turns, because the front diff is open. Or maybe the front diff fluid just needs to be changed.

At this point I'm really just guessing to be honest.

 

I changed the front diff lube once since I've had the truck, bought it in 2009. I think it was about 3 years ago. May be worth changing again just to see the lube condition.

It is sounding like it's coming from the rear more and more. It's getting louder too.

 

I called the Ford dealer and was quoted $1200 to $1500 to install new bearings in the rear diff. So, I called a 4x4 shop and they quoted $300 for pinion bearing replacement, saying they would check all the bearings but if it only needs pinion bearing that is what the repair should be. He said now matter how bad it was, the diff repair would not exceed $800. So, I made an appointment for next Friday. Hope that fixes it. There is a little temptation to get them to put 4.10s in both diffs!

 

Nice, guys at off road shops tend to have more experience with differentials than dealers.

 

The latest in the bearing roar saga! I took it to the 4x4 shop this morning and they told me that the rear diff is quiet and the problem is with the right front bearing hub! The roar goes away when I turn hard left and that usually means the left side is bad. I hope they are correct. They didn't charge anything for the diagnosis. I just may have two good bearing hubs in my garage, the Ford hub installed on the left front at the dealer in Homestead, FL and the Autozone hub I installed on the left front, the first one I installed. So, next week I have the job of replacing the right front hub and the LCA ball joint. Fun! Fun! Fun!

 

You know, a while back I thought about suggesting change that bearing out. I hope that fit ally works.

 

Funny thing is that when I put the truck on 4 jack stands and ran it in 4 wheel drive, the right front wheel was quieter than the left front. Both seemed to have a little brake scrubbing noise. I'll change it out and report back. I just happen to have spare bearing hubs! So, it won't cost anything more to change it. I hope it fixes it finally!

If that is the problem, the left front bearing hub, the right rear axle and bearing and the right front bearing hub will have failed within 5k miles of each other.

 

Okay, I replaced the right front bearing hub today with the Ford bearing hub that had been installed on the left front by the dealer in Homestead FL about 6k miles ago. Aaannnd, it fixed it. No more bearing noise. The truck is as quiet as a mouse now!!!

While I was at it, I also replaced the LCA ball joint and replaced the split useless sway bar end link bushings with new polyurethane bushings.

The lesson I learned is that if you turn hard left taking the load off the left side bearings and the noise goes away, that doesn't mean a bearing on the left side is the bad bearing. It could be a bad bearing on the RIGHT side. Who'd a thunk it?!!? !!?