Can't get rear hub/bearing to budge

[brainfood]

Hey guys, don't post too much here (yet), but I had a CV go, and in turn I think it lead to messing up my rear wheel bearing (m20 swap on an early model 318 problems).

I bought the harbor freight FWD bearing puller kit to get the wheel bearing out, but the issue is actually the hub currently. I've tried a few ways to get it out and had absolutley no luck. Tons of heat and PB blaster, tried hitting it from both sides to knock it loose, and I rented a hub puller from advanced auto, but the way that it pushes off the axle just compresses at the joints and then pushes it out of the hub, it doesn't actually move the hub any.

If anyone has any other ideas on this I would appreciate it. I guess they have a similar tool at AA that is a slide hammer instead of a wedge off the axle, so I might try and go get that tomorrow, it's way too dark for this now though.

[jeffnhiscars]

Put the nut back on the half shaft so your hub puller has something to push against

[TSI]

Put the nut back on the half shaft so your hub puller has something to push against

If the nut is on, the hub won't come out. the nut is supposed to keep the hub in.

Get a 3.5" bearing splitter. Put both halves around the hub, so that it sits between the hub and the ridge on the backing plate used for the parking brake hardware (you'll have to remove the hardware). Insert your lug bolts through the hub, so that they push against the bearing splitter. If you turn them all uniformly, it will lever the hub outwards. It will take a few tries to get the positioning just right, but will eventually work.

[efficient]

The slide hammer has worked for me. It takes a bit of force but it should come out. You should keep soaking it with pb blaster over night might be easier if you give it another go with the slide hammer.

[AndrewBird]

A slide hammer should definitely work. Expect the inner bearing race to come off with the hub though. Then you will either need to pull it off or cut it off.

[Red88]

I use TSI's method. Works every time.

[Som]

I'm trying to remember how I did this, which was just a few months ago so it should be much easier to remember, but I may be off because I don't trust my memory. :)

I actually had the whole trailing arm off the car when I did it. If I remember right, I used a puller (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-2-jaw...p-00946905000P) in conjunction with the right-sized barrel/cap from the FWD bearing kit and pushed it out from the inside.

But I think the key to making it easy was having the half-shaft out and working from the inside out.

So:

Step 1: Unbolt half-shaft from diff (6 bolts)
Step 2: Remove axle bolt
Step 3: Remove circlip
(I imagine you've already done the above steps)
Step 4: Use puller to push half-shaft out of hub
Step 5: Find right size barrel + cap from FWD kit and line it up to the wheel bearing on the inside-side of the car
Step 6: Line the puller's threaded rod on the cap. The rod may be too small for the hole in the middle of the cap, so you may need to add a piece of metal/old socket over the hold in the cap.
Step 7: Hook the arms of the puller around the trailer arm.
Step 8: Crank away at the threaded rod.

Sounds like the half-shaft was moving easily enough for you, which I think I remember reading was one of the pain points of this approach. Otherwise, seems easier than the bearing splitter approach. Particularly if you're looking to repair the half-shaft/CV anyway. (not that I've ever done CV repair, so I'm just assuming you have to remove the half-shaft anyway... maybe not?)

Edit: That said, you may still want a bearing splitter to get the wheel bearing inner race off the hub, as it will almost certainly be stuck to it and there won't be much room between the race and the hub to fit your typical puller arms.

Som