This video was everything I needed to fix my auto locking hubs. What a feeling of accomplishment when you apply the vacuum to check everything and the hub is locked. 😂
The best video possible on this. I spent hours looking at forums to be sure I was getting the correct stuff and knew what I was doing before tearing mine apart only to discover this video. Well done man!
@raincitywrench117 I'm doing the ball joints, wheel bearings and locking hub. After a failure. What is the seal number on the axle shaft at the end of the tube. The one that I got doesn't look like the original.
I watched about 30 videos collectively researching how to do all the frosnt suspension and seals on my 05 F350. For what's covered in your video, top notch! One of theeeee best on YT!
One item not done was to replace the differential tube seals were the axle goes into the tube. I'm overhauling my front end and have replaced every seal, bearings, studs, nuts, bolts, fluid on my 14 dana 60 front end. Already replaced all 5 ball joints and seals so far. Next is the axle u joints and seals, then radius arms and springs.
Thank You! I would say good to bad techs is 50/50. Of the 50% bad is lack of tools/experience & the other half don't care or aren't willing to go the extra mile.
key to this going easy, clean, clean, clean, lube, lube, lube, i use a large cotter pin with emery cloth on it with a drill to clean the axle joint journals, works great, having the seal installer is a must, i have both in my box, if i remember right, 2003 and under takes one style installer and 2004 and up is the second style installer, definite must have for the job, great info vid RCW, (even with the right tools, you had an easy one......lol), keep em coming my friend....
Thanks Kevin! I just ordered the small and medium lisle u-joint pullers today. They make the job go quicker. My last employer had them, will just keep adding to my tool arsenal. Damn good idea with the cotter pin, will try it out next time.
MAN sure does feel great to see a Mechanic do a job you just did and not feel like you did a really piss poor job afterward lol! My passenger side on my '00 fought me for a week of me working on it at night after work. When I got out the MAPP torch I was starting to think maybe I ought to stick just to plumbing! But i reckon with enough force and on em you can get anything loose. I got fed up with it today and took my grinder to the U-Joint, and the ol bosch bulldog to the caps that were left over in the yokes lol. Destructive yet effective. I hope mine go in easy like yours did when I do it tomorrow man I'm tellin ya. Great video, wish I woulda seen this before my methods so at least I didn't feel like I was going crazy when I couldn't get that thing to break free
Hey, whatever works 🤷♂️ Hope it all went well. Some u-joints are a real PITA especially if it's been driven in the rustbelt. My first u-joint was replaced in the driveway on an International Scout back in high school 😂
What part number is the vacuum/wheel seal. I need to do the seal as it got destroyed when replacing the wheel hub. Now my auto 4x4 doesn’t work and the lockout is binding and very hard to turn. I think because the axle isn’t centered due to the busted vacuum seal, it makes the hub lock bind. Great video, would love to know a part number for that vacuum seal
First off great video. Very well explained! Second have a question need your advice/ opinion. I won’t take this as gold just need your thoughts. 2001 excursion, when i hit 50 their is a definite wobble/vibration up front. When braking definitely feel it. when turning yep. Upper ball joint is bad, u joint move. any thoughts?
First off, rotate the front tires to the back and see what happens. Second, jack each side on the front and pry up under tire to see if lower ball joints are loose. Also when it is lifted up make sure each front tire spins freely and a caliper is not hung up. Check each front u-joint and make sure there is no rust around the cups. If so then the u-joints could be binding. Good luck!!
Thank You! The snap ring set I have is identical to this. I think proto made it for snap-on. Proto J361www.ebay.com/itm/284088376812?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=284088376812&targetid=1068323850430&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9033404&poi=&campaignid=12593971817&mkgroupid=122682656871&rlsatarget=pla-1068323850430&abcId=9300522&merchantid=118890254&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnI_O-sAkSDucIrrIQFGTg0BOCRXDm5Gu-KD5kJE8qdpoSZZ2VLSHhAaAlbxEALw_wcB
Really great video, yeah I miss Seattle no rust there.. was easy to do brakes and hubs..etc.. now I’m living in the salt belt in PA and it sucks need to buy kegs of never seize.. I noticed you pulled the u joint caps off without looking at the needle bearings I know those are very delicate.. also that dust seal on the inner didn’t look sealed when you pressed in the axel? Is it supposed to have that much of a gap? Again great video I’m about to pull my front axels after watching I suspect u joints.. keep making more videos your lighting and commentary are great 👍🏻
Pretty much need a cutting torch in Pennsylvania. The new u-joint caps are greased, the needle bearings will stick to the outside unless you drop the cap and yes I've done that before. The plastic cap that presses on the axle is just a guard to keep stuff like gravel from going inside. The axle seal is deep inside the tube which can't be seen in the video. I was real careful to hold the axle up so it does not scrape on the inside bottom of differential tube picking up dirt before it slides into the seal. I recently picked up a u-joint puller which makes this job way easier. Good luck to you! www.amazon.com/Tiger-Tool-Automotive-Universal-10105/dp/B000FN4NV4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoP6LBhBlEiwAvCcthJXDB2uS6QveN5WT8Rv--dSt4xcRmDK08t_xQKqjGvbF3XrhHhj8VBoC2SAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=548152218147&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9033404&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4463199733923157068&hvtargid=kwd-335615626510&hydadcr=29035_10165969&keywords=u%2Bjoint%2Bremoval%2Btools&qid=1635820722&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1TTM1UEZGSEpDWVYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMjE3MzQyNUtYWElKS1NKRzgxJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwMTkxNjQzSzdRU0NVSDdWMFpMJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1
Great video. I replaced the front wheel hubs on a 2017 f350. But I've noticed a growling noise after replacing the bearings. Is their a vaccuum line or proper way to put the 4x4 hub cover back on correctly? Thanks
Sounds like one of the front axles is spinning all the time. Jack each front tire off the ground, rotate tire while watching each axle. They shouldn't spin unless the hub is locked. You may have a sticky hub lock.
How important is that little plastic guard on the axle close to the ujoint ? My mechanic broke a piece off that shield when swapping out the inner differential seals 😮
It's a shield to keep large debris from getting into the axle tube. Dust and sand can still work it's way in but the seal is deep inside next to the housing. I guess a rock could bounce and wedge in between the axle and tube but I don't think you will have a problem.
Sweet...I need to replace the u-joints on the front axle of my 2001 Excursion so this video is a God-send; thanks for posting this! Question regarding the differential tube- is there a dust seal there? Should it be replaced? How is it removed? Do I use the OTC 6697 tool to drive the new one in place? Thanks in advance!
The axle seal is deep inside the tube and you won't have to mess with it. The OTC tool installs the large hub seal onto the axle and then seats it to the correct depth inside the Knuckle when the axle is reinstalled. There is a plastic ring at the end of the axle that acts as a dust shield so large debris won't enter the tube.
@@raincitywrench117 Thanks for replying...perhaps the plastic ring at the end of the axle tube is my concern; should that be replaced? Or should I leave it alone, too?
What about the seal on the end “opposite of the vacuum seal”. Where you cleaned out with the rag on the serp tool? Is there not a bearing in the axle housing? Or is that lip seal just on the end of the shaft to keep debris out of the housing? I noticed mine looked pretty bad when I was changing the hub.
Correct. Plastic guard is just to keep large debris from entering the tube. Sand, dirt and water can still enter over time which is normal if truck is driven on gravel roads or out wheeling. The oil seal rides all the way inside the tube without a bearing. I have yet to see one of the internal oil seals fail and leak gear oil out the tube. It doesn't matter what the plastic guard looks like just as long as it's there 🙂
Yes, that's odd... I'm in the middle of doing mine today (99 F250 S.D.) What's even odder, is the axle housing tube is machined as if it is to receive a press-in seal. I've checked several sources, mine just takes a flimsey double rubber seal that presses on the axle shaft and "loosely" goes into the axle tube.
Question…. I did this job about a month ago and the seal already failed. I just reinstalled a new one, but want to sanity check myself. I used the special tool to drive the new seal on and used it to drive it into the knuckle, but there was about 1mm of gap from the install tool and the knuckle flange. When the hub is installed, it should draw the axle in the rest of the way, correct? Or is that possibly why my seals are going bad? Is the hub not supposed to contact the seal at all? I figured it could touch the metal part of the seal since that part of the seal and the hub both rotate.
When installing axle, the tool needs to bottom out on the knuckle flange otherwise the seal will not be fully inserted. The hub should not touch the seal because in 2wd the the hub will turn but the axle will not rotate. Only in 4wd will both the hub and axle turn at same speed. The hub will not draw the axle into the differential. It sounds like the axle is not fully seating into the differential carrier when you are pressing in the seal. If it fails again, I would carefully inspect inside the axle tube to see if there is an obstruction. Or maybe wrong axle?
Yes. If you turn the front driveline by hand, both front axle shafts will turn but when pickup is in 2wd the front driveline and axles will not turn unless it is placed in 4wd or the hubs are manually turned to "lock"
If it were the wheel bearing then it would make the noise going straight also. I would check to see if the front hubs are in lock mode. When in auto, the front driveshafts won't spin. If they spin in auto then something is wrong inside the hub.
The vacuum is just for the auto 4x4 function. The hubs still give you manual lock ability. My 2022 Super Duty had the hubs locked in from the factory and was noticing noise turning tight in parking lots before I realized they were locked in.
Did you find it? Pretty sure it's FC3Z-3220-B www.oemford.parts/oem-parts/ford-axle-shaft-fc3z3220b?c=Zz1mcm9udC1kcml2ZS1heGxlJnM9YXhsZS1zaGFmdHMtYW5kLWpvaW50cyZsPTYmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT1mb3JkJm89Zi0yNTAtc3VwZXItZHV0eSZ5PTIwMTkmdD14bCZlPTYtN2wtdjgtZGllc2Vs
It's a royal PITA. Used an air hammer working on one side while a coworker was holding and tapping on the other side with a hammer. Once you get the seal to "bite" on the yoke then it can be gradually work it all the way on with a hammer while pounding in a circular fashion.
@@raincitywrench117 I drilled it out and then couldn’t find one. I went to my local Ford dealer and they only sell them in a kit for $65. They found one in the spare parts bin and donated it to me.
These hubs can be manually locked in by rotating the lever on the outside or if left in auto, they will be vacuum actuated when switching control to 4x4 on the dash.
@raincitywrench117 on a truck that has manual locking hubs the 4×4 knob on the dash only turns on the transfer case. There's no vacuum lines connected to your hub so it's just a inner knuckle seal correct?
Hi Steve. Yep, I'm hourly. Worked flatrate for 24 years. My employer agreed to hourly for this gig. I do almost no preventative maintenance, completely opposite from my last job. Sales dept. just wants what's broken fixed plus they throw me the occasional comeback, problem child, screwup, last minute job, etc. Oh yea, almost forgot the warranties.
Outer Seal - Ford (5C3Z-3254-B) www.varsityfordparts.com/oem-parts/ford-outer-seal-5c3z3254b?origin=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgOefBhDgARIsAMhqXA73u-YyNJnpS18VFmiJdiOPwMWHHs4ZcGnNA2dvoULejKh_uabs99EaAizPEALw_wcB
