I have a Ford explorer and it seems you could make enough tutorials to retire from KZfaq. This seems like a job I may have to take up the street to the shop. Glad you had this video before I got myself into troubles. Thank you!

God bless all of you that take the time to show the rest of us how its done i cant exsplane how much this helps thanks again

Thank you for your help. I have a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer 4.6 2WD that is still going strong with 380k miles. Its the same as the Ford Explorer. I was needing to replace the rear wheel bearings and found your video very helpful. On the good side, there is a complete rear hub assembly now so there is no need to press in new bearings now unless you just absolutely desire to do that. Great job on your videos. I have been watching a lot of them now. Congrats on getting the new 2021 F150.

This is a great video! I did this job in my driveway on both sides at once, and also did the rear axle seals while it was apart. Let me tell you... this job will make you curse! There's a couple things I would add to your great tutorial. First, there is a $7 dust seal that is in there, that is often not even recognizable from rust and rot. It's easy to replace while everything is apart. I only even knew it was there by looking at the Ford parts diagram. This seal might help keep water out of the back side of the bearing when driving thru water, so it's probably worth replacing. Second, I was practically standing on a 10 ton shop press, and it wouldn't break the bearing out of the knuckle. I think they use loctite for bearing races upon assembly, and those suckers are in there! Just like you said, when it finally breaks loose it's violent! Even standing on the jack handle of the shop press, I couldn't get it to break free. So here's what I did different than you. I used a hammer and punch to beat out every part of the bearing except the outer race. I then cut thru the bulk of the outer race using a whiz wheel on a 45 degree angle. Be careful not to cut entirely thru and into the knuckle! You aren't trying to cut thru the entire thing here. Instead, you are trying to cut thru the bulk of the center thick section of the race in order to weaken it! Then when you put it in the shop press, the press is much more easily able to break the race and it pops out with a lot less drama. But still with a bang! If you can pay someone else to do the pressing part, by all means do! But I have heard of guys actually breaking the knuckle before the race would pop free. So cut thru the thicker part of the race (the middle) before sending it off for the press work. And be SURE to support the inner race when pressing in the new hub!

Thanks for the great KZfaq videos on changing the wheel bearings on a Ford Explorer. I was able to change all 4 bearings on my daughter's 2004 Explorer. The fronts were pretty easy but the backs were somewhat more difficult. Spreading the rear bearing carriers to dislodge the upper control arm connection was difficult due to the some rust, it finally came out. My shop is fairly well equipped including a 20 ton press. Following your advice, I definitely would not try to press them out myself, not that the press wouldn't handle it, but you really need the right fixtures to hold the piece firm and square. I took them to a shop down from my shop and they got the old ones out and the new ones in with little trouble and very modest cost, $30. One thing I did differently was to leave the lower arms on rather than trying to spread the piece to remove them. The shop had no problem doing the press work with the arms still attached. Thanks again for the great how-to videos! Joe

Seems like your in a high quality mechanic school with his clarity in explaining in full detail.

I watch all his video's. He's a very sharp guy.well trained. I am a mechanic myself.

Well done. Thanks for all the little tips like the torque specs and loctite use. Got my new hubs from amazon today and my weekend planned out.

Thank you for the great video on how to do this. I just got an 05 Explorer for some dump runs, Home Depot, etc. I was able to complete this job quickly thanks to you detailed video. I’m lazy and bought an entire assembly with the brake shoes, backing plate, bearing, etc all together. It made the job a whole lot easier!

Hey man, thanks for this how to video... I replace my front hub & bearing on 04 Exploder and it went very well, thanks to your front bearing repair video; that was well done and very informative. I would recommend it to anyone that has to make that repair. The replacement of the rear bearing are way more tricky than the front, it sucks that you need special tools, if not for that I would go for this repair. Thanks again.

Thank you so much! The video is of excellent quality and very well done. I made a tool list as I watched and I feel confident about taking this on now.

Dude, you are an awesome mechanic!!! Thanks for sharing the great info in the videos you share with all us DIY’er’s!!! Much love!!!

Great video! I am definitely not tackling this job myself now that I see everything that goes into it. I used your video to do the front myself tho and it helped a TON! Thank you so much.

Bro I'm blessed you gave us that truck on the E brake on pulling it from t he back, instead of removing the entire brake cable!!!

Man I am glad I found your video. The local dealer wanted $1500.00 to the job. I wasn't sure how to do it. I found your video, it took me 45mins to take both sides apart. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.

Great video for the bearing removal. An old industrial maintenance master welder once showed me a trick to remove an "outer" bearing race trapped inside a housing. He stick welded a bead around the inside midpoint diameter of the old bearing race. Once it cooled, the race practically fell out on its own. He said it's all about expansion/contraction. I've used his tactic many times over the years. Works every time.

this helped me understand what my mechanic goes through and why they charge what they do, there's such a disconnect between most car owners and their mechanic, but videos like this helps bridge that gap, thanks!

First, Thank you! this is the best, most detail video for a difficult job I have seen in the past year. On a scale of 1 thru 10 for vehicle repair, this is an eight. Great job. You details and your patience have paid off for me and many others.

Thanks so much for the video. There are a few amateur videos as well but none as detailed as this. Everything came off and went on as your video demonstrated. Thanks for the tips as well. Did this on a 04 Lincoln aviator.

Much appreciate you sharing your knowledge with this VERY well detailed video! Although its intensive work, too bad don't have the necessary equipment to perform my self! Congrats!

Great video. I did this yesterday on my Explorer and breezed through this in no time. Thanks!

Great video. My sons 06 exploder had the left rear bearing snap in half with no warning on him while driving about 45 mph. I haven’t taken any of my trucks or SUV’s to a shop but followed this guys suggestions and all is good now.

I helped my son do his 2003 Explorer and that's when he brought up the nickname he had heard calling it an Exploder. I have worked on my own cars for years and this was perhaps the scariest job I have ever done. We have a well equipped shop with every tool you can think of but we had to mish-mash parts from all kinds of stuff to press these bearings out and back in. We actually did break one of the knuckles and had to go to a Pull a Part to scrounge for another. We got it done and yes I hate to say it but I did invent some new curse words while doing it. I will never do it again! I hate to have other people work on my or my families cars but this is one that I will gladly pay to have done. It is worth whatever the cost. You make great videos because they are instructive and and not meant to entertain. Thank you

Probably one of the Best videos of a repair I have ever seen,I will continue to go to your videos for all my auto repairs,thank you

I followed this video word for word and it turned out awesome. My car is fixed and it took me very little time. Thanks

This made it an easy decision; for $150 more than it would cost to do it myself, I'll gladly take this one to the shop and let someone else deal with it! thanks man :)

Great demonstration, its quite a labor intensive job replacing the bearings. I watched another video that the Mechanic had an extremely tough time getting the bearing out. Also, the little recommendations that you provided, gave more insight into areas where caution is important, especially when pressing out the bearing. Nice tutorial! Thanks

Awesome video! I need to do this exact repair. I'm having a shop do the press but this is a big help for getting the knuckle out. Thanks!!!!

After watching your expert instructions, I was able to change my rear bearing on my 2002 Ford Explorer in less than three hours total removal and installation. but the joke is that parking brake gave me more trouble than anything else. I purchased my bearings from Amazon and a machinist installed them. Thank you

Your videos are very informative and have helped me thru a few projects on my f150 thanks so much !!

Just wanted to say, my wife called freaking out this Monday saying our explorer was locking up, as i was flying out of town. She took it to a shop and they wanted $3700 for the rear hub. She then took it to a different shop, ( the guy was a complete a$% hat ) wanted $1100. But we didnt have the cash, said hat replied, if you did have the f^$&ing cash then why the f@#$ did you have me look at it. (Found out he unplugged our dash cam while he had it for the week. Anyway, after watching this, omg, it helped soooooooooo much that i cant thank you all enough, my family can be safe again. Thank you and thank tires plus (for getting the hub out and in) (freaked me out) (oh, and took me about 8 hours, crap tools and a lot of running around).

Very nice video. done this job on my 02 several times even with timkin bearings. always looking for press plates and never thought to cut out an old rotor. Thanks for that idea. Always emphasize when pressing new bearing in to never load thru the bearing so rollers don't get damaged. Hold inner race when pressing spindle.

Very good vid...to the point and good communication with no BS. I NEEDED THIS. THANKS

Thanks for the good advice. You just prevented me from getting in over my head.

You have done a great job to help all people with FORD EXPLORERS

Definitely one of the best "FordTechMakuloco" I use you tube to do everything. Sewer, main drain, automotive, garage shelves, painting, modeling, etc... "FordTechMakuloco" actually shows you how to actually do the work. No false video already loosened parts. This is an exceptional video easy to hear, easy to understand and complete information You need to make Smart decision(s). IF YOU WILL DO IT YOURSELF, and advice if you should even do it yourself.

Thanks for the video.This was enough to remind me that I am not a mechanic and should not be attempting something like this myself.

Hey man, Thanks so much for that tip on removing the upper control arm from the knuckle last, it's gonna save me so much time doing the other side. I really wished I watched your vid before spending an entire day with my step dad at his shop trying to push this bearing out.

Well Done! Saved me a lot of time. Thanks for the great video.

Fantastic Work! Now I'm glad I never tackled a few bearing jobs (sold 1 car & a friend request) but great to watch. just like breaking an exhaust stud and don't have acetylene you take the part to an equipped shop and done ready for reassembly.

Great video, answers my questions. Now I know what my next steps are.

very, straight forward accurate and informative...

I've done this once... getting ready to do it again (unfortunately)... I can attest it's a pain. But it can be done with the right tools. Instead of using a press, I used the hub grappler tool. I had a really significant pop when my hub came out....took quite a bit of torque to get it started. That and the snap ring were the most difficult parts...(of course my snap ring pliers were weak sauce last time. ha.) Nice video!

Lacking the modified brake drum that was used to position the Knuckle asm on the press, I used a wooden block under the caliper surface on one side and another block under the lower control arm mounts. I wedged a flat tire iron between then the lower control arm mounts and the splash shield to keep the shield from deforming (worked for me).

Removing the tow link to access the ball joint was an excellent suggestion for those of us with a lift to get underneath and reach the back of the knuckle. A 5 minute procedure saved me an unk amount of time.

Excellent Video! God Bless You Brother!

This guy is the definition of perfection, glad he's doing his own thing now, but after 6 years, who's going with a "loaded knuckle". Me! (Especially since it's a driveway job)

Great informative video, thanks. I'm currently doing all four unit bearings on my 2004 exploder as well as digging into the rear diff. The diff had the limited slip clutch pack Ford issues and was grabbing bad. Over time it actually hammered the ring gear side carrier bearing so bad it has deep pits in it. So master install kit for that and new clutches as well as the correct oil. I did press out my old rear unit bearings and they were very tough to say the least. I like your front unit bearing video as well. thanks. BTW, thanks also for listing the torque specs. I have to find the rear diff specs now.

Great video! Thanks for posting this!!

Nice work. I remember doing a rear wheel bearing replacement on my dad's 02 ford explorer, that wheel bearing would not budge. I ended up getting the whole knuckle.

Great video brother! I had to do one of these and it really mopped the floor with me!

Thank you so much. I was able to do this repair on my explorer successfully and with confidence thanks to you. God bless you from helping others.

Great video man

Excellent video. Biggest thing I learned is that this is past my skillset!! Lol. Glad I watched before I tore into it.

Thank you buddy, great video as always, cheers from ontario ca

Good Stuff Man! Great Job! Yeah, I'm looking to take it to the dealership or just purchase whole new refurb rearend. Keep it up!

Awesome video helped me a lot. Took 17 tons to press out that outer bearing race. And yea it went off like a bomb...in fact several bombs until it was about half way out.

Mechanics sure love Fords, there is never a shortage of work if you work on Fords. It wont be long before the upper ball joint will go bad on the vehicle shown in this video.

Thank you very much! Impact and air hammer is a definite definite must as you said! Cut time in half

Very good demonstration. I'm a fabricator and regularly use a press. I actually have 3 in the shop. I'm not a very good mechanic though but with a little help there hasn't been anything I couldn't do. Currently working on my moms explorer. Gotta do the ball joints in my deisle after that and then ill figure out the wiring in a jeep cherokee so I can give it to my little sister when she gets her license

Call me crazy but that's why I like this guy he cleans everything up

I did this job...both sides in the driveway with jacks, stands and a creeper. This video is very good and helps a lot. It's a pain in the a$$ job. I just got the assembled MOOG (might have been Timken) hub w/ bearings installed from Rockauto. It's worth the extra cost just not to deal with anybody these days. Ill-tempered and incompetent is the order of the day now. I so miss working with helpful, friendly, competent people but far as I can tell they no longer exist or are too hard to find. That parking brake is a real joke and requires a lot of drinking and profanity. I'm old and had cataracts when I did it. (Lord I'm glad I live in the South and don't deal with rust) My 2004 Explorer looks like new underneath. I started with PB Blaster about a week ahead and everything came apart easy. I had a shop do the whole job and replace the bearings about 8 years ago and it failed in no time. I figure they messed up bearing pressing. I replaced the leaking differential seals while at it...that was easier than I thought. I would highly recommend replacing those seals if you are that far into it. No more Fords for this old boy.

Really, really great video. You put a lot of work into this vid and the job. Totally clear now why it costs so much to have this job done, but maybe I can get the hub & knuckle off and bring it to the shop. Thanks much!

Thanks for posting! I like to do all repairs and maintenance myself, but I think I'm taking my 2005 XLT to the Ford dealer.

Found your channel the other day. Outstanding content.

Just did this job... your video helped a LOT ! Thank you

Absolutely one of the best helpful videos I've seen. Thank you.

Well done. The best video I've seen for this job.

Brian, SUPER video !!..I have a 2005 Ford Escape with 318,000 miles and I'm waiting for my rear wheel bearings to go...I guess the Escape and Explorer are similar in the replacement of the hub bearings....my trucks been "growling" the last 2 months or so and thought it may be the driveshaft carrier bearing...I had my tires replaced today and they tech confirmed my diagnosis after the road test after the alignment....what I understand is that bearing can't be replaced "separately" and that the driveshaft requires R&R (per Ford) but I see you can find the carrier bearing/ support from some driveline companies online...I'm pretty meticulous about my maintenance but the only job I haven't tackled (let my friends AAMCO handle that ) is the "infamous" CD4E transmission rebuild but I did get 282,200 miles before the tranny went...the alternator R&R at 234,000 miles was a "bear"...I heard the Ford techs hate doing this job too !!...looking forward to watching more of your videos... Thanks !!

And once again your videos are awesome!!!!!!!!! The first one I used that I commented on was the blend door which was great. And now this one. I had a press at work and step by step it went smooth. I can't thank you enough for the great videos. You have saved me a lot of money.

Thanks for a great video. My 02 Explorer has over 200k so I've decided to take this one on myself. So far so good. My snap ring tool was too small to reach the ear holes. What worked well for me was inserting a chisel into one of the ears and tapping it with a hammer. I was able to twist it and pop it right. out.

Profesional. Like from México. Ford the best cars.

Nothing else matters playing in the background ! Love it hahaha

All your videos are great. Thanks for what you do!

what a job. you are a real professional. enjoyed it.

Awesome video, it is the best one I've seen on youtube so far. I just don't get why people don't want to give it a try themselves if they have all he tools for it? I'm sure going to give it try myself I even went as far as getting a press, so I feel pretty confident in getting it done by me following step by step the way yo did it. thanks again for the video

Nice video, with A lot of good tips especially using the deep Rotor Hat (probably off a F-150 ?) so you can use it to backup the knuckle to press the hub out . I think I measured that I would need a receiver with an approximate ID of about 7 3/8" to fit around the parking brake shoes an OD approximately 7 3/4" to drop into the circular recess of the backing plate .

Great video. Those snap rings can be a pain. Keep up the good work man.

Great video and tips. Special thanks for pointing out the correct push point starting at 18:30 and continuing through19:28. Without this information, the hydraulic press could be mistakenly set up to push on the knuckle lip instead of the bearing. The knuckle "lip" looks like it could be the outer ring of the bearing (about an eighth of an inch) but it's not. Find a pusher that fits inside the lip as you show. The lip on the knuckle provides a bottom out point when pressing a new bearing in.

muchas gracias muy ilustrativo el video, excelente

I just did this job pressed it in myself with an old rotor I just beat the center of the rotor in with a sledgehammer broke pretty easily and then I ground down the edges with a grinder 2004 Avalanche rear rotor fit perfectly. Thank you for the video it helps a lot

great video. Essential for us DIY guys. Gives that opportunity to decide before I even start to ask myself, "Do I want to attempt this?"

Some great video work and great tips. Appreciate your knowledge being shared.

Thanks for the tips made doing this myself this weekend super easy

great vid man very good info, I like to work in my 04 mercury mountaineer, but for this kind of serious jobs I better take it to the pros, thanks for take the time and put up this great video

I am lucky that i have access to a shop and all tools seen in this video. This looks like it took a few hours and will probably take me double that. But i simply cant afford to pay a mechanic 600 plus to do this for me. So thanks so much for the video and wish me luck!

Brian I actually took one of the old rear rotors and brought them to my work and the maintainence shop plasma cut out the top of the rotor like the way you showed on your video. I set up the knuckle on the cut out rotor, started to try to press out the bearing, and one third of the rotor broke off from the pressure and the bearing didn't even budge.

Excellent presentation. Very helpful.

Funny thing is about 5 years ago a coworker had their 08 explorer rear bearings done. I said back then no damn way I getting one,I bought a well maintained 2002.🙈 . You right that is a horror show,but I do work at a Ford dealership, 👍. Tganks for the show, blessings, amen from🇨🇦

Fortunately they sell the whole knuckle in the aftermarket world (Moog and Dorman) now! Makes the job way easier! Little more cost for the customer, but definitely the way to go! Thanks for the video!

Thank you very much..lots of tips and tricks!!!

When pressing the hub back in, I always try to not completely press it on. It's tricky but if you leave the hub a hair from touching the inner race, then when you go to torque it the torque will bring you to the desired pretension and never go over. Never had an issue doing it that way

Thanks for the bearing lesson I can see my 05 Ranger could be a pain , great job on the how to and not's Thanks

thanks for the vid and the torque specs i will be doing my uncles 03 explorer in a week doesn't look like to bad of a job i will also be paying a shop to do the pressing of hub and bearing.

Muy buen video it made super easy for me ...thankyou.

excellent video by a good tech, did mine and ended up burning it out, bent the ram on the press tring to get the bearing out'thanx

Super bueno el video, la próxima puede ser la suspensión delantera, felicitaciones

I got it! the bearing o ring was still stuck on the spindell. thanks for videos!

I've had this video pulled up in a tab for something like three years collecting all the stuff I needed to do it. I don't have your press, just a small 12 Ton so it got interesting. Removed everything but the outer race and then heated it up and used a mini sledge to break it the tiniest bit loose and then the 12T did the rest pretty easy. Was close to a 12 hour job with all the running around for stuff I forgot and finding a kit to borrow that had the 3 inch and 3.25 inch plates for the press. Almost sad to close the tab. :'( Thanks for the video! Suffice to say I've used a few others too. :D