Thaddeus

OK...

I am replacing my front bearings.

I have the wheel off the car, the caliper off the rotor, the rotor off the hub, the hub off the spindle, the outer bearing and race out of the hub, and the inner bearing and inner bearing seal out of the hub. Only the inner race stands between me and reassembly, and maybe being able to drive this damned car.

I have tried patiently tapping at the inner race with a punch, carefully, carefully, and it doesn't want to move.

Please somebody tell me a quick, easy, cheap, foolproof way to get that damn thing out. I've already been down the road of slow, hard, expensive, and foolhardy too many times already....

UKKid35

Apparenty you put the hub in the oven, though I've never had to change it myself.

Thaddeus

Do you put your head in the oven before or after that step?

jpitman2

I would try heating the hub, as the alloy should expand more than the steel race...then you have to handle it with gloves (oven mitts?) while you try to drift the race out. I have never done it on an alloy hub, but on iron ones its just a matter of having a cold chisel or drift with a pretty sharp edge (square at least, no burrs or rounding), and pick up the small edge of the race thats available as best you can and smite it , working your way around as you go. Can be hard to start them moving sometimes. If you could find something (or make it) that JUST fitted through the hub, but sat on the race edge all around, it would be much easier....
jp 83 Euro S AT 48k

Bill Ball

There are notches in the hub that allow you to bang on the back of race with a long cold chisel or similar. You may put a few gouges in the hub wall, but these are inconsequential. I didn't heat the hub, but that sounds like it would help.

Garth S

Warm the whole Al hub to ~350 F in the oven, withdraw and puch the race out using the guide slots - done it several times: reheat and or chill the race to reinstall. Only Hansel & Grettle are allowed in the oven ....

Thaddeus

I am thinking about building a jig that would use a hydraulic bottle jack to press the race out. Then maybe I can use the same jig to press the new ones in. has anybody done this, and if so, are there any gotchas?

Bill Ball

Gotchas? Yeah, make sure you don't put the race in backwards. Gotme.

Chris

I put mine in the oven when the wife was not looking, came out v easy, I had been like you hammering the crap out of with punch before. I put new bearing race in freezer too.

Oh yeah wash all the grease off before putting in the oven.

Chris

Don '85S3

Have you tried dynamite?

Thaddeus

I will if the jig I build Sunday doesn't work.

Rufus Sanders

Thadd,

Well, did it work? - Ruf

Thaddeus

I'll know Sunday, Ruf. I sure hope so.

Bill Ball

I did like John D. No problems other than the initial race I put in backwards.

Thaddeus

Well,

I built a jig out of 2X4's and 4X4's and tried to use a hydraulic jack to press the race out. Or rather, I -woould- have, except I was unable to fabricate a 'key' that would lay across the race and fit in the 2 notches. The key was either too long to go into place, or too short to bridge the span. So much for my plan.

So I went back to the punch. tap, rotate, tap, rotate.... for an hour. The race finally came out.

Then I tried to use my jig to press the new races in. Let me tell you: the amount of force required exceeds the strength of a two-by-four. They deflected under load, such that I could not get a straight-and-level press on the races. result: I put the old races over the new ones, and tap-rotate-tap for another half hour apiece. Now they are in.

Rotor is on.

Out of time today, but perhaps I can drive the car tomorrow. Fingers crossed....