For the two nym shifting fools who infest this group

From : joe blow

Q: cold climate also contributes to poor mpgsas cold sensor readings richens mixtureplus any warmup timebut all in allthe 5.2-5.9 fuel milage just sucks. .

Replies:

From : scott mcauley

fittings or such. am i looking at a big bucks shop job here or is this something i can tear into and fix i have fair mechanical ability and average tools but i have never torn into automatic hubs and stuff. first you need to determine whether its the hub bearings or the u-joints that are worn and making the noise. jack the wheels up and spin them backwards and forwards while theyre straight. then turn them to one side and spin both again. if the noise only occurs when turned then its just the u-joints. if they make noise when straight ahead its the hub bearing. the labor is roughly the same in either case but the parts cost will vary from maybe $30 for a set of u-joints to a couple of hundred bucks a piece for the hubs more if you have 4-wheel abs. to repair remove the wheel then remove the cotter pin from the big axle nut then remove the nut. wedge a big screwdriver into the anes of the rotor so it jams against the brake caliper. this will hold the rotor/hub while you back the nut off. next remove the caliper two 3/8 allen head bolts. tie the caliper up to the frame with some wire - dont let it hang by the hose. remove the four 12-point 14mm bolts from the back side of the hub. actually only back these out about 1/4 or so. the hub will most likely be stuck to the knuckle. you can hammer on these for bolts alternately to help free the hub from the knuckle. once free remove the bolts completely and pull the hub off of the axle a hub puller can help here. note the order and positioning of the spacer ring and brake dust shield so you can put them back the same way. if you dont have a hub puller you can remove the whole assembly hub/rotor/axle shaft as a unit - just be careful to support the axle shaft is you remove it so it doesnt damage the oil seal inside the housing. if the axle shaft is still in the hub support the hub/rotor on some stands and gently tap the axle shaft out have someone to catch it or a piece of plywood for it to fall on - dont want the splines to get damaged. now that thats apart if its the u-joints youre going after youll have to remove the inside snap rings from each of the bearing cups these fit into a groove in the cups inboard of the ears of the yokes and can be difficult to see - spray them down with some parts cleaner if you need to. the new u-joints will come with new clips so dont be afraid to trash the old ones during removal ive sometimes cut them in half with a dremel then chisled the pieces out. once all four rings are removed you can press the u-joints out. best bet here is to rent a ball joint/u-joint press tool from an auto parts store. with the old joint pressed out clean out the holes with a bit of emery cloth then press the new joint in place securing the cups with the snap rings. pay attention to the little shoulder on the yoke ears - the snap ring fits around this itll make sense when you look at it. if its the hub bearing youre replacing pound out the wheel studs and separate the hub from the rotor put the new hub on the rotor re-install the wheel studs tap them lightly with a hammer and drift to seat them - just enough so they dont fall out when you flip the rotor over. to pull the hub/rotor together just run your lug nuts down the studs and tighten them up hopefully you have an impact gun to do this - otherwise youll have to figure out how to hold the rotor while you tighten the studs. once that operation is done just re-assemble the parts the way they came out. slip the axle shaft back into the axle tube make sure its cleaned off first and put a little grease on the splines that go into the differential - this will help to protect the grease seal nice and easy so you dont damage the oil seal. once you feel the splines engage with the differential youre set. preferably with some help put the hub/rotor spacer ring and brake dust shield back on in the proper order install the four 12-point bolts and torque to 125ft.lbs. re-install the brake caliper and install the axle washer and nut. using the screwdriver-wedged-against-the-caliper method torque this to 175ft.lbs. then install the cotter pin. if the holes dont line up tighten the nut more until you can fit the cotter pin never loosen a castle nut to align it. thats about it. oh yeah - repeat this procedure for the other side if necessary. .