free wheeling hub removal

[dixe]

Hi,

I have landrover free wheeling hubs fitted to my 109 which I have to remove to replace my shackle pins and bearings.

Which position 2x4 or 4x4 should they be in so that I can remove them without damaging them.

dixe

[FridgeFreezer]

Either will be fine, remove them, throw them in the bin and put normal flanges back on.

[TonkaIIa]

Before you throw them in the bin, think about selling them

[nick w]

sorry for the hijack but where can i get the normal flanges from

[Phil Hancock]

Craddocks, paddocks etc.

[the real muddy90]

If there's nothing wrong with them, keep them & save your money by not buying something you don't really need.

Just remember to turn them on now & again to get the oil round.

[Jon White]

Don't really need????

The only thing you dont really need are the bloody FWH - they have no place on a landrover IMHO. They're a complete pita, casue more problems tan they solve, and are an inherantly weak link. You cant get parts for them, and alot of people on here have blown them up!

I threw mine away years ago!

Jon

[Les Henson]

I agree - they are a total waste of time. The microscopic supposed saving in fuel and component wear is offset by the inconvenience of them.

Les.

[stumonkey17]

I'm planning on removing the free wheelers from my series 3. It has the later type of axle. Which parts will I need to fit to go back to how it should be?

[ToyRoverlander]

I'm planning on removing the free wheelers from my series 3. It has the later type of axle. Which parts will I need to fit to go back to how it should be?

2 drivemembers, gaskets, perhaps the 2 castelled nuts that hold the halfshaft to the drivemember (it's been a while that I had a Rover axle in my hands) and I guess, depending on the FWH's you've got that you might need new (shorter) bolts.

[Gem]

I rather like the way they stick out, and add character to the front wheels! why did they bother making them, and why did people still carry on buying them, if they were no good? mine were already fitted, don't seem to have any probs with them so far fingers crossed!

[nino]

i tried to take one off my 2a when i first got it to replace the swivel bearings, i undid the bolts and used leaver bars to prise it off but it didnt seem to want cum off so i put it back and took shims out to get it thru the mot

is it just a case of using more force to remove it or is there any other way, i think there selecto make?

[Les Henson]

Selectro? (famed for leaking right from new )

Remove the chrome cap (3-or-4mm hex), Some of the guts of the hub will come off and then there's a funny nut thingy, which has to be unscrewed from the end of the shaft that you can now see. The sourrounding bolts that hold the hub main body to the vehicle hub can then be undone and the reamainder of it can be removed. This is from memory, so I could be entirely wrong.

Les.

[nino]

aah ok so its the allen bolts that need to be removed aswell

i do one tomorrow and have a see as i need the car sunday if i get it running again so i wont go too far and not have anything to fit on it

thanks

[stumonkey17]

As Les said that's how mine came off. Seemed odd to need a really small hex head tool to get access to a massive nut. Wierd design. Guy in the motor factors thought I was having a laugh when I asked if they stocked both.

[BoristheS3]

3mm hex is rounded in the bolt head.  Any suggestions on how to remove?

[FridgeFreezer]

3 hours ago, BoristheS3 said:

3mm hex is rounded in the bolt head.  Any suggestions on how to remove?

Torx bits can grip quite well in a damaged hex - especially if you buy a cheap sacrificial one you're afraid to hammer into the hole

[Turnips]

2 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

Torx bits can grip quite well in a damaged hex - especially if you buy a cheap sacrificial one you're afraid to hammer into the hole

Failing that drill the heads off. The body of the thing will only be getting skipped when you remove the FWH's and go back to standard drive members anyhow... 

[Cornish Rattler]

On 9/9/2010 at 12:44 PM, FridgeFreezer said:

Either will be fine, remove them, throw them in the bin and put normal flanges back on.

I never understand why peeps say this i have the AVM ones on mine and although i don't off road it i do turn them on and off every now and then with them locked in i find the steering heavy but when they are off i find the steering light plus when they are off the landy pulls away that little bit easier so not dragging all the drive weight in the front axle around all the time.

[Turnips]

5 hours ago, Cornish Rattler said:

I never understand why peeps say this i have the AVM ones on mine and although i don't off road it i do turn them on and off every now and then with them locked in i find the steering heavy but when they are off i find the steering light plus when they are off the landy pulls away that little bit easier so not dragging all the drive weight in the front axle around all the time.

The first time you get bogged because you forgot to engage them when leaving the road you'll realise why so many people don't like them. 

There are benefits for people who use their 4x4 on tarmac only, but the benefits for vehicles that work regularly are outweighed by the negatives.

[hurbie]

4 minutes ago, Turnips said:

The first time you get bogged because you forgot to engage them when leaving the road you'll realise why so many people don't like them. 

There are benefits for people who use their 4x4 on tarmac only, but the benefits for vehicles that work regularly are outweighed by the negatives.

the Belgian army had a really good solution if you only drive on tarmac , remove the whole front axle and drive shaft, put a rigid beam axle in place and fit a limited slip rear diff .....👀

[Cornish Rattler]

12 minutes ago, Turnips said:

The first time you get bogged because you forgot to engage them when leaving the road you'll realise why so many people don't like them. 

There are benefits for people who use their 4x4 on tarmac only, but the benefits for vehicles that work regularly are outweighed by the negatives.

Yes i'm guilty of that myself forgetting to put them in 

[FridgeFreezer]

2 hours ago, Turnips said:

The first time you get bogged because you forgot to engage them when leaving the road you'll realise why so many people don't like them.

They can also grenade under load when off-road which is helpful.

[Cornish Rattler]

15 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

They can also grenade under load when off-road which is helpful.

Yeah the fairy ones used to do my head in if driving through long grass as one of the hubs used to unlock when the grass wrapped round it ☹️

[Snagger]

23 hours ago, Cornish Rattler said:

I never understand why peeps say this i have the AVM ones on mine and although i don't off road it i do turn them on and off every now and then with them locked in i find the steering heavy but when they are off i find the steering light plus when they are off the landy pulls away that little bit easier so not dragging all the drive weight in the front axle around all the time.

I had some and I recorded the fuel consumption over the same route over a year.  It made not a jot of difference, and I never noticed any change in steering either.  They did split their o-rings and leak, despite having been fitted brand new, as well as present the problem of getting filthy to get out and lock them when unexpectedly in grotty conditions.  
 

The only benefit I have ever been swayed by is that of being able to select 2wd and drive home with a broken diff or shaft for a repair in better conditions, but unless you regularly put the vehicle through very hard off-road driving, in which case a pegged diff and better shafts would be a wiser mod, how often is that likely to happen?  I’m firmly in the “they belong in the scrap pile” camp.