F@ck my life!

[Avatard]

Any pointers on getting the stuck race off the fucking hub?

I have a hunch I'm looking at the same shit on the other side.

[wildchild]

small cut off wheel? Die grinder/dremel size. not sure if it would work, seems I don't get real imaginative about the fix until the problem is staring me in the face.

[Avatard]

I was gonna heat it, see if it slides off...but I gotta say, I'm not too thrilled with heating something as important as the hub. I'm kinda freaked out, in fact, that the only thing that really even keeps the wheels on the car, by design, is the press fit of the bearings.

[Particle Man]

Dremel FTW

[OTB]

Originally Posted by Avatard

I was gonna heat it, see if it slides off...but I gotta say, I'm not too thrilled with heating something as important as the hub. I'm kinda freaked out, in fact, that the only thing that really even keeps the wheels on the car, by design, is the press fit of the bearings.

Don't heat the hub....go buy a 1# chunk of dry ice from the local Safeway (ours has a DI bin). Break off a chunk (same some for the other side), put it in a plastic bag and rap it with a piece of wood. Put the crushed DI in a small plastic sandwich bag and set it in the bearing housing for about 20 seconds.

Tap it with a drift and it will fall right off.

Reverse the process to put the new one in; chill the bearing, don't heat the hub; keeps from damaging the dirt shields on shielded bearings.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by OTB

Don't heat the hub....go buy a 1# chunk of dry ice from the local Safeway (ours has a DI bin). Break off a chunk (same some for the other side), put it in a plastic bag and rap it with a piece of wood. Put the crushed DI in a small plastic sandwich bag and set it in the bearing housing for about 20 seconds.

Tap it with a drift and it will fall right off.

Reverse the process to put the new one in; chill the bearing, don't heat the hub; keeps from damaging the dirt shields on shielded bearings.

Well, the bearing (3/4 of it anyway) is already off (so I need not worry about hurting the plastic ball retainers). I actually bought a fancy FWD bearing press tool, with a bunch of different mandrels to remove and replace the bearing. Only one side of the inner race remains, stuck on the neck of the hub, and my intention was to heat the race (not actually the hub, which if anything, like you suggested, I was inclined to chill).

I just don't know what's worse, the cold applied to the hub, or the collateral heat from heating the race to get it off. Bottom line; temperature does shit to metal no matter what.



Not thrilled with the fact that a press fit is all that holds the wheels on the car...but I guess that's the deal.

I hate FWD cars. What a colossal bad idea.

[Rangerscott]

Dumb question time. Is this hub actually meant to be rebuildable? I know there are some hubs that the bearings are pressed in at factory and when something goes out, its all new hub time.


If you're good with a torch, you can heat a spot on the race up just enough and hit the torch lever just enough to blow away a little at a time and not screw up the hub. I did this with my rear axles. The 1" wide spacers that are pressed on where giving me hell. Using a grinder and ending up sliding and getting into the axle didn't seem good. Yes I know using a grinder to get a spacer or race off on an axle is in probably every FSM. I had no problem heating up a line and just blowing a little off at a time.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by Rangerscott

Dumb question time. Is this hub actually meant to be rebuildable?

As far as I know, yes. They sell the bearings, and there are even videos on YouTube showing how to replace them.

Naturally, in the real world, things don't just go zip-zip-zip like they do in the instructionals (even with the fancy press tool).

Originally Posted by Rangerscott

I know there are some hubs that the bearings are pressed in at factory and when something goes out, its all new hub time.

I've seen the hubs for sale on eBay...I think now I know why.

Considering just getting two new ones, and saying "fuck it". Getting this shit off just sucks my ass.

Originally Posted by Rangerscott

If you're good with a torch, you can heat a spot on the race up just enough and hit the torch lever just enough to blow away a little at a time and not screw up the hub. I did this with my rear axles. The 1" wide spacers that are pressed on where giving me hell. Using a grinder and ending up sliding and getting into the axle didn't seem good. Yes I know using a grinder to get a spacer or race off on an axle is in probably every FSM. I had no problem heating up a line and just blowing a little off at a time.

I'm not great with a torch, I'm not awful. I've cut up a lot of shit, but I'm a little squeamish about hurting the bearing area on the hub. I do, however, sincerely doubt I'd have the patience to cut that shit off with a whiz wheel.

I think I just need to get real good with a torch real fast.

[Rangerscott]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqbjQgvcDkY&NR=1

[z06boy]

Originally Posted by Avatard

Anti-seize just may be your best friend ever.

Good idea...never used it for this but I've never broken a stud until the other week either.