Based on the noise I hear coming from the front right wheel this morning, looks like I will be replacing front hub/bearings this weekend. I remember several members recommending Timken as a good choice, but there are two versions listed; steel wire clip (1st version) and plastic wire clip (2nd version).

Does anyone know (for sure) if the two versions are interchangeable? Since this is a short week I don't have time to order from rockauto, O'Reilly'* doesn't carry Timken, and Autozone only has the Timken with the metal clips.

you take the steel clip version

Got the spindle nut backed off, and removed the three bolts that hold the hub/bearing into place. When I position the center pivot point of a wheel puller on the spindle, and place the 3 arms of the wheel puller around the edge of the hub (the surface the wheel bolts pass through) and tighten the wheel puller, all it does is push the spindle back into the hub.

Now that I have the spindle nut off and the 3 hub/bearing attachment bolts off, how do I seperate the hub/bearing assembly from the bracket it sits in?

i just tapped mine with a hammer and it popped out

The hub can be a pain to get off. You may need to give it a little heat, some PB blaster or even heat with some wax. I've been getting them off with the puller, some heat, and using a screwdriver and a hammer to separate the hub from the strut assembly. Once you have a small opening, get some PB blaster in there and pry it out.

If it is frozen up it is a major PITA to get off, took me 3 days on a 99 GP that had never had the bearing changed before

It was rusted to the axle shaft so I used 2 propane torches and heated the hell out of it then used a ratceting strap and a hammer to finally bust is loose

After putting a little thought in to it. If you have a wheel hub puller, the kind that bolts on to the hub. Connect a slide hammer to the center where the threaded rod would go to push. then start hitting it with the slide hammer. That should brake it free.

If you can get a good puller I would try it, the one I rented from Autozone had flattened threads on the rod so it would slip under tension

Thanks for everyone'* input. I decided to make my own "hub extraction tool". Very technical, highly complex ... I'm thinking of having it patented.

Here is a picture:




And here it is in place:





Now you just hold the nut with an open end wrench, the bolt head with another, and turn the bolt head counter clockwise. As the nut threads down the bolt it applies enough pressure to seperate the hub from the bracket. Once it separates at that location, move the jack screw to the lower right corner and repeat.

I spent 4 hours trying to get the first one apart, and couldn't get it. With this simple jack screw I got them both apart in around 5 minutes.

Pure genius. I'll have to make one of those. I have a hub job coming in on Friday.