Is this hub ruined? Advice? (see photo)

[Blaine B.]

Well, if it happened, it IS possible. If your wheel comes off along with the rotor, etc....you fawk up your caliper, and could possibly bend your axle housing! And maybe kill yourself and passengers and even other people in another vehicle if you lose control. Is it really worth it to keep it on there?

Just replace it! Go to a junkyard and find a good one. That's what I did, of course it wasn't the usual pick and pull. I went to a better place. They had a few hubs on the shelf.

 

[87manche]

WOW ! This site rocks:yelclap:
I am a newbie here and posted this just last night.
I checked it this morning to see if there was a response and there were 10!
Thanks everyone for trying to help.

I was able to press that bearing back together with the axle nut and it seems
fine, but I will probably end up replacing it soon just to be safe.

I will attempt once again to remove the hub today using some of the
techniques suggested.

well, if you consider the information here worth it, please support the forum, or if you want to come wheel with us, become a full member.
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And I see no reason to take this to a garage.
You've already destroyed the bearing, go get a big hammer, and beat it off.
The first time I did mine they were so rusted to the knuckle that I destroyed the bearing just like you.
so I just grabbed a sledge hammer, whacked the side of it a few times and it popped right off.

 

[falcon556]

Well I tried many different ways to remove the darn hub with no luck.
Tried the bolts from the back trick, driving a chisel behind the three mounting
spots for the hub, tried beating on the round flange with the axle nut re-installed.
Finally I went out and borrowed a slide hammer puller for axles and tried using it
to pull off the remaining hub, alternating between different bolts. I though for sure
this would work but it did not budge.
I guess I officially give up and will have to take it to a garage (GRRR)

Here is a pic of the puller I tried:

A flat chisel with the flat side against the shield did the trick for me.
If you have a large air hammer/rivet gun, it will take it out unless it is rusted solid. If you don't, the largest hammer that you have.

 

[Matthew Currie]

Sometimes it's harder than normal. I had to do one on my son's 96, which was not only frozen to the knuckle, but had rust buildup in the bolts. If you've had one of these off, you will know that the three bolts holding the hub on are necked down, mainly to prevent seizure. But in this case, a lifetime by the Massachusetts seashore had filled the area with tight rust, and one of the bolts would not turn at all. I sheared it off, and it still would not pull off. I stripped the threads on a high quality slide-hammer axle puller. Finally I had to torch the ear off the hub, pull it off, and then even with the stub of bolt trimmed flush, it was not possible to drive the piece out of the hole. I had to burn it out with a torch, bit by bit, until I could hammer out the last inch-long piece.

The hubs on my 87 took hours to get off the first time.

 

[lawsoncl]

Your hub is probably fine. They are normally a moderatly pressed together, but they can pull apart as you found out. I'd probably just check it every once in awhile.

An air hammer on the center of the hub bolts works great for me. As long as you stay in the center and don't mess up the head you're fine. Or if things are really seized I pull the hub bolts, thread in a set of sacrificial bolts and alternately whack them with the BFG. I've pulled many salvage yard hubs using this method. Spray with penetrating oil, back the bolts out 1/2" (replace with others if you want to save the bolts) and start whacking. The shock works much better than a slow pull.

It's not real clear in your picture, but is that brake caliper rail grooved?

 

[Blaine B.]

I assume you mean BFH?

 

[lawsoncl]

Yeah - I have a 2lb sledge that works really well. Musta been thinking about that DOOM reference I saw elsewhere.

 

[RaccoonJoe]

Here is a pic of the puller I tried:

This puller didn't work, eh?? I went to Autozone and grabbed a hub puller after spending ~3 hours trying the various methods listed in this thread....the puller I got attached to the lugs, but had a screw that forced against the axle shaft. Remove the nut, attach puller, attach impact gun, apply PB Blaster liberally, and start hammering away with that impact gun. My hub came off in just a few minutes that way.......(was trying to pull axle shafts for u-joint replacement)

 

[Matthew Currie]

This puller didn't work, eh?? I went to Autozone and grabbed a hub puller after spending ~3 hours trying the various methods listed in this thread....the puller I got attached to the lugs, but had a screw that forced against the axle shaft. Remove the nut, attach puller, attach impact gun, apply PB Blaster liberally, and start hammering away with that impact gun. My hub came off in just a few minutes that way.......(was trying to pull axle shafts for u-joint replacement)

Problem with that type of puller is that it puts an awful lot of stress on the axle shaft, which has a little springiness since it's not really anchored at the inner end, and a little more give if the u-joints are bad. I have a hub puller of that sort, with a special wing wrench made to be hammered on with a small sledge (the only thing that can get the tapered drums off a Scout D44), but it would not budge the hubs on my rusty old 87 XJ!

 

[Blaine B.]

That wouldn't remove the entire hub though, right? The type of puller that attaches to the lugs and then forces against the axle shaft (with the nut off) would only get the "cap" off......right?

 

[RaccoonJoe]

That wouldn't remove the entire hub though, right? The type of puller that attaches to the lugs and then forces against the axle shaft (with the nut off) would only get the "cap" off......right?

Mine pulled the whole hub off.....Come to think of it, I think we left the axle nut in place......and ended up pulling the entire shaft out thru the knuckle with the hub + puller still attached.