Alright, Im a rookie wannabe shadetree mechanic. There are plenty of great vids/writeups on how to breakdown a manual hub assembly thanks to this site. Ive got an 84, 300, 4x4 with 3spd Od(?) manual. . What special tools do I need? Snap ring pliers, soft drift? Any advice? My f150 is mighty rusty, pb blaster is my friend. Should I do the wheel bearings while Im at it? Im not sure which front axle I have either, but I really want to tackle this myself. Thanks.

 

Make sure you have Allen keys and the hub socket for Ford 4x4 hubs. Also, I'd recommend the bearings be replaced as a precaution. If I forgot anything it's because it has been 11 years since I did it to my Bronco.

 

Snap ring pliers. Small pick set to dig out the retainer ring for the hubs. Special socket to take loose the spanner nuts. Brass drift would be nice to drive out the wheel studs.

 

Thanks a lot, I truly appreciate it. Ill have to figure out which axle I have. Which part is the trickiest? Packing the wheel bearings seems like ot would be difficult. Im a little intimidated, but, I gotta learn.

 

First thing you might run into are the allen bolts in the hub. They like to corrode and strip out. Just take a drill bit the same size as the allen head and drill the head out till you can pull the hub off. You can then take pliers and turn the drilled out screw out of the hub.

The next thing is that retaining ring. It's hard to see with all the dirt and grease, and hard to grab to pull out.

Pay attention how the spanner nuts and washer come out. It's important how they go back.

Packing the bearings is easy, but if you are going to do that you will need new seals.

 

When I did everything on the front of my 80 the hardest thing to get right (for me) was how tight to get the special retaining nut and washers. To tight and the wheel starts to bind. Too loose and you'll cause other issues.

I am in no way advocating that you shouldn't take this on. Just pay attention to how things come out so you can put them back in correctly.

And this site has saved me from myself a number of time.

 

Sounds like you had/have a problem. The first nut sets the bearing tension. The washer with the key in it(yours may be broken off) holds the first nut so the bearing tension does not change. The second nut is tightened very tight to lock the washer in place and hold everything tight.

 

You probably have a Dana 44 independent front suspension. Take your time and remember what order you took things out and you should be fine. Make sure your inner spanner nut has the little pin still on it and it hasn't sheared off.

The TTB's are notorious for front end issues. Check ball joints, u joints and everything else while you're in there otherwise you will be taking it all off again later.

 

Had a problem. Thanks to this forum, some patience, and actually paying attention to what I was doing I got her fixed.

Seriously though. Pay attention to how it comes out. That is one of the most important things I found.