Hub replacement on a 2000 Excursion

[mchan68]

I have one here, that badly failed inner needle bearings, causing damage to the axle shaft, as well as the hub lock exploding. Does anyone know the sequence and orientation of the washers? The workshop manual isn't very helpful. I removed the hub lock from the other side, hoping to use it as a proper reference. The way it came apart once the hub lock was removed, is the big flat non-metallic spacer with the four grooves facing outward, then the snap ring on the shaft, then the round shaped metallic spacers sandwiching the one smaller hex shaped non-metallic spacer. Is this the correct sequence? I also seem to be having an issue getting the hub to engage the axle (won't pull a vacuum}. I have the new axle shaft with the outer seal bottomed out on the shaft, and sitting further into the knuckle than the one groove that's after the vacuum port. Is that the correct depth? It's been a while since I've had one of these '99 to '04 style hubs apart.

[forddieseldoctor]

Okay for starters that big washer with the 4 grooves is supposed to be behind the wheel bearing on the axle shaft with the smooth side facing the hub.

Then the hub gets bolted in. Then you should have 3 thrust washers, 2 round ones and a hexagon shaped one. The order of those behind the snap ring is round, hexagon and then the other round one followed by the snap ring.

 

There is a tsb for poor hub engagement that has you file notches into the big shim behind the hub so that it looks like this:

 

 

 

[mchan68]

THANK YOU!!!

[Keith Browning]

The assembly listed above is correct. Mike if you have problems with the pulse-vac system you use the EVAP smoke machine to test for leaks in the entire system from the vacuum pump to the 4X4 hub locks and it works well. I connect to the vacuum line all the way back at the pump and start smoking. Sometimes turning the wheels and the steering from lock to lock helps identify a bad knuckle seal which may not leak in certain positions.  This is a quick and efficient diagnostic method. The grooves on the slotted thrust washer in my opinion is a little misleading as  it's not the washer that is the problem - it's technicians who insist on applying too much grease to it and the needle bearings effectively sealing the vacuum passage. A light thin coating is more than enough.

 

[forddieseldoctor]

I never thought of the smoke thing, but whatever method you use make sure you rotate the hubs and shafts when you leak test them. I've seen them only leak in certain positions. I went back and took another look at the tsb and yeah it is an excessive grease issue, but the new thrust washers do come with those notches cut in them.

[Jim Warman]

Another down and dirty way is to swap the locking hubs side for each and reapply vacuum. +1 on spinning the wheels when testing.