It is commonplace to change your hub/bearing units every 100k miles, but for some of us with knobby tires and the intent to use them, sooner may be better. Be advised that the
whomp-whomp you feel and hear may not be your worn meats alone; it could easily be a worn or shot hub/bearing unit. Below is a write-up on changing the unit.
What you will need:
1. a female torx bit socket, mine was labeled as size E14 (Sears has them)
2. an impact wrench with a 35mm socket for the hub nut
3. 13/16 wrench (or wratchet) for the brake caliper bolts *note that the actual factory size is 19mm, but 13/16 just worked better for me.
4. 1 BFH (big freakin hammer)
5. minimum 1 floor jack with 2 stands
6. 2 new hub/bearing units (USAFCOP got them at CSK (Checker, Shucks, Kraegen) with a 2 year warranty for 132 each. I paid $191 each at a dealership, you do the math.
To Begin:
1. Lift vehicle onto jack stands (under A-arms)
2. Remove tires
3. Point of preference: USAFCOP disconnected the upper ball joint, I chose to work around it by turning the wheel for access. Both methods are proven.
4. Remove hub nut with your 35mm socket
5. Disconnect the disk brake adapter bracket/caliper (only the bracket not the line) using the 13/16 tool
*Note: When removing the caliper, you should try
not to let it dangle by the hose (use a bungee cord or a cinder block to support it out of the way)
6. Remove brake rotor (may require persuasion by hammer)
Brake Rotor Removal:
note* refer to figure 1 for the following section
7. Push the axle shaft inward as far as possible (this may require a bit of pursuasion with above-mentioned BFH; be sure the hub nut is on at the end so you do not damage threads)
8. Remove the three torx bolts holding it in(just slide the CV shaft around in the hub to get it out of the way)
Firgure 1
note* refer to figure 2 for the following section
9. The hub's mounting flange may be sealed with rust and dirt, so feel free to dish out some love-taps from the BFH to persuade it outward
10. After removing the old hub, use a brillo pad to clean the areas where it contacted other parts (the bolted flange, rims of the holes, inner shaft, etc)
Figure 2
Installing New Hub/Bearing Unit:
11. Not a required thing here, but I rubbed a very small amount of grease onto the splines before inserting the new units
12. When installing the new hub, if it sticks on the last half of insertion, you can use a electric/air wrench on the center hub nut to
ease the hub into place
13. Torque the 3 torx (star) bolts to 96 lb/ft (per the '02 service manual, so check your own accordingly)
14. Your hub should come with new lug bolts, so it wouldn't hurt to pick up 8 new lug nuts & caps to give you a fresh start
Estimated time per hub unit: 35-45 minutes, depending on how fused your old components are with the shaft. Insert a valuable lesson about not letting your jeep sit still in water...
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