Front hub bearing change

[Tom A]

I'm in the process of conducting an unscheduled front hub bearing change as the previous bearing decided to cease functioning at approximately 65mph on the A3! I've managed to get the locknut and thrust washer off using standard workshop techniques:

but the bearing itself is proving slightly more stubborn:

As you can see, some of the actual roller bearings have got the message and departed the axle somehow but the cage is glued to the stub axle rather firmly.

Does anyone have any techniques for removing the offending item? If I use a puller on the hub is it okay to anchor off the half shaft?

Help and guidance, or indeed just random comments about how I should have noticed the slight rumbling a little sooner, are all most welcome.

Tom

[SiWhite]

I wouldn't use a puller against the half shaft - it goes into the CV and I wouldn't like to squash it together too much.

Can't offer too much advise about getting the rest out - maybe try breaking bearing cage up with the chisel and pulling the rollers out individually. I think the usual bearing that welds itself is the inside one. If you manage to get the outer bearing iff then the hub and disc should come off as well. Then you'll be able to attack the inner bearing.

Are you sure it's stuck? I think that the hub sometimes needs a really good tug to unseat the seal and get it off.

[Les Henson]

If you can get the rest of the rollers out then the hub should pull out - leaving the inner race still stuck to the stub axle.

If the inner one is stuck as well, then you have a bit of a problem. The worst one I ever did resulted in me cutting right through the hub/disc brake with a 9-inch disc cutter.

Les.

[white90]

drill through the cage holding the rollers or buy/fabricate a slide hammer to go onto the wheel studs

this could prove some what challenging but fun if/when you succeed

[harvey]

been through this 'fun' recently , with a fair bit of wiggling and poking (long nose pliers did the job for me) I got the rollers out and pulled the whole hub/disc off.

The inner race was stuck on the stub axle, as this is very hard and smooth (ooerr! ) steel, I found that nothing could get enough purchase to break the 'weld' with the axle

So I (very) carefully used a dremel to create some ridges on the race and clamped a big pipe wrench on to it. This gave enough grip and leverage to break the seal with the axle shaft. After that I just gently tapped it of with a small chisel, working round the race lip to avoid damaging the stub axle..did take a while though

HTH.

Andrew.

[Diff]

If you can't fiddle the rollers out due to the lip on the inner track, take a hammer and chisel and chip the lip of the inner track in one spot. You can then use tweezers or needle nose pliers to get the rollers out one at a time from that spot.

You may find it easier to get the hub off if you refit the wheel. Fit the wheel nuts only loosely, and you can use the wheel and tyre as a sort of slide hammer by tugging hard on the wheel from one side, and then the other, using the weight of the wheel tyre to whack against the loose wheel nuts. Often works. Give it a try before fiddling the rollers out, because if the hub does come off, it will bring the bearing track on the stub axle with it. Hopefully the other track won't be welded to the stub axle, but that will become apparent once the hub is off. If one or more of the bearing inners is stuck to the stub axle, you can usually get them off with careful use of the grinder when you have the hub out of the way.

Good luck,

Regards, Diff