i think my passenger front wheel bearings are going , theres a noise or shall i say a moving noise which happens when i take off and after a certain speed goes away, i say a moving noise cause the jeeps driving straight upon take off and thogh the noise is stationary in the same spot coming from the front passenger wheel it sounds like something turning that needs grease. i have done disc brake jobs to past vehicles b4 but for some reason am a lil hesitant on the jk about removing the caliper and the rotor , could someone point me in the right direction?

 

They really aren't too bad to get to. You have to remove the unit bearing to get the shafts out, so look for the write-up on replacing front shafts and that will point you in the right direction. Basically, here is the rundown on swapping it out. (from memory)

Jack up the jeep and remove the wheel.
Remove the two bolts holding the caliper onto the hub assembly.
Remove the big nut that holds the shaft to the unit bearing. (35MM if I remember correctly)
Remove the rotor from the hub. (I used a small pry bar in each end of the rotor and rocked it back and forth to pop off the clips holding it on. Leave them off... they are pretty much unnecessary)
Take out the three bolts holding the unit bearing on. (they used a 12-point socket - somewhere around 13 or 15 MM)
Take the small bolt that holds the antilock brake sensor to the unit bearing assy. (hex head - somewhere around a 30)
use a small mallet on the back of the hub and knock it out until the entire unit bearing and axle shaft comes out.

Swap out parts and reverse.

Quadratec has unit bearings for $120

http://www.quadratec.com/products/52417_06.htm

I'd say two hours will get it done if you are mechanically inclined and have some decent tools. double that if you are a garage newbie.

This is also an excellent opportunity to upgrade your axle shafts if you want to do that at the same time. Give Dave at Northridge a call and he can hook you up with some shafts.

 

thanx for the reply and info as far as axle shafts is it as simple as pulling out the old one and sliding in the new one?
What about spline count? I have 3.21 gears , does the gears have anything to do with spline count? I'm a noob when it comes to that stuff so I apologise for the noob question, I always wanted to ask if the spline count on the shaft had to match the gears? Thanx for your help though!

 

If you haven't modified your axles at all then it is just a standard unbolt pull then bolt back in.

 

Read the install instructions for the spyntec kit.
http://www.solidaxle.com/PDF/JK_SpynTec_Directions.pdf

Then just put it back together like it came apart.

 

ok i edited it to make it easier, loosen the huge nut before jacking up.

 

Here's the link for installing front axles.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-write-ups-39/installing-alloy-usa-factory-ten-cm-front-axles-ctm-u-joints-72971/

 

thanx for all 3 write ups guys its greatly appreciated. the pics help out a great deal, so in the future im gonna go ahead and change my axle shafts as well and also install gussets to strengthen the d30, i wish i could afford a mopar 44 but funds are low. once the d30 is re-enforced with gussets and axle shafts it should last with 35's right?
one more question about spline count.......the axle shafts spline count?
the more splines the better? and whats the most splines for the d30?
do the gears have to match the spline count of the shafts?
thanx a bunch guys, i have never been so mechanical with a vehicle and am loving delving into the unknown with my jeep and get some satisfaction doing it myself the only thing so far ive done is the 3.5" spring lift , relocated the evap. can. , as well as the draglink to the rockrawler hd one and front n rear trac bars..... and am excited to take on the shafts and wheel bearings and look forward to someday being able to give quality advice as you guys..... again, i thank you....
a tear is forming (lol)

 

I have a couple of friends running 30 fronts. 1 running 37's built the heck out of it and still blows it up. 1 running 33's blew it up after 4-5 years. 1 running 35's blew it in a year.

 

How it will last depends on your wheeling style. There are lots of threads around here on 35's on D30's and people's various opinions, so hit the search for more detail on that.

In regard to the spline count, more splines is usually stouter. However, I have the following logic with my 30 build - I'm sticking with 27-spline shafts on the 30 rather than going up to 30 spline shafts. a few reasons

1 - The ring and pinion is much smaller on a 30 than a 44. I'd rather keep the weak points upstream of the gears.

2 - If I am going to have a weak point, I'd rather it be something I can swap out on the trail and knowing that the gears are smaller, I'd rather make the shafts the weak point. (although, in theory the shaft blowing chunks could take other stuff with it, but it is a chance you take when wheeling with small axles)

3 - The stockers you pull out are 27 spline. That means you will already have a set of trail spares unless you break the stocker before putting in Alloy shafts.

That said, if you go with an ARB locker, you could use 30 spline side gears and run 30 spline shafts, which would be the same shafts that a Rubi runs. I'm just not convinced it is worth it on a 30.

edit - One more thing I will point out. A lot of the time when an axle blows up or someone breaks a shaft, it is because they are running open and have a wheel spinning fast on one side but not at all on the other. Then when they get traction on the fast-spinning wheel... CRACK! If you are going to run 35's on an open D30, you have to be careful about the skinny pedal. Locking it will help a lot with this as well...