Dana 44 front wheel bearings need tightening?

[Javin]

Actually will it be the same bearings as the original axle or how would I go abouts telling the parts guy which axle my truck has? I had swapped discs but shortly after I bought it it got stolen so they exchanged the discs for 13” drums

 

[Blue Ox]

I never had a 44 so I can't help. Sorry.

I know a lot of guys swap to discs, but the 13" brakes with hydroboost are positively savage. I personally wouldn't consider the hassle of re-engineering the braking system for discs to be an upgrade.

 

[75gmck25]

I'm confused by the 13" drum reference, since that would be the rear 14 bolt FF. Aren't you working on the front Dana 44?

I paid a shop to do a full brake job on my 14 bolt FF with 13" drums, and the guy said he had to buy at least two small parts kits to get all the right springs and clips to replace everything inside. Apparently there were running changes over the years, and some of the parts kits are universal fit. However, it worked great when he was finished.

Bruce

 

[Javin]

Sorry got side tracked yes I’m working on the front Dana 44 just wondering what I should tell the parts guy for the bearings and seal considering it’s not the original axle. Also the discs are 11” on the front

 

[75gmck25]

What I've done with my truck is to first go to the Rock Auto site and look up the parts. They have a good layout of the various possibilities, and you can click and check different years of Dana 44 axles to see if they used different bearings and seals. Find what you think is the right parts number from there, so you can check it against the parts at the store, and then also bring the bearing or seal with you to make a visual comparision. There was one Dana model that was called the 44 HD, but I don't know how it was different.

I think the Dana 44 had relatively few variations in full sized trucks, so it might be simpler than you think. If you have a digital caliper you could also measure the old bearing and compare it to the new.

Bruce

 

[75gmck25]

Just another tip. If during your search you run across a bearing that looks like this one https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1116686&cc=1159073&jsn=694 , this is an outer axle bearing (supports the axle shaft), not a wheel bearing. However, it may be a good idea to check it out, since they do sometimes fail.

That bearing is pressed inside the spindle, like in this picture. http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/t...29-1211-low-buck-dana-44-axle-build/#photo-14 I did not replace mine, since they seemed to be in good shape. I just cleaned up what I could of the old grease, and greased them again.

Bruce

 

[Javin]

Hmm ok it looks a bit different the. Some videos I have found so the inner bearing if it’s bad would need to be pressed in and out? From what I looked up the Dana 44 was probably from an older model of truck is this correct?

 

[75gmck25]

The inner and outer wheel bearing are standard tapered bearings, and the races are pressed in.
You would only see the spindle bearing shown in my last post if you also pulled the axle spindle. It is probably not necessary to service it, but not a bad idea if you have the time.

Bruce

 

[Javin]

Ah ic ok that makes sense I found out Dana 44 came in previous years so I’m going to grab what I need for a 1978 Dana 44 axle and I’ll take it apart tomorrow and see if I need to replace some or all the bearings

 

[Javin]

So got her all finished today. All your tips and info were great all in only took 4hrs including going to the parts store. I ended up replacing 3 out of 4 bearings, and I also put on new warm hubs my old ones were junk thanks to the guys who stole my truck. But all in was an easy job and they are riding smooth now . I think I’m the next few months I’ll have to do my balljoint the drivers upper just had a hair of play I noticed so I’ll keep an eye on it

 

[theblindchicken]

So got her all finished today. All your tips and info were great all in only took 4hrs including going to the parts store. I ended up replacing 3 out of 4 bearings, and I also put on new warm hubs my old ones were junk thanks to the guys who stole my truck. But all in was an easy job and they are riding smooth now . I think I’m the next few months I’ll have to do my balljoint the drivers upper just had a hair of play I noticed so I’ll keep an eye on it

Good to hear you got her all set without too much trouble! Definitely sounds like its a much harder job than it actually is.

 

[CORVAIRWILD]

I'll write later about the underengineered lock nuts, I'm heading to work now

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[75gmck25]

I replaced the ball joints on my truck in January, and was unlucky enough to pick a week when temps were in the 20's. Not easy to work with axle/bearing grease when its cold, and nitrile gloves aren't enough to keep the iron parts from freezing your hands.

Some additional tips for ball joints:
- The ball joint press you can borrow from Autozone works fine. Its challenging to find the right combination of pieces in the kit, and then hold them together to press in the right direction, but otherwise simple. It helps a lot if you can put the hub in a vice and have both hands free to work the press. Penetrating oil and gradual pressure will eventually work to break them loose. Just remember that one of them has a snap ring that has to be removed first.

- You need one more special tool for ball joints, and I had to get it on Amazon. You need this tool when you replace the adjustment sleeve for the upper ball joint. The sleeve is screwed into the hub with the tool, and then the tapered part of the ball joint goes into the sleeve when you reassemble everything. The new sleeve that came with my ball joint was flat, but apparently you can also get an eccentric version that changes the camber of the wheel/hub as you turn it. The only other way to change camber would be to bend the hub.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SRDEG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

- The steering arm is bolted to the top of the driver's side hub, and its a PIA to get off. There are tapered inserts into the hub, and from the top they at first just look like washers. However, you have to take the nuts off first and then bang on the arm and hub until it all pops apart. It takes some very hard whacks, and there isn't much sticking out near the bolts to whack on.
You are also supposed to use new self-locking nuts when you put the arm back on. These are not the type with a nylon insert. They appear to be all steel, and designed to cut into the threads during assembly so they cannot loosen. You may want to leave the arm on and only remove the drag link, but it does get in the way a little.

I bought one of the cheap Ryobi impact wrenches from Home Depot (about $100 for tool, battery and charger), and it saved a lot of time. Everything came apart well, and I could snug it all up quickly and then finish off with a torque wrench. I've now gotten in the habit of using it for most of my disassembly work, since its so much faster than using a ratchet.

Bruce

 

[Javin]

Yeah it was one of those jobs everything went really well and all the parts were at the parts store!

Wow good info I’m defiantly going to be using what you said and that special tool I’ll get as well, how much time did you set aside for doing one side? Also is there any way to keep the rotor and hub on and just remove the balljoint and steering arm?

 

[75gmck25]

There are really no significant shortcuts you can take to get the ball joints out. Now that I know the process, I could probably do one axle in about 2-3 hours total. At the point where you replaced the inner and outer wheel bearings, you were about half way.

The next steps are:
- Remove the bolts for the spindle and coax it to break loose from the hub. A rubber hammer may work to break the loose spindle if you tap it firmly , but be careful to not damage the area where the bearings ride. You may have to use a chisel to break the outer edge of the spindle housing loose from the hub. It is just metal on metal, but is probably rusted.

- After you remove the spindle and brake shield you can just grab the end of the axle and slide it out. It has a rubber seal on the back side where it meets the spindle, and there is a bearing and seal on the inside of the spindle. You need to also check the universal joints on the axle.

- With the axle out of the way, you can loosen the nuts on the ball joints and start hammering on them to get them to break loose (leave the nut on the top so you don't mushroom the threaded area. The top ball joint is easier because you are hammering down and you have good leverage. The bottom one is a little more challenging. The entire hub will finally drop down, and you can remove the nuts and take it inside.

- Remove the old ball joints using a removal tool or press. Then reinstall with the tool and use a grease gun to prelube them.

- Remove and replace the adjuster sleeve for the top ball joint (its on the axle), and thread in the new one that came withe the upper ball joint.

- Put the hub back on by inserting the threaded ends of the ball joints up into the axle, torque it all down, and then put in the cotter pins.

- Slip the axle back in, and then put the spindle back on. Now you are back to where you started when you checked the bearings.

This youtube video has good video, but very little explanation. For example, at about 10:00 he replaces the upper ball joint sleeve, but does not even mention installing it.

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This youtube video explains what that sleeve does, and what could be done with it if your camber is way off.

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Bruce