Thread: Wheel Hub stuck to the axle, need ideas?

2003 GP SE 206k

Just replaced the pass side wheel hub...piece of cake, probably replaced before. The drivers side hub is completely stuck to the axle. I need some ideas here.


1) I sprayed the axle with penetrating oil.

2) I unscrewed the large axle bolt to the end of the axle.

3) I placed the round end of a ball peen hammer in the middle of the axle and smacked it with a 4lb sledge several times. Nothing.

4) I popped the wheel studs out of the hub, and placed a piece of flat 3/8 steel over the axle and hub. With three holes in the steel and some nuts and bolts I tried creating a mini press to push the axle back away from the hub. The steel just bent.

5) Time for action, I took out the 12 pound sledge and beat the 3/8 steel covering the end of the axle several times......nothing.

6) Went down to the Harbor Freight and bought a large gear puller, $30 bucks. The piece of junk broke in 2 seconds with hand tools and minimal pressure.

7) Went to sears and bought a Heavy Duty 2 arm Gear Puller...7 ton puller, $40 bucks. Tightened it up as tight as a dare.

8) With the gear puller under pressure I heated inside the hub with my torch. It's a small oxygen / mapp gas torch. I was able to heat it, but not get it cherry red it's still winter here, 20 degrees outside. Nothing. I was hoping the heat expansion would pop it.

9) I gave up for the night. Once it cooled down I sprayed it again with penetrating oil and left the puller under pressure. Hopefully it will pop overnight, but I doubt it.


Any ideas? Am I missing something? Could there be a snap ring or something? Or is thing just been rusting together for years????

They get stuck. Everything you have tried should have popped it out. But rust will take it's place in there..only other option is to pull the whole spindle/knuckle assy off and pull the axle with it and try a press. Or take the loss and get a new axle. Unbolt the hub from the knuckle, and put the new parts in.

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Originally Posted by joe0813

if you can get up to Braintree i can help you get off...

Joe...ewww...no. LMAO

Thanks guys for the advice! Joe, thanks for the offer. It is seized to the CV shaft, its free from the spindle.

With all the advice I know for sure now that I'm not missing something like a pin, e-ring or snap ring.

I've tried given the puller a few whacks with the 4lb sledge...but I don't want to bend my new puller.

I like the air hammer idea. I may stop by Advanced auto to see what they have.

Worse case I may cut the other old hub assembly in two. I'll pop out the studs and use some nuts and bolts to make a press. I'll place a piece of steel between the two hubs plates and try to squash the two hub plates together with 5 nuts and bolts in the old wheel stud holes. I should be able to get a lot of pressure that way.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

Originally Posted by joe0813

yup thats a bad typo right there.... thats what happens when i use my phone

Nah...what you wrote was fine...I just changed it in the quoted text. LOL

Ok so I finally got it off. And it had nearly welded itself together with rust.

I used the old hub from the passengers side to make a press using the lug stud holes. The first time I tried it stripped 3/8 rods doing this, so I moved up to 1/2 inch rods. I've never seen anything like this. I bent two pieces of 1/4 steel, so I finally just put the steel head of my sledge hammer between there. Insanely stuck.

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What really surprised me is it didn't just pop. Once it started moving it moved a little bit at a time. Finall after it had moved about an inch I was able to switch over to my Craftsman gear puller.

puller.jpg


I hope no one else runs into this.

After all this work...the trac off light remains on. Next I'll look at the wires.