The hub nut will probably be a bugger to crack. Make sure you do one side at time so you can use the other wheel on the ground and 4wd to help get it cracked.


Jason

Thanks for the heads-up. The wheels I have allow me to pop off the centre and access the nut before I jack it up. I have a breaking bar (and a bit of 1" pipe) that should work.

Or once the wheels off and jacked up a bit of pipe wedged between the studs and onto the ground works well to stop it turning and able to crack it loose.

Sent from under my Grand Cherokee

I've got the parts now, just awaiting the 36mm 6 point socket.

The beach trip was great. The tide was up a bit (misread the time) so I needed to drive 10-15km on soft sand. The old Jeep didn't even blink at the challenge, other than running at a mildly higher temperature.

The dodgy hub doesn't seem to be getting any worse.

Next weekend's job - new left front hub. My biggest concerns are the axle binding in the old hub and the hub being seized into the knuckle. I'll figure it out if needed. In the past (pulling out rear non-Jeep axles) I've put the wheel nuts on just a few threads and used the drum/disc as a slide hammer against them. Worked every time. I guess with the front hub there is room to flog it from behind if needed. I have a large rubber mallet that is useful for not stuffing ball joints.

I've got copper anti seize at the ready to make it easier next time, since I have taken the calculated risk with a cheap hub. [emoji16]

Do you guys have road salt in the winter?
The axle nuts on mine came out just fine with an air impact gun and we get a lot of salt on the roads in the winter.
I never imagine Australian cars could have problems with corrosion but the copper anti sieze is idea is good

I live in Queensland. It has been 34 degrees Celsius for most of today (~94 degrees Fahrenheit). We do not have a road-salt problem in these parts. I'm not sure about the southern states.

It's the beach/sea salt here that causes corrosion.

Thanks for the comment about the axle. I was a bit concerned, not about the nut, but getting the axle to release from the splines of the hub. It looks like it has not been apart for 14 years, but is sounds like it's not going to be an issue. I'll find out next weekend.

Changed the hub this arvo. It was a breeze. The axle just pushed out with my thumbs as I worked the hub off. I undid the axle nut before i jacked the wheel off the ground, and put it back on at the end again with the wheel back on the ground. The hardest thing was the top caliper bolt. It was not all that bad, it just needed a bit of encouragement on the end of the spanner initially (mild wraps with a 2lb mini-sledge).

I used the disc rotor as a slide hammer - put it on back-the-front, spun the wheel nuts on a few turns and banged the rotor against the nuts. I did not need to use much force at all to release the hub from the knuckle.

My Grand Cherokee is soooo quiet now!