Here's what I found on my truck- the hubs were definitely PART of the problem. Borrowed a set of locking hubs from a buddy and gave it a go, unlocked. The constant vibration brought on by bumps have mostly stopped, but the bigger bumps that caused the loud grind remained (reinstalling my original hubs brought back the constant vibration). Tore into it a little deeper and- you guessed it- bearing assembly on the passenger side.

I've just recently finished the tie rod ends and steering linkage ends (inner tie rod ends in parts store speak). Now I'm going ahead with both bearing assemblies and Warn premium locking hubs.

After all this, I think I need a vanity plate with a crossed-out circle over a pile of cash...

 

Damn so you about had to replace the whole set up.

 

Dam, ya should have walked in to the store and said , I need everything except for the steering wheel, may have been easier.. hahaha! But i feel your pain, a week after i bought my truck, i had to do the bearings, ball joints, steering link, free up the auto locking hubs, and seals, and brakes and rotors, IT SUCKED!

 

Well, I'm still working on it- I have to figure out which hub bearing assemblies I need (apparently, there are 4 or 5 different ones). I figured since I'm that deep in, I may as well replace the axle U-joints and seals and such too. I'm probably going to replace the rotors and pads while I'm down there. So yeah, about every wearable part except for the track bar is getting some lovin'. I plan on putting in a leveling kit with an adjustable track bar this spring, so the whole shebang out front should be good for quite some time.

It's worth it though- I got the truck super cheap and it does run great.

 

yeah lucky us big ford owners. so i found whats wrong with mine. everything. bad wheel hubs well one anyway. bad manual hub. bad ball joints. what a project i have started. so i am replacing Hub assemblies, ball joints and ring and pinion gears and manual locking hubs. wow. two days in and finally got the front apart. any hints to making this easier besides getting a better compressor.

 

Being this far into the front end, let me give you another piece of advice based on what I learned- if the needle bearings in your hub assemblies were bad in any way, check the stub axle, most particularly where the needle bearing rides. If they are scarred in any way, be prepared to part with another $150 each to replace the stub axles. I'm waiting on mine to be delivered now...

My driver side stub axle had a little bit of scarring but my passenger side was wasted.

 

really. i didn't even really look at em. that would be great. i think one side will be fine. the hub was ok over there. the hubs both rolled ok just made a lot of noise. both sides also were still tight. hope the hubs are ok. let me ask you. did you buy new studs for the hub assemblies? and what seals did you get inner looks like i need two axle seals on each side and that o ring on the hub aparently they dont come with the assembly

 

I bought the Timken 515021 hub bearing assemblies. They are the late-99 and up parts, but I can use them as long as I also use late rotors. These were non-ABS units though. Mine came with the new studs and the O-rings (I believe all the Timkens come with them, other brands don't).

As for the seals, the big seal (on the stub shaft, at the knuckle) is Ford part #F81Z-3254-CB, also known as SKF part #28600. I ordered mine through onestopoem.com for $38.36 each. They are cheaper at Rock Auto ($31.79), but since I was ordering stub shafts from OneStopOEM anyway, I let them have the order for these too because it evened out in shipping costs.

The smaller seal (on the inboard section of the axles that seals the axle tube) are Ford part #F81Z-1S175-HCA (alternative numbers are BR584 and 710413). I bought mine at AutoZone, I believe I used the 710413 number, and the brand was Timken, for about $18 each.

 

I'll give a rundown of all the stuff I am using, in case someone else is in the same boat (remember, even though I have an early 99, I used late 99 & up parts because they are cheaper and more readily available...

Steering Rebuild
Left Tie Rod- Moog# ES3423 (Amazon $36.91)
Right Tie Rod- Moog# DS1439 (Amazon $102.41)
Tie Rod Adjusting Sleeve- Moog# ES3422S (Amazon $16.85)
Left Steering Rod (pitman side)- Moog# ES3427T (Amazon $43.82)
Right Steering Rod- Moog# DS1438 (Amazon $93.37)
Steering Rod Sleeve- Moog# ES3426S (Amazon $16.50)

*All parts above qualified for free super-saver shipping- great deal unless you need the parts asap. Amazon's super-saver shipping was all over the map for me for shipping times- from 3 days up to 9 days.

Hub Rebuild
Hub Bearing Assemblies, not ABS- Timken# 515021 (Amazon $182.44 ea)
ACDelco 18A1494 Performance Rotor (Amazon $87.29)
ACDelco 18A1495 Performance Rotor (Amazon $87.29)
Motorcraft BRSD756 Super Duty Pads (Amazon $60.23)
Stub Shafts- Ford# 4c3z-3B387-AA (OneStopOEM $149.93 ea)
Axle U-Joints- Ford# F81Z-3249-AA (OneStopOEM $33.82)
Hub/Knuckle Seal- F81Z-3254-CB (OneStopOEM $38.36)
--alternative part #: SKF# 28600 or 710493
Axle Tube Dust Seal- F81Z-1S175-HCA
--alternative part #: BR584 or 710413 (Timken 710413- $17.99 ea, AutoZone)
Warn Premium Locking Hubs #38826 (Summit Racing $206.95)

*Again, all above parts sourced from Amazon were shipped free via their Super Saver Shipping. All the parts sourced from OneStopOEM had an additional shipping charge. Rock Auto actually comes in cheaper for the U-joints and both seals, but since they didn't seem to carry the stub shafts, the combined shipping at OneStopOEM was the cheaper way in my case.

I'm just waiting on the stub shafts, U-joints and knuckle seals to arrive, then I can put this bad boy together...

You know, I am almost sad that my ball joints weren't bad at all. NOT!!!

 

Actually, you can use the e99 rotors with late hubs if you put washers between the caliper brackets and the mounts on the knuckle. I did this with mine and it's worked great. The washers were about 1/8", the same difference in hub depth between the late and early hubs. If your rotors aren't bad, just buy a few washers and you'll be set!

 

Good point. My rotors were pretty bad though, so I just matched it all up.

 

i hate you for being right. passenger side stub shaft destroyed. this is starting to be an expensive project. cheaper to buy a new truck i think.

 

That sucks man. I feel your pain! I've got right at 1200 bucks into my front end. I literally just finished up about 1/2 hour ago and took it out and bedded in the brakes. It feels like a completely different truck from the last time I drove it!

I searched all over the web, and OneStopOEM was about the cheapest place for the stub shafts. I chose the cheap shipping and it was still here in a couple days (could be because they are in Michigan and I'm in Indiana though).

 

i think i have a local shop that has one i am going to check this morning.