Replacing wheel bearings, nut removal?
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 152
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Replacing wheel bearings, nut removal?
I'm replacing wheel bearings on a 97' ranger 4wd with auto hubs. The wheel is off, the rotor is off, and I bought the special socket. Now before I begin cranking down on this nut, I'd like to know which way it turns (is it reverse threads?) and if there is any pins or anything holding it back. It seems really tight, but I don't wanna break anything. I bought a shop manual from autozoo for about 20 bucks, looked up wheel bearings, and it only talked about 98-00 rangers, and completely left out wheel bearings for 93-97 rangers. I'm pretty POed about that. Anyways, any tips would be appreciated. I just want to make sure that theres nothing to remove or anything before I take the hole nut off. I can't really see anything myself, but all those mechanisms and everything are still on there, all I did was take the hub cover off. THanks.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
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Well looks like I got ripped off on teh socket. I took the c clip off and some washers and stuff, tried to take the locknut off, but the socket just skips. Its the right socket, 2 - 3/8" hex for 4wd auto hub rangers, but its cheap and was at least 1/8" too big. Fortunetally, its made of cheap chinese steel that allowed the locknut to gouge it instead of it rounding the locknut. Now I have a truck with no wheel, and I don't hav ethe tools to fix it.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,940
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From: Eastern WA
From your other post, I assume you discovered the key in there and with a magnet or whatever, removed it prior to taking the spindle nut off. Or did you, um, reef on that socket and manage to shear the key? It doesn't take much torque to remove that spindle nut.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 220
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From: Sierra Vista AZ
My sons were changing the brakes on the front of a 94 Ranger 2wd and during the install they stripped the threads on the spindle nuts. There are some threads left on the spindle but not much.
Can I rethread the spindle or buy new nuts with heavier threads?
Thanks
Can I rethread the spindle or buy new nuts with heavier threads?
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 759
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From: Ventura ,ca. (near L.A.)
i dont see hoe thats possible, you are only supposed to nut the nut down and not cram it down and keep cranking. If you somehow managed to do this then i would suggest you buy a new spindle. Thats a pretty important part to half ***. You may want to consider buying lift or lowering spindles, they are about $200-300 a pair.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 220
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From: Sierra Vista AZ
I have learned that nothing is impossible. If you continue to tighten the nut and not spin the rotor you will strip the threads. Especially if you don't notice that rotors come with races and therefore you don't need to TRY to put in the set of races that come with the seals. Its my fault for not giving them enough supervision. Luckly the nuts were stripped but the spindle is still good enough to rethread.
Thanks
Thanks
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 520
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I would NOT reuse that spindle, keep in mind that nut is really the only thing holding your wheel on. Even if it tightens down, the thread will be weak, take a hard turn and byebye truck! I don't play games with that sort of thing. The good news is that the nuts are usually a softer metal than the spindle is so the nut threads usually give first.
