axle stuck in hub - ideas for removal?

[timtaylor]

big hammer (mushroomed the **** out of the axle shaft)
torched
pb blaster soak
2 ton puller
slide hammer
pry bar

tried all of the above and nothing's worked. i've taken the knuckle and axle out all together and am replacing it all. now for "fun" i'm going to get the axle out one day. i don't have an air hammer, i'll probably buy one at harbor freight now once I get a chance to drive out there. Not quite willing to pay to have it pressed out, just yet.

any ideas?

 

[Alta_Racer]

It might help to know what you are working on.

 

[JakeKohl]

big hammer (mushroomed the **** out of the axle shaft)
torched
pb blaster soak
2 ton puller
slide hammer
pry bar

tried all of the above and nothing's worked. i've taken the knuckle and axle out all together and am replacing it all. now for "fun" i'm going to get the axle out one day. i don't have an air hammer, i'll probably buy one at harbor freight now once I get a chance to drive out there. Not quite willing to pay to have it pressed out, just yet.

any ideas?

Soak it down with a 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone (keeping it away from flame).

 

[timtaylor]

2000 honda civic dx. those cars are so easy to work on but that axle is something else!

i've heard about the 50:50 solution, i'll try it out.

 

[signcrafter]

What vehicle is it off of?

 

[timtaylor]

What vehicle is it off of?

2000 honda civic.

 

[davedriveschevys]

Air hammer with a point, a good quality one not a wal-mart/harbor freight special. Works everytime.

If that dosent work, put the puller back on , tighten it up and hit the back of the puller bolt with a flat bit in the air hammer.

 

[Blk88GT]

I had a similar situation years ago with an Eagle Talon. I ended up replacing everything, I couldn't budge it even with a 60 ton press and a torch. Nobody even wanted to stand near it while I was messing with it. They both ended up at the scrap yard.

 

[timtaylor]

I had a similar situation years ago with an Eagle Talon. I ended up replacing everything, I couldn't budge it even with a 60 ton press and a torch. Nobody even wanted to stand near it while I was messing with it. They both ended up at the scrap yard.

did you hit it with a hammer while it was in the press?

 

[STS_Underdog]

big hammer (mushroomed the **** out of the axle shaft)
torched
pb blaster soak
2 ton puller
slide hammer
pry bar

tried all of the above and nothing's worked. i've taken the knuckle and axle out all together and am replacing it all. now for "fun" i'm going to get the axle out one day. i don't have an air hammer, i'll probably buy one at harbor freight now once I get a chance to drive out there. Not quite willing to pay to have it pressed out, just yet.

any ideas?

Never had one we couldn't get, but there was one on a rusty truck from up north that took a "liberal" application of heat. Really strong Snap-On air hammer with enough heat to get the hub cherry red and it eventually came out. Made what should have been a 30 minute job more like two hours. Hooray, flat rate.

 

[timtaylor]

Never had one we couldn't get, but there was one on a rusty truck from up north that took a "liberal" application of heat. Really strong Snap-On air hammer with enough heat to get the hub cherry red and it eventually came out. Made what should have been a 30 minute job more like two hours. Hooray, flat rate.

now that it's out of the car and i don't have to worry about the heat burning up the fenders, i'll try torching it some more. i'll see if i can borrow a better than HF air hammer from someone...

 

[Blk88GT]

I don't think I hit it with a hammer. He made that look easy. I swear mine wasn't coming out

 

[rlitman]

big hammer (mushroomed the **** out of the axle shaft)

Is the mushrooming preventing it from coming out now or is it so frozen that the mushrooming hasn't moved enough to engage with anything anyway?

Air hammer with a point aimed at the center dimple should have prevented the mushrooming. If it doesn't work, get a bigger air hammer (CP 717 perhaps, or maybe even borrow a jackhammer?)

 

[signcrafter]

Is there any chance of damaging the CV joints by using an air hamer?

 

[rlitman]

Is there any chance of damaging the CV joints by using an air hamer?

I doubt it. While it is stuck, the wheel bearings will take the brunt of the impact. Once it is loose, it should just slip back with each hit, so the impact on the CV is kind of one sided.

Anyway once the end is all mushroomed by a hammer, the threads are probably distorted to the point that the nut will not reliably fit on them, so the axle is trash anyway (but the knuckle should still be salvageable).

 

[srmofo]

I just ran into this earlier this week. It was on a 2006 dodge charger. LR bearing was bad and previous tech couldnt get the axle out. He demolished the axle wailing on it with a sledge. Then he took the next day off and I had to deal with it.

I made the decision to pull the axle and knuckle as one unit. I placed it on our 20 ton press and gave it hell. It still didnt move even after I heated it with an O/A torch. I called it quits and told the manager to get another knuckle coming. We already had the axle on site. The knuckle was $500 new from the dealer but they were able to locate one from a junk yard. After that the manager decided he was going to get it out regardless of what it took. Within 10 minutes he had already bent the knuckle on the press so he started attempting to cut it out with the torch. After about 30 minutes of him making a mess of the unit he gave up and we put it back on the press.

That damn thing is still attached to the axle. We sent the whole unit back to the dealer for the axle core......still waiting to hear if we actually get a credit for it, lol.

First time in my life I have seen the axle become one with the bearing.

 

[Modifieddriver]

RUST, probably from the brine bath roads. It's a wonderful thing?

Rose Bud Torch and press time and it still won't separate. WOW!!!!!!

 

[lorne]

After about 30 minutes of him making a mess of the unit he gave up and we put it back on the press.

That damn thing is still attached to the axle. We sent the whole unit back to the dealer for the axle core......still waiting to hear if we actually get a credit for it, lol.

First time in my life I have seen the axle become one with the bearing.

This was the same end result I had with my 3000gt VR4. Found a big enough box and shipped the permanently attached assembly back for the axle core. As far as I remember, I did get the core back...

 

[ChevyEFI]

bake it.
then quench the axle with R134a

 

[BillK]

Tim,
We do these pretty regularly for customers and once or twice a year we will get one that just will not move, so dont feel bad.

 

[MG44]

I make my living in the rust belt (Northeast Ohio) and have never seen one not come out.

HF Air hammer won't do any good, they are too weak. You need a IR MAX or SnapOn air hammer to really be useful.

Good luck, let us know the outcome.

 

[oilslick]

I too have had a rusty dodge not cooperate. Heat beat repeat, no go . It will happen eventually if you do enough of this ****.