R50 Pathfinder: Preload Adjustment/Sheared off bearing bolts

[nobb]

I have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder (R50) and I was attempting to take off my front axle to inspect the CV boot due to minor cracking and also because the boot required tightening since the edges were leaking.

When I put everything back together, I was tightening the 6 bolts onto the wheel bearing lock nut (I think that's what the big metal disk which the 6 bolts screw onto is called?) and two of the bolts sheared right off. Not sure why it happened so easily since I was using a torque wrench and was nowhere near the 78 Nm torque spec yet. So my first question is...how crucial are these bolts? They seem mostly for centering the wheel axle on the bearing and to transfer the force from the axle to the wheel. Does the entire wheel hub need to be replaced?

Question 2: How important is preloading the bearings and how do you do it? I noticed the service manual recommends preloading the bearings after disassembling the axle or changing out the bearings but all that it is is a tightening of the bolts around the wheel bearing lock nut/wheel hub. Also, the steps become very complicated and also seems to reference the use of specialty tools for the preloading. Is it sufficient to just tighten all the bolts to the same torque spec and call it a day?

Thoughts? Thanks.

[ARKQX33V6]

4 WD?
Yes?
Preload is needed for torque application and gear take up.
Can you remove these broken bolts, then replace, the torque should be evenly spaced.

Before removing the wheel assemblies did you notice that it took a bit of effort to rotate the wheel, that effort keeps any gear surfaces in a correct contact patch stopping hunting and banging of the gear surfaces.

Yep it's a pain but try to remove, replace and as per the book use a spring scale if you do not remember the effort it took to turn the wheels before you removed them

[nobb]

Im going to try to remove the bolts by attempting to drill them out using EZ-Out. If that doesnt work, are there any tips on what to try next? Does the whole assembly need to be replaced?

[ARKQX33V6]

1 step at a time, use the square EZouts the reverse thread type are too soft. Align carefully, use liquid wrench or a good penetrating oil and use your drill and bits at a slower speed but centered and aligned. Good luck, take your time!

You may want to sharpen your drill bit with a deeper angle to center.

[Chuck Tribolet]

You might want to get the good titanium drill bits, and start with a small bit to drill a pilot hole for the final size. I had to EZout
some stainless bolts on my boat, and the final drill by itself wasn't making much progress, but when I drilled a pilot hole, it still took
about five minutes, but it worked.