On the 13th-gen F-150 the front bearing is a sealed hub unit with the wheel speed sensor built in, bolted through the back of the steering knuckle with three big bolts. Mechanically it is a straightforward job - caliper off, rotor off, axle nut off on 4x4, three bolts out - and the hard part is almost always corrosion where the hub flange sits in the knuckle bore. Plan on a slide hammer puller and a wire brush, not more muscle.
What varies is drivetrain, not engine: 4x4 trucks add a 30 mm halfshaft nut and the need to push the axle stub back through the splines, while 2WD trucks are just three bolts and a stub-free hub. The mistake people make is skipping the knuckle bore cleanup, or pressing the new hub in by tightening the axle nut. Both lead to a hub that sits crooked, gives an intermittent ABS light, and howls again within a year.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5 ton or larger, lift at the front crossmember or lower control arm Raises the front of the truck; F-150s are heavy and sit high. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair, under the frame rail Supports the truck while you work with force on the hub. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (some accessory/steel wheels use 21 mm) Removes the wheel. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24-30 in Cracks lug nuts, the axle nut and the high-torque hub bolts loose. | Required | shop |
| Axle nut socket 30 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (4x4 only) Removes the halfshaft nut at the center of the hub flange. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 21 mm deep and 18 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive 21 mm for the hub-to-knuckle bolts and caliper anchor bracket; 18 mm for caliper guide pin bolts on many trucks. | Required | shop |
| Extensions and wobble/swivel 1/2 in drive, 6 in and 10 in plus wobble extension The three hub bolts sit behind the knuckle with limited straight access. | Required | shop |
| Impact wrench 1/2 in drive, cordless or air, 700+ ft-lb nut-busting Makes the axle nut and rusted hub bolts far easier and saves fighting the rotor. | Recommended | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 50-250 ft-lb range Axle nut, hub bolts, caliper bracket and lug nuts are all high-torque fasteners. | Required | shop |
| Slide hammer with hub puller 5-lug bolt-on hub puller plate, slide hammer style Pulls the corroded hub flange out of the knuckle bore without damaging it. | Required | shop |
| Ball-peen or dead blow hammer 2-3 lb Taps the halfshaft stub back through the hub spline and shocks the hub loose. | Required | shop |
| Brass drift or soft punch 3/4 in brass Drives the halfshaft splines back without mushrooming the threads. | Recommended | shop |
| Pry bar 18-24 in Separates the hub from the knuckle and pushes the halfshaft clear. | Recommended | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire Hangs the caliper so its flexible brake hose is not stretched. | Required | shop |
| Torx / hex driver set T25-T30 and 8 mm hex, 1/4 in drive For the brake hose/ABS harness bracket screws and shield fasteners on the knuckle. | Recommended | shop |
| Trim / harness clip tool Small nylon pry set Releases the wheel speed sensor connector clip and harness retainers at the frame rail. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush and knuckle bore cleaner Wire brush plus abrasive pad or bore brush The knuckle bore must be cleaned to bare metal or the new hub will not seat square. | Required | shop |
| Penetrating oil PB Blaster or equivalent Soak the hub flange, axle nut and hub bolts the night before. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize or nickel anti-seize Small tube, nickel-based Thin film on the knuckle bore and rotor hat only, never on bolt threads that need torque. | Consumables | shop |
| Brake cleaner Non-chlorinated, 2 cans Cleans the rotor, hub face and any grease overspray. | Consumables | shop |
| Threadlocker Medium strength blue, if new bolts are not pre-coated Hub bolts are often supplied with coating; replace it if you reuse bolts. | Consumables | shop |
| Front hub and bearing assembly Correct part for 2WD or 4WD and for 6-lug 2015-2020 F-150; integrated ABS sensor The bearing is not serviceable separately. | Parts | shop |
| Hub retaining bolts 3 per side, M14 flange bolts (reuse only if clean and undamaged) Cheap insurance on a high-torque fastener that often comes out corroded. | Parts | shop |
| Gloves and eye protection Rust, brake dust and slide hammer work. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Pair Keeps the truck from moving with one front wheel off. | Safety | shop |
Tool sizes do not change with the 2.7 EcoBoost, 3.5 EcoBoost, 3.3/3.5 V6 or 5.0 V8 - the front suspension and hub hardware are shared. The real split is 2WD vs 4x4: only 4x4 needs the 30 mm axle nut socket and a drift to push the halfshaft back. Brake package (standard vs heavy-duty payload/Raptor) can change caliper bolt heads between 18 mm and 21 mm and rotor size, so test-fit sockets before reaching for the breaker bar.
| Front wheel lug nuts | 150 ft-lb (204 Nm) |
| Front halfshaft (axle) nut, 4x4 | 221 ft-lb (300 Nm) - verify in the service manual |
| Wheel hub/bearing to steering knuckle bolts | verify in the service manual (high, in the 130-150 ft-lb range) |
| Brake caliper anchor bracket to knuckle bolts | verify in the service manual |
| Brake caliper guide pin bolts | verify in the service manual |
Sizes here (22 mm lugs, 30 mm 4x4 axle nut, 21 mm hub and caliper bracket bolts, 18 mm caliper guide pins) match the common 2015-2020 F-150 setups, but caliper hardware varies with brake package and some fasteners come loose to a slightly different size, so check each bolt with a socket before applying force, and confirm hub bolt and caliper torque values in the Ford workshop manual for your VIN.
30 mm, 6-point, 1/2 in drive. Crack it loose with the wheel on the ground and the brake applied, and torque it back to roughly 221 ft-lb - confirm the figure for your VIN in the manual and use a new nut if it is a torque-to-yield type.
No. The hub bolts out through the back of the knuckle with the knuckle still on the truck. You only remove the caliper, caliper bracket, rotor and (on 4x4) the axle nut.
Usually the hub is not fully seated in a clean bore, the new sensor pigtail is not fully clicked in, or the harness is pinched. Clean the bore to bare metal, make sure the flange sits flush, then clear the stored code with a scan tool - the light will not always self-clear.
No. That loads the bearing through its races and ruins it. The hub should slide into a cleaned knuckle bore with light hand pressure or gentle taps on the flange, then the three bolts pull it home.