Front wheel bearing replacement

Goose17

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I had a wheel bearing go out on my 02 GT as evident by some good grinding sound especially when turning. I called the dealer and was quoted about $500 plus tax! I bought the parts and did it myself for less than $100.


I know this is a Terminator forum, but replacing my 02 GT wheel bearing is very similar to doing it on a Terminator, so here we go:


1. Raise the car and pull the wheel.
2. Pop off the dust cap with a flat-head screw driver. (because of the failure, mine wasn't secure and just fell off).


02MustangGTwheelbearing1_zps97cb132c.jpg



3. Remove the 2 caliper anchor plate bolts from backside of caliper. These suckers were seriously tight and had Loctite on them. I didn't have any room for a breaker bar, so I had to hit the ratchet with a hammer extremely hard, many, many times.


02MustangGTwheelbearing2_zps99f20e00.jpg



4. Remove caliper from rotor and attach to spring so it doesn't hang by the brake line. I used a coat hanger.


02MustangGTwheelbearing3_zps74b4e29e.jpg



5. Use a 36mm socket to remove the axle nut.


02MustangGTwheelbearing4_zpsf19c0153.jpg



6. Remove wheel hub.


02MustangGTwheelbearing5_zpscfe1b642.jpg



7. I cleaned the ABS sensor with brake cleaner and then installed new hub. The new hub was snug and required hammering on. I used the old hub and a hammer to hammer on the new hub. (Note: I bought the hub assembly from O'Reilly's, but the 1st one I purchased didn't have the ABS ring on the inside. I had to go with a "house brand" cheaper version from O'Reilly's which did have the ABS ring.)


02MustangGTwheelbearing6_zps57591bf0.jpg



8. Install a NEW wheel hub & bearing retainer nut (they are a one-time use nut). (bought at O'Reilly's) Using my Terminator shop manual, it says to torque to 258 ft./lbs.


02MustangGTwheelbearing7_zps50273abb.jpg



9. Install new dust cap. (I was unable to find one from O'Reilly's or Autozone and ended up getting one from Ford.) (This is a one-time use piece.)


02MustangGTwheelbearing8_zps1b876bae.jpg



10. Reinstall rotor.


02MustangGTwheelbearing9_zpsb2a0417c.jpg



11. Reinstall caliper. (This required prying apart the brake pads to retract the piston. The car sat disassembled over night while I waited on parts. I used a wrench and pried apart the pads to get clearance to slip the caliper back over the rotor.) I used blue Loctite and torqued the 2 caliper anchor plate bolts to 85 ft./lbs. per the Terminator shop manual.


02MustangGTwheelbearing10_zps43fad040.jpg



In closing... This should have taken me about an hour or so, but I had a few trips to track down parts which required overnight ordering. I also took the opportunity to rotate my tires and clean the insides of the rims. The actual job wasn't too complicated since the bearings can be easily swapped with a new hub assembly.
 
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Bigggy

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Great Write up! Yeah it is really easy to do and 500$ was a joke for that kind of job! Even if you buy a new torque wrench to do it it won't coast that much!
 

masterjr33

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FYI I am in the same boat. both my fronts are trashed from road course racing.
Moog is the only company that offers lifetime warranty on them.
 

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