Hub shocker/Astro puller: 0 rust:1

[nmantas]

I hate to give up but my father's truck is going in for a hub swap. The hub shocker did nothing but bend its base with some log splitting swings from a sledge and the Astro puller got a loud pop out of it and I thought it came loose but it was actually the bearing inner ring separating almost entirely from the raceway.....didn't even get to crank on it hard with the impact. The rust ring on the spindle is not even cracked but this thing is now ridiculously loose and seems to be just held together by the rolled over mangled sheet metal on the CV side of the hub. The CV seems to hold it together tight enough to take it directly to the shop for awhile I though it was going to need a tow. The astro puller might have had a chance but I think I would need the kit 78825 that is typically for pressed in bearings to make sure it is pushing the entire hub out and not just the inner ring. My catalog of additional tools is nearly 500 miles away and any loaner tools are a 100mile round trip. Giving up stinks but that is what I'm doing.

 

[Wrench97]

I've never heard of using the hub puller to pull the assembly out, only the hub out of the bearing on the press in bearing style spindles.
What are you pushing against for the puller to be able to pull the hub out?
Normally a big air hammer on the bearing housing to spin it first then work it out of the spindle and lots of lube, even then sometimes you end up removing the spindle and pressing it out in a press.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

^ 0.498 hammer is you friend here. On car pullers don't do great at rusty hubs, but I'm surprised the hub shocker failed. Normally in your situation I'd burn out the hub with a torch, but without that option you're pretty much stuck giving up.

 

[Jswain]

It looks like there might be juuust enough room to use both tools at the same time.

If you're not at least a little bit scared you didn't try hard enough lol

 

[nmantas]

I've never heard of using the hub puller to pull the assembly out, only the hub out of the bearing on the press in bearing style spindles.
What are you pushing against for the puller to be able to pull the hub out?
Normally a big air hammer on the bearing housing to spin it first then work it out of the spindle and lots of lube, even then sometimes you end up removing the spindle and pressing it out in a press.

I've used it for normal bolt on hubs with high success rate but you are yanking on the heavy duty center splined inner ring (which is what you are yanking on with a slide hammer as well)......I have since switched to the hub shocker for hub jobs and have been batting thousand percent with both tools up to this point. No air.....or even power where I'm working although I could start up a generator.

^ 0.498 hammer is you friend here. On car pullers don't do great at rusty hubs, but I'm surprised the hub shocker failed. Normally in your situation I'd burn out the hub with a torch, but without that option you're pretty much stuck giving up.

I had an easier option as well that I shamefully couldn't pursue. Car-part.com has a junkyard with about 8 $30 spindles that I could buy and just swap out the spindle....I couldn't get the ball joints to budge without destroying them (loaner suspension tools from a store like Oreily would work but again 100 mile round trip). With the tie rod out I could get some proper sledgehammer blows on the back of the bolts destroying the bolt but not cracking it loose.

It looks like there might be juuust enough room to use both tools at the same time.

If you're not at least a little bit scared you didn't try hard enough lol

That was my game plan but I think this thing is 75% way to a shotgunning separation and if that happened it would be a three-wheeled tow......or more likely I drive and get the ball joint tools and swap out spindles.

 

[BolognaBlake]

I would hit the ears of the bearing at an angle with an air hammer and try to get it moving.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

Do you use a jack or something under the lower a arm so you can get a solid hit?

 

[dimichele]

Try to drive a chisel between the ears of the bearing and the knuckle

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Try to drive a chisel between the ears of the bearing and the knuckle

Unless one has the pneumatic tools to fix the gouges and damage afterwards, don't do this.

 

[merkyworks]

place 2x4 on bearing ear and hit repeatedly with mini sledge. should free it up without any damage to ear or knuckle.

 

[plinker]

Hub shockers never really seemed to work for me. Air hammers are the normal go to, .498 shank in particular.

One thing that has been working, if it can be done that is, is popping a stud out, taking a bolt with a nut on the other side of the hub flange and threading the bolt in and have it hit a flat spot on the knuckle and continue tightening the bolt until the hub pops out. It can ****** up the knuckle where the bolt spins but a small chunk of metal can help. It does work really well when it can work (not every knuckle has a spot to push from, aluminum knuckles can be an issue too). A bolt with full thread and is grade 8 or equivalent is best.

 

[nmantas]

place 2x4 on bearing ear and hit repeatedly with mini sledge. should free it up without any damage to ear or knuckle.

Have a massive flat tipped chisel that I I was sledging on the ears....no reaction. Couldn't get the bolts back in because the casting was messed up (knuckle unharmed)

Hub shockers never really seemed to work for me. Air hammers are the normal go to, .498 shank in particular.

One thing that has been working, if it can be done that is, is popping a stud out, taking a bolt with a nut on the other side of the hub flange and threading the bolt in and have it hit a flat spot on the knuckle and continue tightening the bolt until the hub pops out. It can ****** up the knuckle where the bolt spins but a small chunk of metal can help. It does work really well when it can work (not every knuckle has a spot to push from, aluminum knuckles can be an issue too). A bolt with full thread and is grade 8 or equivalent is best.

The Astro puller is a better version of this and all it did was yank the bearing assembly almost off.


In the end it was was put back enough to make the 15 mile trip to the shop and it has been dropped off and is their problem. I'm assuming a giant air hammer will work wonders if not they can press it out. Thank god for flat rate mechanics....lol. Case closed.

 

[ex-x-fire]

I'd pull the knuckle and swing press it out.

 

[nmantas]

I'm back home and my father picked up his truck and all is well. Large stroke air hammer did nothing and it had to be torched to decompose the rust. The bill was only $97 which made me feel foolish for investing hours into it but it wasn't supposed to be that hard. When the next one goes I'll know to not touch it.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I'm back home and my father picked up his truck and all is well. Large stroke air hammer did nothing and it had to be torched to decompose the rust. The bill was only $97 which made me feel foolish for investing hours into it but it wasn't supposed to be that hard. When the next one goes I'll know to not touch it.

$97 - I'd be very pleased with that price!

 

[Buckgnarly]

There's a whole lot of unit bearings I would have gladly paid 97 bucks for someone else to do them!

 

[ex-x-fire]

Next time pull the knuckle and pound it out.

 

[Walkers]

Uhhh, what was that puller pushing on? I can’t think of any way it would work with nothing in the center of that hole that wasn’t attached to the unit bearing itself.

 

[nmantas]

Uhhh, what was that puller pushing on? I can’t think of any way it would work with nothing in the center of that hole that wasn’t attached to the unit bearing itself.

You have the forces inverted...the arms don't pull they push. The arms are pushing on the knuckle and the threaded rod has a washer and is yanking on the center of the bearing which is essentially the same as a slide hammer but more powerful and easier. It needs much larger washers so that it is pushing on the cast iron flange instead because this one was so seized that as I tightened it something loudly popped internally and the bearing then had over a 1/4" of slop. I stopped tightening because it seemed like the thing was going to shotgun separate on me which would have been a real can of worms.

 

[Jeepster04]

Had to stare at the photo for a bit before I figured it out, and Ive watched Eric O at SMA use those things many times. Photos plays tricks on your eyes, and that center bolt doesnt seem to be 1 piece when you first look at it.

Good air hammer wouldnt popped that right out. Probably what the shop did. You can also cut out a wheel stud and put a bolt/nut through it to press it out.

 

[Walkers]

You have the forces inverted...the arms don't pull they push. The arms are pushing on the knuckle and the threaded rod has a washer and is yanking on the center of the bearing which is essentially the same as a slide hammer but more powerful and easier. It needs much larger washers so that it is pushing on the cast iron flange instead because this one was so seized that as I tightened it something loudly popped internally and the bearing then had over a 1/4" of slop. I stopped tightening because it seemed like the thing was going to shotgun separate on me which would have been a real can of worms.

Ahh, gotcha! I looked at that picture for a while and could not figure it out as a puller.

 

[jimindm]

Have both set ups. Since I bought the shocker I use it. I can not think of one that did not come off using it.

 

[Kent_B]

It worked a treat on a '14 Subaru Outback right front. Four swats with a sledgehammer and it was out. Saved me a bunch of time and frustration.

 

[theoldwizard1]

^ 0.498 hammer is you friend here.

Add a oxy acetylene gas ax !

 

[Kent_B]

Add a oxy acetylene gas ax !

That would have been most useful heating the hub to get the 4 hub bolts out. Worst part of the job

 

[bsaint]

Yea I'm a whiz with the foundry ax I don't stress anyone. I just cut it up and out

 

[Relax]

It worked a treat on a '14 Subaru Outback right front. Four swats with a sledgehammer and it was out. Saved me a bunch of time and frustration.

I need to do rear bearings on my 2012 Impreza, and all I'm seeing and hearing are horror stories. People seem to have good results with the hub shocker, though, but I'm trying to understand how it doesn't damage the knuckle, considering the bearing sits about an inch or more deep? Doesn't it end up enlarging the bearing mounting hole?

 

[Wrench97]

The rust made it smaller it'll be fine.

 

[Jswain]

I need to do rear bearings on my 2012 Impreza, and all I'm seeing and hearing are horror stories. People seem to have good results with the hub shocker, though, but I'm trying to understand how it doesn't damage the knuckle, considering the bearing sits about an inch or more deep? Doesn't it end up enlarging the bearing mounting hole?

Not much different then air hammering it out, even if you're going side to side, and you could always do the same with the shocker, top to bottom or side to side.

To pull it out perfectly straight would take a rather large press

 

[2ndGearRubber]

I need to do rear bearings on my 2012 Impreza, and all I'm seeing and hearing are horror stories. People seem to have good results with the hub shocker, though, but I'm trying to understand how it doesn't damage the knuckle, considering the bearing sits about an inch or more deep? Doesn't it end up enlarging the bearing mounting hole?

For those subarus with the thick upper area on the backing plate, your want to "pry" them out with an air hammer. Get a chisel style wedge bit, and send it in between the knuckle and the thicker area of the backing plate. Staring at the car, it will be the upper side of the backing plate facing the rear of the car. Leave all the parking brake stuff in place, the backing plate and hub will come out as one piece, then you can beat the hub out of the backing plate area with a 4lb sledge.

Typically the hub shocker wouldn't do a lot, it just wants to rip the center of the hub out. I've never tried it with the axle nut still on, which would prevent bearing separation. The hub shocker will not hurt the knuckle. Remember, in non-rust areas the hubs can actually be removed without a fight. It's not a press fit, the hub can just pop in and out. Academically I understand your concern, but having done battle with many hubs, I've never seen a removal method that also removes the scale and rust within the knuckle opening where the hub sits. If damage was being done and resizing the knuckle, this rust would also be displaced. And yet I grind it out every time with a single cut carbide burr.


Mr Subaru is working on a cherry, zero rust, vehicle.

 

[Relax]

What do you guys think of this "Last Chance" option from Astro?

 

[tak1313]

Is that an D5 bearing (or similar) under the bolt head of the Astro tool? If it is, it may have helped to remove it and use a generous helping of moly lube. That type of bearing can only take a few thousand pounds of pressure which might be OK for most uses (Eric O uses them most of the time as well), but when you need a LOT of pressure, it will actually hinder the process by crushing/adding to the rotational resistance of the bolt.

https://www.motionindustries.com/products/sku/02891394

18,900 newtons only equates to about 4,250 pounds, so a little over 2 tons of force.

 

[Wrench97]

I use the astro last chance tool, it works well as long as you have something to push against.
You also have to view it as a consumable it's not going to last for ever and will need to be replaced every couple years(depending on your use)

 

[Benito]

I use the astro last chance tool, it works well as long as you have something to push against.
You also have to view it as a consumable it's not going to last for ever and will need to be replaced every couple years(depending on your use)

More like once or twice a year here. The larger bolt seems to hold up better but obviously doesnt always fit through the hole you need. The smaller ones we get quite a few uses out of before replacing but they do get worn. Even grade 8/9 in M12 threads vs an impact is an inevitable thing.
That said, I use them more like a 1st resort than last. So the time it saves me on the whole makes me purchase more for sure. Be smart about it though, there's some hub that no matter what are going to kill all your tools if you let them.

 

[dnschmidt]

If you pulled something that rusty into a shop here in Arizona they would just laugh in your face and send you down the road.