At the risk of asking a dumb question here, I had some new tires put on the Screw 4X4 yesterday & noticed when the wheels were pulled off there are no dust caps over the wheel bearings, just looked like a cotter pin on the retainer nut? Did Ford forget to put them on my truck or perhaps when the wheel was pulled it got knocked off? Please advise & THANKS in advance for any input

P.S. I had posted this first in "Wheels & Tires" but got no replies so I figure if your doing brakes youd see & know what Im asking here.

 

No worries...you have sealed bearings...they don't need a cap. the nut and cotter pin you saw was the CV half shaft end that engages the front tire to make it 4x4. The exposed part of the bearing and seal are actually inside the hub/knuckle so it can't get harmed. The hub bearing is a complete unit that gets bolted in from the inside of the knuckle. The CV half shaft end actually has a dust seal on it too to keep dust/dirt away from the bearing from the inside.

Hope this sets you staight...

 

Thanks Colorado! That makes sense to me now - it just struck me as odd when I first saw it - havent had a 4X4 since 1986 & I never did any work on that one (Bronco II). Thanks again.