While replacing all brakes and rear wheel bearings I have discovered that my front right wheel bearing feels really chunky with the brakes off. So guess I am doing all 4 wheel bearings. I already completed the rears and those went fairly easily, now onto the fronts. Looking at the DIY I can either loosen the axle nut with the knuckle on the car using to force of the brakes or off the car using an impact and I am guessing a vice. I am wondering what is easiest, looking at it on the car there isn't much space to work, and I am not saving the hub so concerns of a vice screwing up the lug threads are not an issue.

Also it seems you can either separate the lower ball joint or unbolt it using the two 17mm what option is best for preserving alignment? Any other differences when doing the fronts?

 

Anyone? I am going to remove these when I get home this afternoon, but don't want to make a huge mistake by not losening the axle nut. I just dont know if I can get to it though. Plus all my brakes are already off. So not sure that I have any other real options.

 

I forgot to take mine off before I removed the hubs. But I got mine off using an air gun, and I didn't even put the hub in a vice, just pointed towards the ground with the studs in it on a rubber mat. I used the air gun to take it of and to reinstall the axle nut. I didn't even have to unstake the nut, the force of the gun did all the work. You will need a decent air gun, I'm using an Ingersoll rand with about 400 ft lbs torque. Your bargain basement gun with about 100 ft lbs wont do the trick.

 

I think I have access to one that they use on Semi trucks if needed . I was just worried about it spinning. Thanks for the response!