It is pretty straight forward to replace the front hubs on
an AMC Eagle. If
you are a pretty good shade tree mechanic, it will take 1-2 hours to remove
the hubs, and 1-2 hours to install them.
The 1980 factory technical service manual states the following:
Removal:
1) Raise and support front of car
2) Remove wheel, caliper and rotor
3) remove bolts attaching axle shaft flange to halfshaft (the bolts that
hold the half shaft to the drive axle - loosening these bolts this should
be step #2)
4) remove cotter pin, nut lock and axle hub nut (loosening this nut should
be step #1)
5) remove half-shaft
6) remove steering arm from steering knuckle
7) remove caliper anchor plate from steering knuckle
8) remove three torx head bolts retaining hub assembly using tool set
J-25359 (the tool set is nothing special - just torx head sockets)
9) remove hub assembly from steering knuckle cavity.
The manual doesn't say anything about replacing the seal that is in the
knuckle - it is pretty easy. Buy two seals; your likely to screw up the
installation of one of them and they are cheap.
Installation:
1) Partially fill hub cavity of steering knuckle with chassis lubricant and
install hub assembly
2) tighten torx head bolts to 75 foot pounds (if you do not have a torque
wrench, now is a good time to buy one so that you are certain all bolts
involved in this repair are properly tightened.)
3) install caliper anchor plate and plate retaining bolts.
4) tighten caliper anchor plate retaining bolts to 100 foot pounds torque.
5) install steering arm bolts
6) tighten steering arm bolts to 100 foot pounds torque
7) install half shaft. Install axle flange to shaft bolts and install the
hub washer and nut.
8) Tighten the half shaft to flange bolts to 45 foot pounds
9) Tighten the hub nut to 175 foot pounds (the final tightening of the
flange bolts and hub nut may have to wait until the front wheels are on the
ground)
10 ) install hub lock nut over hub nut. Use a NEW cotter pin.
11) install rotor, caliper and wheel.
This was taken from the 1980 technical service manual. It should be good
for any year AMC Eagle.
Once the hub has been removed, take it to a good machine shop to get the
bearings pressed out and new bearings and seals installed in the hub. It
has been quite some time since I've had this done, but I would guess that
parts and installing them into the hub will cost less than $150 per side.
Standard disclaimers apply - I am not responsible for how you use this information, etc...