Moorabinda

Step 15 Wheel back on. All up it took me around 1.5 hours for one side at a time - it would have been far less had I done them both together as I spent a lot of time collecting various tools from the shed and bringing them into the driveway where I was conducting this operation! I used genuine Ford parts from Jefferson Ford. Bearings were $112 each from memory. Road noise is significantly reduced - it's actually quiet now! If there are any questions, please let me know, otherwise it's a pretty straight forward exercise that went relatively smoothly. Cheers, Nick

Step 14 Brake caliper back on - medium threadlocker on the two bolts.

Step 13 Axle nut on. I used medium thread locker and tightened it as far as reasonably possible - I didn't use a torque wrench.

Step 12 Wheel bearing all the way on.

Step 11 I added the bearing. It needed a little encouragement at first, so I added the wheel nuts and gave it a few hits. It went on easily after that.

Step 10 I added a little copper grease to the stud to prevent it seizing again. Made installation a little easier too.

Step 9 To fit the bearing separator, I removed the ABS sensor - it usually sits on the LHS of this stud. Inner race removed and stud cleaned up - I used some very fine grit sandpaper to tidy it up a little after a wipe down. Just to take off any surface rust.

Step 8 I had one of these kits - Bearing Separator - bought from Online Auto Parts - around $45 from memory. Can't imagine having the patience to pull off that inner race without one of these kits. Made it quite easy.

Step 7 The inner bearing race is stuck to the stud, and this is what it looked like.

Step 6 Removing the bearing - I'd seen videos on YouTube showing the bearing coming off with a mallet so that is what I used after trying a pry bar. I needed to hit it from behind at all angles to even out the force. Eventually it came off, though left the inner race on the stud.

Step 5 Axle nut off - it needed a 36mm socket, and I had a 1" set lying around so it was perfect. I did find that using a longer breaker bar would have been useful but would get caught under the guards. Might be worth turning the front wheels slightly to improve access - for both the breaker bar and removing the brake caliper.

Step 4 Remove the dust cap - harder than I expected - used a flat head screwdriver and hammered it in to separate it from the hub. Eventually got it out - it's just pressed into the hub - no threads or any clips - but it's a tight fit! It revealed a bit of rust on the axle stud, which was a surprise.

Step 3 Take the brake caliper off. 2 x 15mm bolts behind the brakes. I had thread locker on mine and they took a bit of effort. When removing the brake, I left the caliper on the disc and so kept them as one. I put the caliper and disc on a tool box so I didn't stretch the brake line.

Step 2 Jack it up and take the wheel off.

Step 1 Here is the ute - a worldly AU2 XR6 that is about to hit 300k km. It's generally just driven around, doing odd jobs and stuff. Nothing heavy. I have blocked off the number plate - not really sure why - everyone else seems to do it...