How to Replace Front Wheel Bearings in Nissan Trucks

A wheel bearing carries the weight of the wheel and helps to prevent excessive wear on the spindle or driveshaft. When a wheel bearing begins to wear out on your Nissan truck and is ready to fail, you will hear a "hum" or "whistle" coming from that wheel while you are moving. The faster you move, the more "hum" or "whistle" you will likely notice. Check the Nissan's front wheel bearings every 30,000 miles and replace them if necessary.

Put the vehicle in park or first gear (if it is standard) and engage the emergency brake. Place the socket end of the tire wrench over the lug nuts and turn 1/8 degrees to break the nuts loose.

Jack up the Nissan truck using the factory front jack point located behind the radiator. This is an extension of the frame that will support the weight of the vehicle.

Loosen the lug nuts the rest of the way and remove the wheel.

Unbolt the top and bottom caliper mounting bolts and lift the caliper off the brake rotor.

Secure the brake caliper to the coil springs above it with the zip ties.

Pull the brake rotor off. For Nissan trucks, it should pull straight off the hub assembly, but you may have to hit it with a rubber mallet to knock it loose from the hub assembly.

Remove the bearing cap. You will need to use the channel locks for this. Grab the bearing cap with the end of the channel locks and twist the channel locks back and forth until you work the bearing cap loose and can pull it off.

Grab the end of the cotter pin on the spindle nut and pull it out of the nut.

Put the socket end of the socket wrench over the spindle nut and turn counterclockwise to loosen/remove the spindle nut.

Remove the wheel bearing. You may have to tap it out with a rubber mallet or a hammer.

Remove the bearing races from the hub by tapping them out with a hammer and punch tool. You will have to do this for both sides of the hub.

Clean the inside of the hub with shop towels or rags.

Clean the spindle and spindle nut with rags and brake parts cleaner.

Install the new wheel bearing. You may need to tap it into the hub using a rubber mallet. Be careful that you do not damage the new bearing. For this reason, it is recommended that you use a rubber mallet and not a hammer for this job.

Reassemble the hub assembly, brake and rotor assembly, and put the wheel back on. Installation is the reverse of removal.

Tighten the lug nuts so that the wheel fits snugly against the wheel. Then lower the vehicle to the ground and torque the lug nuts to 100 foot-pounds with the torque wrench.