Wheel bearing removal

B

BGTONY1

New member
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
11
Does anyone know an reliable way to safely remove the bearing assembly from my steering knuckle. (THE RAM IN THE SIG)

I was able to get the knuckle off by cutting the ball joint studs with a cutoff tool. But the bearing won't budge with the air hammer or the biggest BFH I have.

I'm thinking I'll try finding someone with a press. But I'm a little afraid of some careless ass cracking the knuckle.

How does the dealer get them out. I've heard they just destroy them and simply charge you for the bearing.

Anybody?

Thanks
Tony
 
the wheel bearings are a one unit deal now have to buy the whole hub assembly now to get wheel bearing at least on 4x4's
 
Yes, I realize that the bearing is part of a unit. I'm talking about removing the unit from the knuckle. The bearing assembly is frozen in the knuckle. I need to remove it so I put the knuckle back on the truck.

Tony
 
well, i did mine but was one the truck. i took an air chisel and used it on both sides of the bearing between the bearing and the housing where it goes in. Took me about hour and a half to get one side out. you can all so put a socket over the bolt in the back and get a round punch to go through the socket and go against the bolt and air hammer it that way. you really can't heat the housing cause it could melt the seals. one side took me about 2.5 hrs. to get apart. best luck i had was when on the truck, take 1/2 drive extensions and build them up till they go against something solid and then start the truck and use the power steering like a press. helps to have someone with a big hammer to whack it when there is pressure on it. once apart, i used anti-seize on the bearings so that the second time around wouldn't be as bad.
 
Last edited:
once you take the four bolts out that hold hub on I use a pulley and hook it on the rotor and the center on the axle tighten it up to it is alittle hear to turn and then you can tap on the unit with a air chisel or same time a hammer on the edge of the rotor and it will start coming off put watch it close because sometime it will pull the unit apart and the square end of the hub unit is still stuck to the truck put if that happens it does make it easier to get at that part then.
 
You can use the power steering trick. Use the socket for the 4 14mm bolts that hold the unit bearing and an extension wedged below the spring bucket on the flat surface and turn the wheel to push the unit bearing out. Make sure to leave the large axle nut on so the bearing unit doesn't separate.
 
Thanks everybody for the responses.

I like the power steering press idea but I have all the steering linkage out of the truck because I'm replacing all of it. Everything was wasted and I'm in the middle of installing a 5 inch lift so I wanted all new parts.

Here's what I ended up doing today. I work as a CAD designer for a pattern shop so I have ability to fab almost anything I put my mind to. After a little thought last night I came up with a good idea.

So today after work I made a large slide hammer.

I turned up a tight bushing out of delrin to fit inside the middle of the bearing where the axle shaft fits. It has a 1/2" hole drilled in the middle. Inside the 1/2" hole I pushed in a 6 foot long piece of rod. This is the guide for hammer part of the slide.

Then I turned up a 4 3/8 dia X 2 inch long piece of cold rolled steel. This is what strikes the side of the bearing opposite the flange. It's relieved on the face that strikes the bearing so that it only hits the outer edge.

I didn't have to but I also pressed in a delrin bushing in the middle of the hammer part. It's a slip fit so that it slides easy along the rod and it allows the hammer to hit the bearing squarely.

Then I welded another piece of round stock onto the backside of the hammer for added weight. It probably weighs about 15lbs total.

Then I set up the knuckle on the bench and clamped it securely, up on blocks, so the bearing was free to fall out the bottom as I hit the other side with the slide.

Then I inserted the locating bushing and 6ft long 1/2" dia rod into the center.
After that I slipped the hammer part over the other end of the rod and let it fall from about 6ft. It worked great. I ended up adding more force as I let it go and after about 10 hits it fell out the bottom. Done deal. It worked really well!:rockwoot:

I did take pics and emailed them home but I haven't recieved them yet to post them. I'll post them when I get them. Thanks

Tony
 
I got tired of destroying dust shields and my hands so I bought a puller from spx-OTC part no.6290.This also works on ford and chevys as well it is expensive but well worth it.It usually takes me 30seconds to 10minutes if it is stubborn to remove a bearing hub.
 
Ruined mine the first time I had to take them off but now never seize is my best friend! Makes the second time a whole lot easier!
 
I bought a tool from matco P/N HUB4. Its $100, works great. I have averaged about 5 minutes getting one off and havent busted one yet like I do with the slide hammer
 
I wiggled a screw driver in behind mine and just worked it around till it came loose. I'm gonna try the power steering trick soon cause I think the passenger side hub is about to go out.
 
If you look behind the rotor at the top of the knuckle there is a groove machined into the knuckle. This groove is there to allow access to the wheel bearing/hub assembly. You need to get a punch & grind the end sharp, then just put it down into the groove & hit it with a BFH. I just changed 5 sets of balljoints this week & used this method on all trucks to take the hub off, works like dream. Make sure that you clean the bearing & knuckle with a wire wheel & put antiseize on the mounting surface, next time the bearing will fall off of the truck.
 
I just did mine saturday with the powersteering press trick....awesome. I used a short socket and and extension so I could push against the inner C on teh housing. worked awesome. I read about it on another board but I can't find it to thanks the guy for the idea.

I cleaned it up real good reassembled with anti sease grease. did all 4 ball joints in about 3 hours.
 
Blue, the powersteering trick plus a BMFH work very well at getting the stuck hubs off the truck. I used it on my truck about 2 months ago, make sure you have a helper to turn the wheel and alot of patience. But since you are from texas your hubs might not be as rusted on as mine were.
 
Turns out it was a rotor and pad that had gone bad but mine are rusted on pretty good. In it's younger days my truck liked to play in the ocean.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top