Just bought a 2002 Sierra 1500 4WD Saturday and the wheel bearing went out Sunday, and horribly. I'm in the process of trying to change it and I'm pulling my hair out. I got the bolts out fine, but the hub refuses to judge out of the spindle. I tried punching 2 studs out on opposite sides and using a bolt/nut/spacer combo to put outward pressure on the hub and tapped it, but instead of the hub moving, it pulled the entire wheel flange out with the bearing, and the hub is still on the spindle laughing at me. I've tried an air hammer on one of the ears to try and spin it in the spindle to break the corrosion, been soaked in PB for hours and hours, tried putting a bolt back in and air hammering the head, tried pounding it with a hammer every which way, tried using an air hammer to get between the hub and spindle to pry it off, this thing hasn't moved a hair.... Am I now looking at removing the spindle and pressing it out?
Nightmare Hub Removal
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Joined
·
294 Posts
If you have a torch, heat the hub up as hot as you can get it without lighting the truck on fire, and then immediately quench the hub with a strong stream of water from a garden hose - and then wallop the bejesus out of that thing with the biggest hammer you got immediately after quenching.
The idea of heating the hub up really hot and then immediately quenching it will make the hub shrink down ever so slightly. and will hopefully break the rusty bond. And that's why I said break out the hammer right away, because the spindle will cool off quickly as well from the water, so you want to do it fast.
Let the laws of physics work in your favour. I don't see any reason why the SOB shouldn't come out.
Another thing I have heard that works really well is a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone...to make a homemade penetrant.
Good luck with it!
CarMech97
The idea of heating the hub up really hot and then immediately quenching it will make the hub shrink down ever so slightly. and will hopefully break the rusty bond. And that's why I said break out the hammer right away, because the spindle will cool off quickly as well from the water, so you want to do it fast.
Let the laws of physics work in your favour. I don't see any reason why the SOB shouldn't come out.
Another thing I have heard that works really well is a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone...to make a homemade penetrant.
Good luck with it!
CarMech97
Appreciate your response. All I have at the moment is one of those small propane torches and it's basically useless on metal this thick.
Local scrapyard is pulling an empty spindle off one of their trucks for me. Just gonna replace the ball joints and tie rod end while everything is apart.
And so goes the beater life.
Local scrapyard is pulling an empty spindle off one of their trucks for me. Just gonna replace the ball joints and tie rod end while everything is apart.
And so goes the beater life.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
