Please note these
procedures were written for a 2000 Isuzu Amigo with Superwinch Manual Hubs
installed. However, in general, the instructions are similar for the various
makes of Isuzu 4wd models.
26mm
Snap Ring: quantity of 2
Hub
Flange/Bearing Cover gasket- need 2
Procedures:
Before
you start the actual removal of the wheel and hub, I would recommend modifying
the 4-prong Ford 1/2 Ton pickup front axle tool. I went to my local Advance Auto
and picked up a Ford, 4wd, 4 prong, locknut Socket tool. The part number on the
pack is T72138. This tool fits a 1/2" ratchet. Cut off two prongs that are
opposite each other. Then, grind (from the outside in) off half of each prong.
This
will allow the hub nut tool to fit into the 2 holes. If you do choose to buy the
"official" Isuzu tool, the Isuzu axle nut tool is sold at Napa parts
stores. The tool is in Napa's special tool catalog - Napa tool # 3375. The Isuzu
part number (if you can order it from Isuzu) is J-36827.
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Now that
you have the hub nut tool made, you can now proceed with the removal of the
wheels and hubs to repack the bearings. With the wheels on the ground, use the
19mm socket and 1/2" ratchet or breaker bar to loosen the lug nuts. With
the wheels still on the ground, use the 1/8" Allen wrench to loosen the
Allen bolts located on the Superwinch manual hub body. Remove the Superwinch
manual hub. Once you have removed the Superwinch hubs (or hub covers for those
of you who do not have manual hubs), take a rag and wipe away any grease that
you see on the end of the axle shaft. You will see a 26mm snap ring. Remove the
snap ring with the snap ring tool. Unless you have extra 26mm snap rings lying
around, be very careful in how and where you place your snap rings. Use your 8mm
Allen wrench or bit on a 3/8" ratchet to loosen the Allen bolts on the hub
flange. They will (should) be tight, so use of the hammer will be required.
However, do not remove them.
You are
now ready to jack up the vehicle. Raise the vehicle until the wheel you are
working on comes off the ground. Then place jack stands under the vehicle
(frame) on both sides. Remove the lug nuts you had loosened and then remove the
tire.
Then remove the Allen bolts
you had loosened earlier and set those aside. Either use a zip lock bag to hold
each "section" of parts (1 bag for lug nuts, 1 bag for Allen bolts, 1
bag for snap ring, etc.), or a parts tray with dividers. Needless to say, unless
you have extra parts lying around, you do not want to lose any parts. Remove the
"hub/bearing cover/hub flange". Clean this with a rag and carb/brake
cleaner. Set this aside.
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Once you
have removed the hub/bearing cover, you will see the retaining ring. This is a
large ring/washer with holes drilled into it. It is being held in by three #2
Phillips screws.
Use the hammer to tap on
the screwdriver a few times before attempting to remove the screws. Be sure to
use constant pressure to remove these screws. They strip very easily. If you do
need replacements, they can be found at Home Depot. Look for "Machine screw
flat - Phillips 4mm x 8mm". After removing the screws and placing them in a
secure location, use the dental pick to help you remove the retaining ring. Most
of it will be covered in grease, so removing the ring will take a little
persistence.
After
you remove the retaining ring, you will see the hub nut. The hub nut is an
approximately 7mm thick, threaded washer with holes for the retaining rings and
2 holes that are 180 degrees apart from each other for the hub nut removal tool.
Use the hub nut tool you modified earlier to loosen the hub nut. You must now
remove the brake caliper in order to pull the hub off the axle shaft. Make sure
the wheel is straight and use the 22mm socket and ratchet or wrench and the
hammer to loosen the 2 bolts holding the brake caliper. These are torqued on
rather tightly. It will take a good bit of tapping to get them to loosen. Once
they are loosened, you can use the wire clothes hanger (unstrung) to hang the
caliper out of the way. You do not want the caliper to hang by the brake hose. I
used a nylon rope, but the clothes hanger is easier to work with. To prevent the
pads from coming together, I also used one of the 22mm bolts as a stopper
between the brake pads. With the caliper up and out of the way, you can now
remove the hub.
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Pull the
hub away from the truck directly toward you. With the hub removed, you
will be able to remove the outer bearing. This bearing is smaller than the rear
bearing, but somehow note that it is the front bearing. Soak that in parts
cleaner. I used copious amounts of carb/brake cleaner to blow out the grease
that was inside the bearing. Do this until there is no more grease in the
bearing. Rinse with water and allow to air dry. If you use compressed air to dry
the bearing, do not let the bearing spin. Check the bearing and the outer race
for nicks, cracks or any other physical damage. Place the hub front side down on
a table or any other flat surface. Try to secure the hub so that it can not tilt
one way or another. Use the seal-pulling tool to remove the rear grease seal.
Once that is removed,
discard the seal and remove the rear bearing. Go through the same steps to clean
this bearing as you did the outer bearing. Please note the inner bearing is
larger than the outer bearing. Take a rag and wipe it inside the hub assembly to
remove as much of the old grease as possible. Use the carb/brake cleaner to
clean the grease and grime from the inside of the hub. Allow the hub to air dry.
While
you're waiting for the hub to dry, repack the 2 bearings that you have removed
(provided they are not damaged). You can either use the bearing repacking tool,
or the hand repacking method. The bearing repack tool is very straightforward.
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Once you have repacked the
bearings with grease, you will need to grease the inside of the hub. In between
the two bearing races, you will find a depression. Fill this depression with
grease to form a "grease dam".
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Also place a light coating
of grease on the races. Replace the inner (the large) bearing. The Isuzu shop
manual does not recommend using a bearing driver to "seat" the
bearings. The tightening of the hub nut will do this for you. Use the seal
driver to replace the axle seal.
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A large block of wood
works, as well. Be sure to drive the seal in straight and that you do not bend
the seal in any way. You can now put some more grease in the hub if you would
like. Replace the hub back on the spindle/axle. Any excess grease will be pushed
out when you do this. Wipe away any grease that may have fallen on the brake
rotor. Replace the outer bearing. Tighten the hub nut.
After tightening the hub
nut using the hub nut tool, rotate the hub assembly several times, forward and
back. You will then need to loosen the hub nut and rotate the hub assembly
forward and reverse several times. Repeat the tightening, rotating, loosening,
and rotating sequence several more times. This action distributes the grease and
seats the bearings. Tighten the hub nut one more time. Attach a spring scale to
one of the wheel studs and pull. I started them at 3 o'clock (forward preload)
and at 9 o'clock (reverse preload) and pulled straight down to measure pre-load.
The Isuzu shop manual shows the mechanic pulling from the 12 o'clock
position. Adjust the tightness of the hub nut until your preload reads
between 2.6lbs-4.0lbs for old bearings and a new seal or 4.4lbs-5.5lbs for a new
seal and new bearings. I tried to obtain these readings in both forward and
reverse motion. Be sure to do this without the brake caliper installed.
Once you
have set the preload, it is time to re-install everything. Take the retaining
ring and slide it over the spindle with the tapered side facing you (each of the
drilled holes in the retaining ring is tapered). If the holes do not line up
with the threaded screw holes for the retaining ring screws, remove the
retaining ring and rotate the ring 180 degrees and reinstall. The holes should
now line up. Replace the screws. As you are tightening the screws, remember to
tap the screwdriver a few times with the hammer before you try to torque them
down. Reinstall the brake caliper by reinstalling the two brake caliper bolts
you removed. The 2 brake caliper bolts must be torqued to 115 ft/lbs. It is a
good idea to use the blue Locktite on these bolts. Install the gaskets for the
"hub/bearing cover/hub flange" (I used RTV silicone/gasket maker).
Reinstall the "hub/bearing cover/hub flange". Do not attempt to
"torque" these Allen bolts, as you will need to have the wheel on the
hub and the wheel on the ground to prevent the hub from turning while you are
applying force. Replace the wheel on the studs and hand tighten the lug nuts.
Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle onto the ground. Torque the lug
nuts to 87 ft/lbs. Now, torque the "hub/bearing cover/hub flange"
Allen bolts to 43 ft/lbs. Please note it would be a good idea to use some
Locktite on these Allen bolts, as well. Reinstall the snap ring. You are now
ready to reinstall the Superwinch hubs or stock (locked) hub assembly.
Congratulations, you have now finished the repacking on one side. It should have
taken you approximately 3 hours. Please be sure to dispose of your dirty rags in
a responsible manner.
