Very stuck wheel bearing 2011 Outback

[AdventureSubaru]

2011 Ouback, about 120k. Only a year spent in salty winters.

 

Rears have been making noise for a while. Figured I'd get these done before we take a 4 hour drive Sunday evening to attend a conference. Everything has gone smoothly until it came time to knock the bearing loose. Hit with a hammer. Nothing. Pried with a pry bar. Nothing. Upgraded to a 5 foot crow bar, a 2 foot pipe wrench to pull/push perpendicular with no success. 15 LB sledge and I'm hitting it with force that splits 2ft Oak logs. Metal is mushrooming, but it's not showing any signs of giving up.

 

(Yes, axle nut is loose. I left it on so the whole thing doesn't topple if/when it finally brakes loose.

 

I have most of tomorrow to work on it, but unsure of what to do next. Just keep whaling on it? hoping someone has a trick or tool that can get
this unjammed.

Edited February 23, 2018 by AdventureSubaru

[golucky66]

You have two options (from my experience)

Get the bolts that hold the hub into the spindle and thread them in about 6 turns or so (leaving a little gap between the head and the spindle)

Put a socket on an extension, and wail on the extension. Using the bolts as a way to force the hub out from the back. Alternating 2 bolts.

 

Number 2. Causing damage to the backing plate and spindle. But will always get the hub out. Once out you can clean up the plate and or spindle.

Take an air hammer (or regular chisel and hammer) and get the chisel between the hub and the spindle (the backing plate probably will be in the of fire) and chisel the hub out. Alternating location.

[john in KY]

Get the bolts that hold the hub into the spindle and thread them in about 6 turns or so (leaving a little gap between the head and the spindle)

Put a socket on an extension, and wail on the extension. Using the bolts as a way to force the hub out from the back. Alternating 2 bolts.

 

 

If the rears are anything like the front bearings, then the above works. I pounded/pulled on my front bearing for over a week when I was advised to use the above method. Probably took a minute to separate the parts.  

[Gloyale]

If you hadn't jacked the hub so much i would suggest this

 

https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4579-9-Way-Hammer-Puller/dp/B0015DMNIS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1519434699&sr=8-4&keywords=slide+hammer

 

can't believe I waited so long to buy this.  Makes 98% of wheel bearing jobs a piece of cake.

[Fairtax4me]

I've had those slide hammers pull the hub out and leave the bearing housing. Not that it matters, the hub isn't being reused with this style bearing, but you end up hammering the housing out in the end anyway.

 

Use the bolt method above and they usually come out with a few solid hits.

 

I will say those slide hammer kits are 100% necessary for certain bearnings like Toyota where the rear axle comes out with the bearing retainer on it.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Fairtax4me

[Gloyale]

I've had those slide hammers pull the hub out and leave the bearing housing. Not that it matters, the hub isn't being reused with this style bearing, but you end up hammering the housing out in the end anyway.

 

Use the bolt method above and they usually come out with a few solid hits.

 

I will say those slide hammer kits are 100% necessary for certain bearnings like Toyota where the rear axle comes out with the bearing retainer on it.

 

Not that it's a big deal, but then you gotta buy new bolts.

[golucky66]

You don't need to replace the bolts if you use a socket and extension. Grant it, the extension is now messed up a bit. But I have one extension I use for just this situation.

Never hurts the bolt.

[Gloyale]

You don't need to replace the bolts if you use a socket and extension. Grant it, the extension is now messed up a bit. But I have one extension I use for just this situation.

Never hurts the bolt.

 

Sorry, but I would not ever reuse a bolt used to pound out a hub that a 5 lb slide would not remove.  It's a bolt, not a punch.

 

I've seen wheels fall off from the bearing retaining bolts snapping.  On a jeep, but still, same general design.

 

I could not in good faith reuse those bolts on a customer car.

 

Just get the right tool for the job.  Like I said, it works 98 percent of the time.

[golucky66]

Sorry, but I would not ever reuse a bolt used to pound out a hub that a 5 lb slide would not remove. It's a bolt, not a punch.

 

I've seen wheels fall off from the bearing retaining bolts snapping. On a jeep, but still, same general design.

 

I could not in good faith reuse those bolts on a customer car.

 

Just get the right tool for the job. Like I said, it works 98 percent of the time.

See, and I've used slide hammers on the hubs before. And not once have I gotten them out that way.

I'm not a 250 lb body builder, so maybe strength plays a role. But I've hurt my arm from using the slide hammer for 15 minutes trying to get it unstuck. And it didn't move the 3 or 4 different times I've tried it.

Edited February 24, 2018 by golucky66

[Mike104]

Some use a tool like this (or a home made version) to get the bearing/hub out of the knuckle

 

[CNY_Dave]

If you did slide hammer off the hub, then it would be even easier to make a tool to connect the slide hammer to the hub bolt holes.

 

My slide hammer is a long large threaded rod with nuts on the ends that capture a) whatever or a hub puller, and I use cheap dumbell weights as the slide hammer part.

I use 1, 2, or 3 10 lb weights zip-tied together, you do have to use some care to not drag the car across the garage though.

[Fairtax4me]

Sorry, but I would not ever reuse a bolt used to pound out a hub that a 5 lb slide would not remove. It's a bolt, not a punch.

 

I've seen wheels fall off from the bearing retaining bolts snapping. On a jeep, but still, same general design.

 

I could not in good faith reuse those bolts on a customer car.

 

Just get the right tool for the job. Like I said, it works 98 percent of the time.

It takes a LOT LESS force to knock bearings out by the bolts than what you probably think.

 

Did that jeep have 35s on it?

[1 Lucky Texan]

what about putting the bolts back in loosely, then 'juking' (technical term) the car back and forth? accelerate a few feet, slam on the brakes, etc. ? would that break the rust-weld loose?

 

I know it won't work with those studs now, but could that work?

[AdventureSubaru]

Still getting nowhere on this. Tried 3 chisels but nothing seperating.

 

Bought two home depot bolts of same threading and pounded from the back side with nail hammer and got some good pops one handing that 15lb sledge. Still not budging.

 

Thought this would work for sure. Bolts bent on the first try. With 3 heavier (1/2 inch I think) bolts its starting to seperate the hub and bearing. Next thing I can think is to pull the hub piece out and try to weld a plate across it to try similar, but get bolts lined up straight with no angles.

 

[Fairtax4me]

Is the axle fee in the hub?

 

Heat the knuckle with a propane torch in a few spots for about 45 seconds to get it to expand a little. Doesn't need to be red, just needs to be a little warmer than the bearing housing to loosen up a bit.

[AdventureSubaru]

Yep. That was the deceptive part. Bolts spun right out. Axle popped free on the first whack. I thought this was going to be a one hour job. Now got 6 hours at least just trying to rig something to get it out.

 

I pulled the hub piece all the way out so theres just the mounting plate and back of the bearing. Thought I'd get it for sure when I got put a bolt in the back of the knuckle almost all the way to the threads and held it there with some big C clamps. Spun a bolt through the threads to hit the other one and press outward. Cranked to the point that I think i'll strip the bolt and still hasn't budged. Going to try a second one like that. If not, I'll be welding a plate and nuts and putting at least 4 bolts of pressure to it.

[Fairtax4me]

If you're gonna weld, just weld a 4 foot length of 2" pipe straight to the retainer.

[AdventureSubaru]

Might do that. Got a couple ideas to try since I'm resorting to my scrap pile and welder to create something to complete the task.

[CNY_Dave]

You're only 4.5 hrs away, shove the bottom part of a shopping cart under there and bring it over!

 

Serious thought- if you can clean the housing enough to run a welding bead on it, and do that around a lot of it, that will cause it to shrink a tiny bit and it might come free.

 

Works on bearing races...

[ej25]

I encountered this same problem on a 2008 Legacy, replacing a rear wheel bearing.  Use a three jaw gear puller.  It'll pop it right out.  I used a 3 lb hammer and beat the crap out of the hub, but it wouldn't budge.  I mushroomed the tip, but the gear puller pushed the tip right out.  I tried to grind the tip down, but couldn't get the nut back on, so I wound up having to buy a reman CV axle, too.

[Gloyale]

I encountered this same problem on a 2008 Legacy, replacing a rear wheel bearing.  Use a three jaw gear puller.  It'll pop it right out.  I used a 3 lb hammer and beat the crap out of the hub, but it wouldn't budge.  I mushroomed the tip, but the gear puller pushed the tip right out.  I tried to grind the tip down, but couldn't get the nut back on, so I wound up having to buy a reman CV axle, too.

 

This pushes the axle out of the hub, but doesn't help extracting the bearing housing from the knuckle.  And if it did, it would have had to transfer all the pushing force through both CV's against the spider retainer in the diff.  Via pushing the axle through the hub as far as it could go.  Once both CV joints were compressed to their limits, then the force would all be against the diff internals.

 

NO bueno.

[ej25]

Muy bueno.  I removed the inner CV from the differential first.  I remember stubborness on the bearing assembly, not coming out easily from the housing.  Wound up removing parking brake cable and taking off the whole thing, dust plate and all.  Placed between two big blocks of wood and commenced to hammering.  John Henry would've been proud!  The bearing assembly eventually separated.  The CV axle fit through the hub.  I put some bearing grease around where the assembly touches the hub, in case I had to go back in there.  I used a cheapo Autozone assembly.

[Gloyale]

Muy bueno.  I removed the inner CV from the differential first.  I remember stubborness on the bearing assembly, not coming out easily from the housing.  Wound up removing parking brake cable and taking off the whole thing, dust plate and all.  Placed between two big blocks of wood and commenced to hammering.  John Henry would've been proud!  The bearing assembly eventually separated.  The CV axle fit through the hub.  I put some bearing grease around where the assembly touches the hub, in case I had to go back in there.  I used a cheapo Autozone assembly.

 

yeah, so like I said.  

 

Using the three jaw puller DID NOT help to remove the bearing from the knuckle.  It just freed the axle from the bearing, which isn't he OPs problem here.  You ended up unbolting a bunch of other unnecessary stuff.  And neglected to mention that in your post.  Kinduv a good way to screw someone up if he tried to follow your advice as originally posted and rammed his axle into his diff, crunching the cages and the spider thrust washers.

 

3 Jaw puller is not going to remove the stuck bearing housing from the Knuckle.

[ej25]

yeah, so like I said.  

 

Using the three jaw puller DID NOT help to remove the bearing from the knuckle.  It just freed the axle from the bearing, which isn't he OPs problem here.  You ended up unbolting a bunch of other unnecessary stuff.  And neglected to mention that in your post.  Kinduv a good way to screw someone up if he tried to follow your advice as originally posted and rammed his axle into his diff, crunching the cages and the spider thrust washers.

 

3 Jaw puller is not going to remove the stuck bearing housing from the Knuckle.

Apologies if I added confusion.  I can see in my haste that I wasn't clear.  The 3 jaw puller helped me remove a stuck CV axle.  My bearing assembly was stuck, too.  I didn't "unbolt a bunch of unnecessary stuff".  The bearing assembly, along with the parking brake and dust shield, came loose as a unit after removing the 4 hub bolts.  I did not have to remove the parking brake cable.  I sat the whole thing down between two pieces of wood and was able to tap out the bearing assembly.

[Gloyale]

Apologies if I added confusion.  I can see in my haste that I wasn't clear.  The 3 jaw puller helped me remove a stuck CV axle.  My bearing assembly was stuck, too.  I didn't "unbolt a bunch of unnecessary stuff".  The bearing assembly, along with the parking brake and dust shield, came loose as a unit after removing the 4 hub bolts.  I did not have to remove the parking brake cable.  I sat the whole thing down between two pieces of wood and was able to tap out the bearing assembly.

 

That means you took the Knuckle off the car.

 

And removed the CV axle.

 

Unnecessary.