On the DS Ram 1500 the front bearing is a sealed hub unit that bolts to the back of the steering knuckle with three bolts, and the wheel speed sensor and tone ring live inside it. That means no press work and no bearing races — mechanically it is a straightforward bolt-off, bolt-on job, and most of the labor time is fighting rust between the hub flange and the knuckle bore. Budget the extra time and buy or rent a slide hammer before you start, especially on a salt-belt truck.
Engine choice makes no difference here, but drivetrain does: 4WD trucks have a 36 mm axle nut and splined stub to deal with, 2WD trucks do not. The thing people get wrong is not cleaning the knuckle bore. Leave rust scale in there and the new hub sits cocked, which gives you a bearing hum again in a year and sometimes an intermittent ABS fault. Wire-wheel it to bare metal, wipe it clean, then install.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2.5 ton minimum Lift the front of the truck at the crossmember or lower control arm. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 3 ton pair Support the frame while the wheel is off. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Block the rear wheels before lifting. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 22 mm deep 6-point, 1/2 in drive (thin wall for alloy wheels) Remove the wheel; most DS Rams use 22 mm lug nuts. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Crack the axle nut, caliper bracket bolts and hub bolts loose. | Required | shop |
| Axle nut socket 36 mm 6-point, 1/2 in drive (4WD only) Removes the front axle shaft nut on 4x4 models. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 1/2 in and 3/8 in drive metric, 10-22 mm Caliper bracket bolts (21 mm), ABS harness bracket and dust shield hardware (10 mm). | Required | shop |
| Hex/Allen bit sockets 8 mm and 10 mm hex, 3/8 in drive Some DS front calipers use hex-head slide pin bolts instead of 13 mm hex heads. | Recommended | shop |
| Hub bolt socket 15 mm 12-point (verify; some trucks use 18 mm 12-point), 1/2 in drive The three hub-to-knuckle bolts behind the knuckle; measure yours before buying. | Required | shop |
| Socket extensions and swivel 1/2 in drive, 6 in and 10 in plus universal joint Reach the rear hub bolts past the axle shaft and steering components. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Hub bolts, caliper bracket, axle nut and lug nuts are all high-torque fasteners. | Required | shop |
| Penetrating oil PB Blaster or similar Soak the hub flange, bolts and axle splines the night before. | Consumables | shop |
| Dead blow hammer 3 lb Drive the axle stub out of the hub splines and shock a stuck hub loose. | Required | shop |
| Front hub puller / slide hammer Slide hammer with 5-lug bolt-on flange, or three-jaw puller Corroded hubs often will not come out of the knuckle by hand. | Recommended | shop |
| Caliper hanger or bungee Hang the caliper so the flex hose is not stretched. | Required | shop |
| Pry bar 18 in Work the hub free and lever the rotor off the studs. | Recommended | shop |
| Wire brush / die grinder with wire wheel Clean rust out of the knuckle bore so the new hub seats flat. | Required | shop |
| Brake parts cleaner Clean the knuckle bore, rotor hat and mating faces. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize compound Nickel or copper based Thin film on the knuckle bore only, so the next hub comes out. | Consumables | shop |
| Threadlocker Blue, medium strength On hub bolts if the new hardware does not come pre-coated. | Consumables | shop |
| Hub assembly Front hub/bearing with integrated ABS sensor; 4WD and 2WD units differ The bearing is not serviceable separately on this truck. | Parts | shop |
| Axle nut New nut recommended, 4WD The axle nut is a staked/locking design and is best replaced. | Parts | shop |
| Safety glasses and gloves Rust and penetrating oil come down in your face working behind the knuckle. | Safety | shop |
Engine has no effect on tool sizes for this job — 3.6 Pentastar, 4.7, 5.7 Hemi and 3.0 EcoDiesel all use the same front hub hardware. What varies is 2WD vs 4WD (only 4WD has the 36 mm axle nut and axle stub) and production changes in the hub bolt head, which is 15 mm 12-point on most trucks and 18 mm 12-point on some; heavier-brake trims may also use hex-head caliper slide pins (8 mm or 10 mm Allen) instead of 13 mm hex heads.
| Hub/bearing-to-knuckle bolts (3) | 129 ft-lb (175 Nm) |
| Front axle shaft nut (4WD) | verify in the service manual (commonly cited around 130-185 ft-lb depending on year) |
| Brake caliper adapter/bracket-to-knuckle bolts | 130 ft-lb (176 Nm) |
| Caliper slide pin bolts | 26 ft-lb (35 Nm) — verify for your caliper |
| Wheel lug nuts | 130 ft-lb (176 Nm) |
| Brake dust shield screws | verify in the service manual |
Hub bolt torque (129 ft-lb), caliper bracket torque (130 ft-lb) and lug torque (130 ft-lb) are well established for the DS Ram 1500, but hub bolt head size varies between 15 mm and 18 mm 12-point and the 4WD axle nut torque varies by year, so measure the bolt head and confirm the axle nut spec in a factory service manual for your exact year.
36 mm on 4WD DS Ram 1500 trucks, and you want a 6-point socket on a 1/2 in breaker bar. 2WD trucks have no axle nut — the hub is just bolted to the knuckle.
129 ft-lb (175 Nm) on the 2009-2018 Ram 1500. Use a torque wrench, not an impact, and start all three by hand so the hub pulls into the bore squarely.
No. The DS Ram 1500 front bearing is a sealed unit pressed into the hub with the ABS sensor and tone ring integrated, so it is replaced as a complete assembly.
Usually a pinched or misrouted sensor wire, an unplugged connector, or the hub not seated flat in a rusty knuckle bore. If the wiring is right, a scan tool will clear the stored code after a short drive.