Hub assembly, what to do?

[brianj752]

I took my car into CV pros yesterday to get my passenger rear hub assembly replace, and they couldn't do it. I have to go back in a few days, they left the outside nut turned out a thread or two so maybe it would break free while driving. If any place could do it this would be it they replaced my drivers front hub assembly after I took to a different shop and they worked on it for 2 hours. I would have just replaced the axle w/ it but there are no aftermarket ones available, right? The only one they could find was over $650, could just buy a whole new rear end for $400. Also was going to pay $200, is that a good price for replacing hub assembly? And, what should I do if they can't get it out? F*ck. Thanks for any input.

 

[mitsugsx95]

Wait....so your saying this shop let you drive the car around with the axle nut threaded off? Thats stupid... do they want you to get in to an accident?

Thread the axle nut off till the nut is half on and half off. Then use a propane torch (like the ones at Home Depot) and heat it up. You might have to try to work it into the splines somehow, but just get it nice and hot for a couple min. After that with the nut still on, smash the crap outa the nut with a HUGE sledge hammer. Leave all the other susp. comp. bolted together back there, they keep the assembly from moving.

After a few hits, check your progress. See if its moving out any. If it is, keep smashing till it gets out, then get back there and unbolt the 4 bolts holding the hub and wheel bearing assm. on. This can all be done w/out taking the axle out.

Oh...and get a new axle nut while your at it.

Hope that helped.

 

[brianj752]

Thanks for the info. I brought it back to the shop yesterday after driving around w/ the axle nut threaded out 1 or 2 threads to see if it loosened up (shops suggestion), it didn't. I am going to get a hub assembly and try whats listed above, I hope it works, it sounds like my hub is going to lock up on me at any time, really bad. Also, if I mess up the axle, where can you find one.

 

[ACM]

I've had 2G hubs cherry red on a 20 ton press, they don't move - if it won't come apart with a 5 ton puller it seems that it won't come apart period. I've done several now, unless they're greased up before about 60k miles they bond themselves together for life. Must be manufactured by swans.

The threaded section of the axles nose is quite soft - even with the nut in place (reversed) the axle nose will collapse if beaten hard with a sledge. You may be lucky, it could break loose without damaging anything, and there's nothing really to lose by trying, but don't hold your breath.

OEM rear hubs are abour $150, the outer CV/axle assembly OEM is around $250(?). You can get rebuilt rear axles from Raxles, but not for ABS cars - the joints used are front CVs which preclude the correct positioning of the ABS ring. Supposedly one of the big chains (NAPA etc) can order axles, but I have not found that to be true so far, at least for 2Gs.

Good luck,
Charles

 

[brianj752]

I was thinking if nothing else works, I will just use a heavy duty grinder and oxy-accetaline torch and chop/cut the hub to sh*t in a way to get it off of the axle, if I mess the axle up o'well, I had to try something. Junk. Anybody ever do this?

 

[ACM]

Actually yes, tried that a month or so back, out of curiosity.

Gave up after a while - didn't get far, didn't look like we were going to get very far. When you heat the axle up that high the heat-treat is messed so the axle's no good then anyway.

Charles

 

[cait sith]

Here's what I ended up doing:

Take a cold chisel to the castlenut, crack it off. Then remove the whole entire hub assembly from the suspension arms, and yank the axle out with the wheel bearing assembly still attached to the outer hub assembly.

The axle is going to be toast no matter what you do to it. My local NAPA/machine shop was able to get another ABS axle no problem (But I ended up cutting my ABS wires because the ABS sensor had no plans of leaving the hub).

A competent machine shop should be able to remove the axle from the toasted wheel bearing assembly.

It's the suspension piece you're worried about. Everything else is going to be junk.

I had to do it twice. Heat isn't going to do anything unless you're talking molten steel.

 

[blackGSX2g]

Actually yes, tried that a month or so back, out of curiosity.

Gave up after a while - didn't get far, didn't look like we were going to get very far. When you heat the axle up that high the heat-treat is messed so the axle's no good then anyway.

Charles

So you tried cutting the axle off, or cutting up the hub? My front hubs and axles are rust welded all together as well and I've had them red hot as well with a 5 ton puller and had no luck at all. I put more heat on it with an oxy/acy torch and ended up melting the castle nut and the thread sticking out. I'm in the same boat as BrianJ...I'm prepared to replace the axle and hub assy, I just need to get it off.

 

[ACM]

Cut the outer boot off, remove the bolts holding the hub to the upright, pop the inner CV loose from the diff, then pull the hub out of the upright and slide the whole axle/hub assembly half way through the upright. Now remove the inner CV from the axle shaft - undo the boot clamps, pull out spider,remove spider from shaft, remove boot from shaft.

You can throw the hub/axle away, or send the axle shaft to Raxles for rebuilding.

The axle assembly without the inner CV joint is now $170 from Mitsu with discount (the inner CV is still ~$300 !). Raxles has the inner CVs for considerably less, don't know if they will sell them seperately though.


You're doing fused fronts ? Ugh...The CVs will not fit through the upright, you'll have to grind/cut the Green section off first - ugly job...The good news is front hubs are $120 each and the complete axles are about $200 from Mitsu, substantially less from Raxles.

Charles

 

[brianj752]

I have it figured out. I took the assembly off the car w/ the end of the cv axle still locked in it. I brought it to a machine shop they had a 50 ton press and a torch on it and couldn't get it out. I then found two hub assemblies on ebay, I ended up paying $56 for them. So I told the machine shop they could destroy the assembly aslong as I get the CV end out. They did, it cost about $60. Now Im good to go, replaced the hub assembly for $116, not bad, I even have an extra hub assembly now.

 

[4ged4G63]

they left the outside nut turned out a thread or two so maybe it would break free while driving.

:laugh: :laugh:

 

[brianj752]

The hubs I received off of ebay are the front hub assembly's. The difference between the front and rear is the bolt pattern that connects the assembly to the knuckle. The rear one is a smaller rectangle pattern, while the front is a larger uneven pattern. I called every dealership and parts store around, none of them can get the rear. One place said they could, I looked at the part and it was for the front. I think that I will just put a front hub on the rear. It looks like I can get two bolts go through to line it up(may have to drill a little) and make it flush, the i will just weld around the outside, screw, it should work. FPITA.

 

[ADrewzki]

brianj,
Do you think you could post a picture of the front? Just the wheel bearing in particular if you can manage. I have one laying around and supposedly it was for the Talon but it sure as hell didn't fit on the rear.

 

[ACM]

JNZTuning.com

Josh can get an OEM hub in a few days. Around $120 iirc.

Charles