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Front wheel bearing race stuck in Hub

tsitalon1

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Dec 29, 2010
Messages
309
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Montgomery Al
Need a bit of help guys.

I've done DSM wheel bearings before, but never had this problem...

Front bearing race is stuck in hub and my 12ton Harbor freight press is flexing and making me uncomfortable (even after tried torching it with a map gas torch)trying to push it out. I'm having difficulty getting the hub to sit flat on the press.

Tomorrow I plan to heat the hub up in the oven at 400º and then use dry ice on the race to see if I can loosen it that way.

In case your wondering my local machine shop refused the work stating "these are a pain in the ass".

Any other ideas?
 

andrew4g63

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Mar 9, 2006
Messages
192
Location
Lake Geneva, WI
I never had this problem with a galant but I do have this happen at work all the time with Ford Explorer rear wheel bearings.
I use the oxygen and Acetylene torch to cut a slit in race and the race falls out normally. It's the only thing I've found tgat doesn't get hairy
Or take very long.
 

EMX5636

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Bucks County, PA
Another couple ways, either cut a slit in the race with a cut off tool and then a metal chisel to split the race, or cut two slots about halfway into and halfway up the race, to allow a bearing splitter to be locked into the slots then use an H-bar to pull it off.
 

89Mirageman

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Stantonsburg, NC
Kinda confusing here, to me at least. Are you saying the outer race is stuck inside of the knuckle? Or are you saying the inner race won't come off the hub like the guys above are talking about?
 

Coltsfan

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May 4, 2014
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200
Location
Tonawanda
He's going to put put dry ice on the race (shrinking it) so he must mean the race is stuck in the knuckle.

I personally (and this works with rear Explorer bearings too) put the knuckle on a large block of wood, and use the appropriate diameter drift to pound the race out with a four foot long sledge hammer. It always works, no matter what.
 

89Mirageman

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That's kinda what I was thinking too Dayo.

To the OP, I know you said you've done this before and this is probably silly but you did remove the huge circlip correct?
 

Coltsfan

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Tonawanda
Good call on the clip Chris. It may be stating the obvious, but you just never know sometimes.
 

tsitalon1

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Dec 29, 2010
Messages
309
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Montgomery Al
Quoting 89Mirageman:
Kinda confusing here, to me at least. Are you saying the outer race is stuck inside of the knuckle? Or are you saying the inner race won't come off the hub like the guys above are talking about?



I'm sorry, I should have been more clear - It's the outter race stuck in the knuckle itself.
 
Last edited:

tsitalon1

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Dec 29, 2010
Messages
309
Location
Montgomery Al
Quoting 89Mirageman:
That's kinda what I was thinking too Dayo.

To the OP, I know you said you've done this before and this is probably silly but you did remove the huge circlip correct?



Absoluetely sir!
 

prove_it

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Sioux Falls, SD
Can you leave it for a couple of days? It's rust between the knuckle and outer race. If you can leave it, let it soak in WD-40 for a few days.

Also for freezing it, don't use dry ice. It works, but a can of compressed air turned upside down will work faster.
 

tsitalon1

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Montgomery Al
So the plan is to heat the knuckle in the oven at 400º and then freeze the race, does that still sound like a valid plan?
 

prove_it

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It does. Your attempting to shock the rust that's bonding the two surfaces together. Snap-ring is out right?

Also, you are pressing the bearing out of the front of the knuckle right? The side facing the spindle?

Stupid questions, but just checking.


I usually (and this is VERY dangerous) is set-up the press and apply all the pressure I can, then use the torch to heat the knuckle. Its worked every time so far.
 

tsitalon1

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Montgomery Al
Yep , snap ring is out and I'm pushing towards the snap ring side.

I"m not real comfortable with the current setup on the press using wrenches under it to level it, but I haven't found a better way yet. I'm nervous the wrenches are going to fly out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Maybe I'll heat/freeze and hit with 4lb baby sledge on the ground first /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

prove_it

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If its as bad as it sounds, i doubt the sledge will help. All else fails take it to a mitsu dealer and ask nicely if they could pop it out.

Yea the wrenches are sketchy. I've used 1" rect tubing to level when pressing.
 

tsitalon1

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Dec 29, 2010
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Montgomery Al
Got it!

400° in the oven for 45min...and then used a can of compressed air to freeze the race and press it out....took 5 mins or less <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the help guys!
 

prove_it

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No problem! glad you got it. Bet it felt great once it "popped".
 

tsitalon1

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Absolutely!!

Makes you wonder about the competency of the local machine shop though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I've given up on most of the machine shops in my area years ago anyway.
 

89Mirageman

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So glad you got it apart. Maybe make this a sticky or somebody do a how to for future use? Also I see why most machine shops don't do stuff like this. They'll wrestle with it for an hour or more using their tools and stuff and most people get upset if they charge over $10 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. That's an hour they wasted not working on something else that's paying $50 an hour or more.
 

prove_it

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Sioux Falls, SD
That's why you bring a box of donuts, or bagels. Food always makes techs and machinists happy.
 
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