Games with Stub Axles, (insert grumbling here) Options

[Rusty]

I charged into the garage... determined to R&R my CV joint boots on the drivers side.

I unbolted the CV from the gearbox, and wiped down the grease that had been slung around. Started to unbolt the CV from the outer side, and realized that I'll never be able to get it apart. It's all snuggly in the trailing arm. So... the only thing to do is pull the stub axle. Never done it before, but what the heck.

Jack the car up, pull the wheel, pull the retaining pin... a little leg muscle, and the nut spins free! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

Then, things get difficult:

- rap on the stub with a mallet - no luck
- spray with PB Blaster and wait
- get a 2x4 up against the stub and start wailing. 2x4 disintegrates and I'm left with a dumb look on my face. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/blink.gif)
- start wailing on the stub itself with a hammer. Discover the joy of maybe having screwed up the threads. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/mad.gif)

So... what now? I think I need a new stub axle & castellated nut. Maybe I can chase the threads, but I kind of doubt it.

How the heck do I remove this thing without screwing anything else up? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/unsure.gif)

-Rusty (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smoke.gif)

[hmeeder]

Rusty;

Just went through this a couple of months back. Trust us when we say that banging that hard on the stub will damage the bearing. The stub has either rusted or galled to the inner part of the bearing. In fact, it will probably be easier to remove the stub from the inner part of the bearing after the whole thing falls apart (sounds like you may be close to that point anyway.) Eric suggests taking the control arm off and I agree. You'll never get the right force on the thing if you are whackin on it at a weird angle. The arms flex and the bushings also absorb some of the shock and make some of that effort worthless. Shoot the stub with some PB blaster and let that soak, even overnight if possible. If you don't have a brass hammer, use the nut like Aaron suggests. You can't put heat on the bearing without burning up the dust shield anyway.

After you have the whole damn thing apart and have bought your new bearing, put the bearing and the stub in the freezer. Warm the trailing arm up with a torch, lightly grease the outside of the bearing and it should press pretty easily into the arm. The fit for the bearing is very snug and if you are even the slightest bit off of perfectly level it will go in cattywompus and give you grief (I'm assuming you don't have a machine press to make sure the surfaces are parallel.) Let the arm and bearing come up to room temp, take the stub out of the freezer and then follow a similar approach with the stub. Some persuasion with a drift or hammer is OK, but if you find yourself whaling away on the thing with a 5lb sledge, you will totally dick up the bearing again.

Good luck!