First, Atlantic British has a great video, so make sure you take a look.
https://www.roverparts.com/resources...placement-lr3/

This procedure is nothing new and there are plenty of write-ups. I just did the work and want to provide a couple tips. I wish I had taken more photos!

First a quick run-down of the basics.
• Remove the wheel center cap. If possible, get a socket in there to loosen the axel nut with the weight of the vehicle on the ground. Parking brake on. In theory this reduces stress on the drivetrain when you loosen the nut.
• The nut will be 32mm or 36mm. The nut was revised so make sure you have both sockets as the original may be 32 but the replacement may be 36. Also for 32mm a 1.25" will work perfectly. I recommend a six point socket only. Don't forget to push the indent out of the crown of the nut.
• Always use a new axle nut, they are cheap.
• You may want 3/4" sockets and breaker bar. My passenger side was not an issue but someone swapped the driver hub with a cheap one. They REALLY cranked the nut on. I broke two 1/2 breaker bars. I ended up buying another 32mm socket and a 30" breaker bar in 3/4" size, no issue in getting the nut off.
• If you can no get a socket into the center part of the wheel. Simply move onto removing the wheel, caliper and ABS sensor. Hang the caliper up via cable ties. And I recommend removing the 10mm nut holding the brake line/cables. Give you a little more working room.
• When you get the axle nut free, back it off the axel far enough that the axel threads are protected. Use the good hammer to smack the nut and pop the axel in. It actually has at least an inch of inward mobility. But you will not be able to back it out all the way, thats fine. Again, make sure you removed the ABS sensor. Its plastic and the axle will flop around once free. It can easily damage it.
• Take the rotor splash shield off. I think it was five or six small tori nuts that came out very easily. Having the shield off helps a great deal.
• Remove the four nuts holding the hub assembly. They are 15mm. They should not be hard to remove. I recommend penetrating oil and a wire brush. As the exposed thread were rusted, I used the brush to clean the threads. Then worked the bolts in and out several times while cleaning to safely remove them. Afterwards I use a bench grinder with brass disc to clean all the bolts up.
• At this point, all that is left is the hub removal.

• Fist tip, "rotate" the hub. Odds are its pretty rust welded. See pic below. But if you can sledge hammer at the dots marked, you can start to rotate the hub and break the rust bond. So start at the top point and hit it hard, enough to move a millimeter or so. Then hit the bottom, this will bring the top point back and probably past its original point. Keep doing this while soaking with penetrating oil. Essentially you are rocking the hub back and forth while working in some penetrating oil.
• Now that the initial bond is broke, its hammer time. If you look at the pic below, you can see a screwdriver between the knuckle and hub. I hit the hub at the outer portion, where the wheel studs are located. Your hub is toast, so this may finish it off. I kept hitting until I saw a small gap. You cant go too far with this because the opposite corner will not move out and the hub is essentially cocked a bit, jammed in place. So stick something into that gap that will hold it open. Now go to the diagonal lower corner (not in picture) and hit the hub. There is not much working working to get an actual outward hit, but do the best you can. When it starts to open, place a flathead in there to hold the gap and go back to the first location. Get the idea? You work back at forth and keep widening the gaps. Eventually the hub will come out.



Now that all the hard stuff is over, install is pretty straight forward. Clean all the contact surfaces! A Dremel works wonders to get in and remove the rust. Anti-Seize will not hurt, apply some to the axel spindle and the knuckle surfaces. Its a tight fit, so you do not need much more than a thin film. Apply some to the hub assembly itself also.

Keep in mind when putting the hub in, there is one position and you can not turn the axel much. Apply a small dab of blue lock-tight to the hub bolts and insert the four with finger tightening. Once the fit looks good, tighten to spec.
Install the axel nut. You can final torque if needed now or wait until the wheel is back on. Whichever method worked for removal. But you want the nut snug enough now to safely install the ABS sensor.
Install the caliper. Good time to check the slide pins for lubrication/movement.

Pretty much it. Its not a terrible job IF the nut comes off easily and IF the hub is not rusted in. I would set an afternoon to do this job if its your first time.

 

Some great tips, I found I did pretty much the same apart form having to use a blow torch to heat the hub as a sledge hammer alone did not budge it. you just have to be careful with the the heat and other parts/hoses/joints etc

 

Dakota Traveler,

Thanks for a great write up!

More than once have I got it up on jacks, just to notice I did not loosen the half shaft nut. Glad you put it at the top of the list (where it belongs).
My last hubs were so stuck I had to pull the while spindle and take it to a machine shop to get them pressed out. As for getting the half shaft out, I rented a 7 ton gear puller from the local parts store and put the three legs around the hub and forced the half shaft in until l was able to remove it my hand.

As for everyone's follow on suggestions (including mine here) just remember: It is easier to critique than to create.

Thanks for the write up, it did get me to think about the mistakes I have made on other times I have changed front hubs.

Now if I could only find some one who offered an rear spindle exchange it would be nice. It would worth money to have it show up complete, put the new one on the car, the old one in the box and mail it back. That way I would not have to chase down the parts, find a machine shop to do the hub/bearing and bushing pressing and the whole issue of driving back and fourth across town (which in Houston can be as dangerous as the last 10 laps at Talladegga on a Sunday afternoon).

Keep the write ups coming.
Jeff

 

 

Thanks everyone. I am not saying my way is the best or the correct way. Just the way I did it. So if one person can pull several ideas from several sources to get the job done, all the better!

I highly recommend looking up a "torque multiplier" if doing this job. Had my 3/4" tools not done the job (hard to believe it would not, but,..) then a multiplier would have been my next tool of choice. Not sure if they can be rented, but one that will do this job is about $70 shipped from Amazon. They come in various styles. The one with the hand crank should work.

 

Revised tip on extracting the hub. I left two hub bolts in place, just threaded them back in enough to see them on the outside of the hub. When facing the hub, one in the upper left and one in the lower right. Then with a large heavy hammer I taped each back and forth. Still putting a flathead screwdriver in the opening created on the opposite corner. Also I used the sledge hammer more like a large rock to control and direct it. It's way too easy to damage a CV boot. It took no time at all to work it out!