2000 Cherokee axle hub

[JeepperX]

Hi everyone,

A quick axle question from a newbie. I've got an old good 2000 Cherokee, and one axle hub is badly damaged. I know that I must replace it, along with the bearing... The axle is still okay. And I was wondering, do I have to get only one axle hub in, or I'd better go with two?
Also, I wanted to save on the job and parts, so decided to do the repair by my own.

Thanks.

[prerunner1982]

You could probably get by with replacing one, but I would replace both. If one is going out the other isn't likely that far behind it. The hub and the bearing are one enclosed assembly. You have to take the brakes off and the nut in the middle of the hub that holds it to the axle shaft. There are 4 bolts that hold the hub to the axle tube and then you use a bearing puller and hopefully it comes off without much hassle.

I had to beat the hubs off the 99 axle going in my 93 XJ and the hubs actually came apart in the process. They were still in good shape but they were stuck in the axle, I had to get them out to change the axle shaft u-joints. Would have probably left them otherwise.

[4.3LXJ]

I agree

[abebehrmann]

Yep, I agree with the others before me. You can get away with replacing just the one hub, but the other one probably isn't too far behind the bad one so it would be best to replace them both. I recommend purchasing hubs online and not from a normal parts store. I was able to purchase two new Timken Hubs from Rockauto.com for ~$70/each which was a little cheaper than the off brand hubs at my local parts stores (Autozone, O'Reilly, etc).

You'll need a 36mm, 6 point socket for the big axle nut and a 13mm, 12 point socket for the 3 bolts that hold the hub to the knuckle (1/2'' 12 point works too but it'll need some persuasion to fit on the bolt heads). My Jeep has spent it's whole life in the south, so I didn't have any trouble removing my hubs but I've read they are prone to rusting to the knuckle in areas where they salt the roads. If you have trouble with this, I learned a cool trick where you wedge a socket extension between the axle stub shaft and the axle housing and then turn the steering wheel and it should pop right off. (See attached pic)


When putting everything back together, don't forget to put a healthy amount of anti-seize on the threads and where the axle stub-shaft splines mesh with the hub to make it easier in case you need to remove the hub again.

[JeepperX]

Thanks for replies, I appreciate your help, guys. I guess I will go and order 2 axle hubs then (https://www.carid.com/axle-hubs/). Also, I do not want to sound stupid, but I thought that the bearing has to be bought separately, so I'm glad you told me that it's in there already. Hope to get the parts by Friday, so that I could do teh job some time this weekend...

[abebehrmann]

Thanks for replies, I appreciate your help, guys. I guess I will go and order 2 axle hubs then. Also, I do not want to sound stupid, but I thought that the bearing has to be bought separately, so I'm glad you told me that it's in there already. Hope to get the parts by Friday, so that I could do teh job some time this weekend...

Not a problem, I too didn't know about the hub unit bearings until I had to replace mine and asked some people with more knowledge than me.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions if you happen to run into any problems during the repair.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Seeing that you live in the rust belt, you may want to stop by the jeep dealer & pick up the bolts that hold the hub to the knuckle. They run about $5 each. They are subject to a lot of stress and add corrosion to the equation, and you are looking at a failure point. Use a dab of anti-seize to the threads and some grease to the shaft & head of the bolt. That tends to slow down the corrosion & makes it easier to take apart the next time.

BTW a tip o' the hat to abebehrmann for an excellent tip!!