Well I've been real busy with work and recently had new tires and wheels put on my new (to me)truck. When they were doing an inspection they noticed the front brakes were nearly gone and the rotors looked well worn. I asked how much they would charge to have the pads and rotors replaced and they quoted me $490. I thought geez that's pretty high and asked why so much. They mentioned that the hubs need to be pulled, etc...so is that price way high or am I missing something here??

I've done disc brakes before but I have never had to pull a hub. Is this what needs to be done and is it a big deal for a backyard mechanic?

Thanks.

Just remember not one person in here new how to do it till they actually got out the wrenches and did it how many miles are on your truck ? if you do it yourself and you are going to be in there change your bearings and swap in new rotors get new pads hell buy new calipers and what ever else you can go buy a new craftsman tool set and still be money ahead . Here is the best part if you ever happen to break something when you are offroad you will be able to fix it $490 will get you a long way it will take you about 2 hours per side i think and if you get stuck just jump on you computer

The truck has only 73K on it. And it's an '89 4x4 pickup with stock wheels and stock sized tires.

My main concern is finding the time to do it.

I'm a bit confused about whether the hubs need to be removed or not. The links Little Joe sent seem not to show that but James Chow suggests they do with a specific torqueing procedure for resetting them. The Haynes manual isn't too specific(surprise, surprise) but shows the hubs being removed.

Is this an easy enough procedure? That $490 pricetag got me spooked.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I concur,

DIY, it is really trivial. take s alittle time but you will do a better job then the shop. I replaced rotors, calipers, pads, and repacked the bearings on both front wheels in practically no time. I took a little extra time to clean and regrease my AISIN locks too. Now I can atually turn then without a wrench!!!! (Heheehehe, stupid mud in my locks, that what I get for playing in the river)

Jay

If you install new rotors, you have to pull the hub off. Then when you pull the rotor off the outer bearing will fall in your hand. Get a $3 seal puller to pull the inner rotor seal. Then use the front-end maintenance series of articles to guide you through this, including reassembly.

Redoing the bearings and seals will take much more time than the brakes. Brakes can be done in minutes, but the whole rotor/bearing/seal/hub thang will probably take 2-3 hrs one side, then half that on the other.

use Pemrtex Hylomar instead of the factory paper gaskets on the hub body and dial, makes subsequent work easier. Lather up the cone washers with anti-seize to make subsequent removal easier. And don't be afraid to whack the living **** out of the studs holding the cone washers by placing a drift on them and smacking that with a steel hammer.

If you read the articles, they walk you through step by step and you should also figure out which tools you need.

It really is easy work, it just takes a little time your first time.

i belive the calipers with pads installed are $47.00 each from pepboys i installed them in an hour, and that is including going to two parts stores during traffic. i replaced the back shoes in about an hour also. the trick is to do one side at a time. once you get the main spring off its a breeze. is even easier the second time. i did it like 3 times faster.

Thanks for all the tips.

Does anyone know the front Timken bearing and race part # for the '89 4x4 PU?

Jim,
Go to www.autozone.com they sell all the Timken bearings you need to do the front. Heck, you can even send your parts list to the store from their site. ONE THING: Print a copy of your store list to take with you. You'll need inner and outer bearings, races for both, and a wheel seal. The wheel seal price caught me off guard at around $13, but you have to have it. You may want to check out your "wheel cylinder oil seal" too. It's where the hub slides into the dust shield. If these are bad, get them from the dealer. I will get you the numbers for them if you want. If these are bad, then all the work you are doing with the bearings etc. will be for naught. Plus, they're easy, it's only 8 or so small bolts. I'll find a link to my previous post about this, as I JUST did all wheel bearings, seals, gaskets (GO WITH HYLOMAR as Joe said, I would've if I hadn't already ordered the gaskets from the dealer.)
Also, buy a torque wrench, this will help you be more secure in knowing that you did the job RIGHT. I have all the FSM pages for this job if you want them. Good luck and let me know if you need any help w/part #'s or procedures,as it is fresh in my head.

If you replace the rotors you will need to pull the hubs. Big woop. Big bucks? Hardly. I can have a hub with rotor off in 10-15 minutes max. The hardest part is the cone washers, and they are more annoying than anything else.

You will need a hub socket. Look at the articles already posted.

One trick that saves lots of time is not to disconnect the front brake caliper. Instead, pull that metal tab that connects the hard/soft lines, unbolt the caliper, and pivot it up and forwards and let it hang w/ a piece of string/rope. Jam something between the pads to keep them from coming together.

Next trick (I've yet to try but a toyota mechanic told me it) is you don't even need a seal puller. Once you get the hub/rotor off, remove the outer bearing, put the hub/rotor back on the spindle. Reinstall the washer and axle nut and screw it in by hand some. Now grab the entire rotor and try to yank it off the spindle. The washer (position is fixed by the axle nut) pushes against the inside of the inner bearing, which pops out the seal in the back. You could even reuse the seal if you absolutely had to this way.

-Jim