I had to replace the front wheel bearing hub on my '88 Formula today and from what I've seen in the archives, it's a pain to get it removed because it gets rusted in place.

Well, it's a pain no longer. I found an easy way to remove it. All you need are 3 long (about 80mm - 100mm) M12x1.75 bolts, preferably a high grade bolt. You want something the same size as the bolts that hold the hub in, but longer. I couldn't find anyting longer than 60mm, so I took an old pushrod from my old '72 TA's 455 and cut it into short lengths. Any type of small rod, about 2" long can be used if you can't find a bolt long enough.

Since the bolt holes for the wheel bearing go all the way through the spindle, just remove the bolts holding the hub in place, then thread your long bolts into the spindle from behind. They will come through and push against the wheel mounting flange. Use 3 bolts and just tighten each one a little bit at a time and it will slowly push the hub out. No muss. No fuss.

Here's what I used. If you can find longer bolts, the short rod is not needed.

Screw all three bolts into the spindle from behind. There is enough clearance to do this with it still on the car.

Here you can see how it will come through the bolt holes and push against the wheel flange. Don't forget to turn the wheel flange slightly so the bolt acess hole is no longer over one of the bolt holes.

Now just tighten those bolts and they'll push the hub assembly out from behind.

No penetrating oil or anything else was used, and these hubs had 150k miles on them and were rusted in pretty good.
It was awkward doing off the car since I had to hold the spindle and torque the bolts. Doing it on the car would be easier yet. I didn't have to worry about that on my car, though. When I took the bolts out, the hub FELL OFF!! Yeah, I guess it was bad.

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[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 10-10-2004).]

Awesome!!! What a cool idea!

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Patrick W. Heinske -- LZeitgeist@aol.com
1988 Red Fiero Formula Convertible

Excellent!

Way easier than the BFH.

Definitely a sensible alternative. Well done.

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88 4cyl auto Fiero, AC, sunroof, tilt steering, rear swaybar
"And isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" - The Tick

Thanks. I was really dreading the job and kept trying to come up with a way to make it easier. It wasn't until I was looking at the spindle and noticed the bolt holes went all the way through that it clicked. I was shocked at how well it worked.

Be aware that it is possible to brinell the bearing race surfaces by doing this.

JazzMan

brinell?

quote Originally posted by Formula88: brinell?

I figure they are talking about indentation/deformation caused by uneven loading when tightening the bolts, but I think they got the context wrong or its a slang term used in the south.

[This message has been edited by Rainman (edited 10-11-2004).]

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: Be aware that it is possible to brinell the bearing race surfaces by doing this. JazzMan

I'm confused. Isnt the complete bearing assembly being discarded anyway?

[This message has been edited by cccharlie (edited 10-11-2004).]

quote Originally posted by cccharlie: I'm confused. Isnt the complete bearing assembly being discarded anyway?

This method may or may not apply a lot more force to the bearing than it was designed for, and that force can cause the bearing to dent the race. If the bearing is being discarded that's not an issue, but if a bearing is being removed, say, a junkyard car for later reinstallation then denting is a problem because it ruins the bearing.

I should have used the word dent instead, sorry about that. It's not a term or slang used in the south, it's a term I learned in my engineering classes.

JazzMan

Well, a steel plate with holes drilled for the three bolts and a cutout for the dust cap would work the same but by pushing from behind, like a press. Once the hub pops loose, I think it would come out quite easily.

Good point, Jazz, but check out the pics. Using my method, the force is being applied between the wheel flange and the spindle, correct? Well, in operation the forces are applied in the same location. You've got the wheel bolted to the wheel flange, and the hub bolted to the spindle. The forces being transferred from the wheel to the spindle and transferred through the exact same mechanism. Granted, the amount of force may be different, so that is a possible concern.

If you're discarding the hub - no problem.
If you intend to re-use the hub, I still think this is a good alternative to beating it with a hammer or worse yet, using a pry bar between the flange and the spindle, which will torque the bearing. This is a straight line force. And this allows you to gradually apply force evenly distributed around the hub, instead of prying from just one side at a time.

I guess your best option when re-using the hub would be use a press to press out the hub.

Since the bearing I pressed out in this pic was re-used on my car, I'll keep a check on it and if it fails in the future, I'll update this thread (assuming it's not archived) and then we can open the bearing up to see if we can determine the cause of the failure.

[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 10-11-2004).]

quote Originally posted by Formula88: ...using a pry bar between the flange and the spindle...

When I suggested that, I didn't mean the wheel flange.
I meant the base that bolts into the spindle.

quote Originally posted by Raydar: When I suggested that, I didn't mean the wheel flange. I meant the base that bolts into the spindle.

I wasn't referring to your suggestion specifically, but it does look like an easy place to pry and I'm sure people have tried it. That's why I wanted to mention it.

Yeah, that would be a BAD idea.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: I had to replace the front wheel bearing hub on my '88 Formula today and from what I've seen in the archives, it's a pain to get it removed because it gets rusted in place. Well, it's a pain no longer. I found an easy way to remove it. All you need are 3 long (about 80mm - 100mm) M12x1.75 bolts, preferably a high grade bolt. You want something the same size as the bolts that hold the hub in, but longer. I couldn't find anyting longer than 60mm, so I took an old pushrod from my old '72 TA's 455 and cut it into short lengths. Any type of small rod, about 2" long can be used if you can't find a bolt long enough. Since the bolt holes for the wheel bearing go all the way through the spindle, just remove the bolts holding the hub in place, then thread your long bolts into the spindle from behind. They will come through and push against the wheel mounting flange. Use 3 bolts and just tighten each one a little bit at a time and it will slowly push the hub out. No muss. No fuss. Here's what I used. If you can find longer bolts, the short rod is not needed. Screw all three bolts into the spindle from behind. There is enough clearance to do this with it still on the car. Here you can see how it will come through the bolt holes and push against the wheel flange. Don't forget to turn the wheel flange slightly so the bolt acess hole is no longer over one of the bolt holes. Now just tighten those bolts and they'll push the hub assembly out from behind. No penetrating oil or anything else was used, and these hubs had 150k miles on them and were rusted in pretty good. It was awkward doing off the car since I had to hold the spindle and torque the bolts. Doing it on the car would be easier yet. I didn't have to worry about that on my car, though. When I took the bolts out, the hub FELL OFF!! Yeah, I guess it was bad.

Hi, just tried your method and it worked great!! Thanks for the advice, just removed the hub on my '88GT...again thanks..jim

quote Originally posted by Formula88: ...All you need are 3 long (about 80mm - 100mm) M12x1.75 bolts, preferably a high grade bolt. You want something the same size as the bolts that hold the hub in, but longer. I couldn't find anyting longer than 60mm, so I took an old pushrod from my old '72 TA's 455 and cut it into short lengths. Any type of small rod, about 2" long can be used if you can't find a bolt long enough. Here's what I used. If you can find longer bolts, the short rod is not needed...

Great suggestion! Thanks for posting.

After seeing your pictures and reading about your idea, could the longer bolts be installed from the hub side instead, screwed in far enough to clear the back side of the hub, then rotate the hub to misalign the clearance holes, and then back the bolts out to jack the hub bearing assy out? That might keep you from needing the extra length of material to reach the hub.

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RickN
White 88GT 5spd
White 85GT Auto

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 11-13-2004).]

quote Originally posted by RickN: Great suggestion! Thanks for posting. After seeing your pictures and reading about your idea, could the longer bolts be installed from the hub side instead, screwed in far enough to clear the back side of the hub, then rotate the hub to misalign the clearance holes, and then back the bolts out to jack the hub bearing assy out? That might keep you from needing the extra length of material to reach the hub.

That would probably work, but it would be more difficult since you don't have much clearance to get a wrench on the bolt head when it's between the wheel flange and the hub. Going in from the back is easy, and the only reason I needed the extra length of material is I couldn't find bolts long enough. The bolts I had would have worked fine if they were threaded all the way down, but that was all I could find on short notice and it worked great.

[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 11-14-2004).]

Great idea!