OK, so I'm sure this has been talked about before, but when I try to search for it, "hub" is too short, so it wont search for it, and nothing else I thought of found anything.

I removed all the bolts, all the nuts, as suggested by the instructions I've found for replacing from ujoints, but I can't break the hubs loose.

In the instructions they all remove the front axle/quarter shafts/whatever they are called with the hub- can I use a puller to break the hub off and leave the axle there? and then pull those separately? or is there a reason they both have to come off together? Anyone have any other tricks to break them loose? Crowbars, hammer, and some PB blaster hasn't served me too well. Going to try heat, and then probably a power saw, and just cut the hubs in half? (replacing them is only like $75 each, which I dont want to do, but it beats the $1000 the shop wants to replace the ujoints and seals)

Any help appreciated!

 

hmmm... sounds like fun. i just did this project and it went very well, granted i had ALL the right tools and no corrosion. when i pulled my shafts out and held them by then ends the hubs just fell off, but it sounds like your having some trouble.

go to the hardware store and buy three 14mmx1.5mm bolts of atleast 100mm in length and thread those PARTIALLY through the knuckle holes and into the hub assembly and then hit on the bolts with a dead blow till the assembly breaks loose. be sure to use anti-seize on the outer shaft to hub splines so u dont run into this problem again

 

The hubs won't be stuck to the axleshafts, it would be siezed right in the knuckle. HEAT is your friend! But since you're going out to try the heat, you'll probably already know this by the time you get back

 

did you get them off yet?

the 3 best ways are -
1 sacrificial bolts in the back side of the hub, and beat on them with a hammer.
2 socket on the bolt head on the back side, use power steering to push on them.
3 heat on the knuckle.
4 hub puller

when you put them back in, coat the entire hub bearing in anti-seize to prevent rust and seizure.

as said ^ the axles are floating inside the hubs and are a separate piece and generally well greased. once the hubs are out, the axles will simply fall out.

i'll go ahead and tell you this - the axle seals are at the inside of end of the axle tubes, all the way down at the diff and cad. treat them like GLASS !!! on both removal and reinsertion. they will not take any abuse, so don't give them any. lift the axles over them. the best thing to do - is REPLACE them while you have it mostly apart. or, take it apart again in the future when they start leaking.

 

Very simple

1)Find a socket that is about the right depth to fit between the yoke ears on the stub shaft and the axle tube.

2)Get someone to sit in the truck and run the steering

3)place that socket in said location, have helper start truck and crank the wheel so that it's putting pressure on the socket.

This will work, even on the most stubborn hubs. Might take several times moving the socket front to back to work that hub a fraction of an inch at a time, but it'll come loose.

I did this illustration, since I don't have a working camera at the moment. The red block indicates a socket (or chunk of metal, whatever)

 

The above tips are solid.

My only addition is to grease the outside of the new bearing assembly where it inserts into the knuckle. This will ensure easy removal for next time.

I did a hub bearing last night and the bearing pretty much fell out of the knuckle into my hands because I greased it when I installed it.

 

Yep, grease or anti seize compound.

 

It took 5 tons of pressure to press the burnings and hub apart

 

This works genius... took about 2 minutes to get both sides off.... Great idea- thanks a lot!

 

I did want to take a moment and thank everyone else for their help though too

Thanks!