| Author | Message | ||
     Richardbiker |
Hey Folks, I need some help. The knowledge vault and google search haven't helped enough, and it's not a great search system. '09 XT rear wheel bearing failed to the point the ball bearings were falling out. The inner race practically fell out when I removed the wheel. How do I get the outer race out of the hub? I have it soaking in PB Blaster and have tried to get under the inner edge (no luck). Any tricks (I don't have welding equipment or experience) would be appreciated. Thanks. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I'm not sure if the outer race will have any "edge" to grab, but take a length of round or square bar stock (say ~1/2" x 1/2"), insert from the opposite side of the wheel and use a hammer to drive it out. You may be able to catch the edge of the race or it may catch inside the race where the balls or seal resided. If you can get it to "grab" at all, work your way around the perimeter until it comes out. Otherwise, find a friend with a welder. Supposedly laying a bead inside the race in a couple of locations will cause it to distort and draw inward, making it easy to tap out. Outside of that, maybe careful cut into the race with a Dremel cutoff wheel in several locations, then work on it with a punch and a hammer (?). | ||
| Sagehawk |
I've taken a smaller torch tip and spot heated races in 4-6 places around inside diameter with same results. Let it cool all the way down before trying to work it out from other side as described above. It's a grasshopper moment being in aluminum housing and also keep in mind this wasn't on my stuff. Nash compressors and Marley gearboxes, etc. Good luck! | ||
| Richardbiker |
Hugh, Thanks for your input. I tried to get my long punch to work like you suggested (instead of some round or square stock). Can't seem to catch an edge. I'll give the PB some time and try again. | ||
| Richardbiker |
Paul, Thanks for you response. I need a grasshopper moment! | ||
| Djohnk |
This set from Harbor Freight will get it out, same thing happened to me. Also make sure you heat up the rim hub really good with a heat gun or hair dryer. You can return it to Harbor Freight if you don't like it, I kept mine though. http://www.harborfreight.com/blind-hole-bearing-pu ller-95987.html (Message edited by djohnk on April 23, 2016) | ||
| Sagehawk |
Back to the the welding thing. Grab a piece of mild steel long enough to sit down onto outer race. Weld on ends. Then use punch from other side. Do not use keystock! There is a 'coating' on the outside that doesn't like being welded. I learned that on my first bearing change when I hit punch thinking I drove bearing out with one hit. Keystock broke out, punch shot thru wheel and four # hammer nailed index finger against hub. Broke the crap out of that first joint on index finger. Guy that welded it walked over and asked, that wasn't key stock was it? Duh? Learning is tough sometimes. | ||
| Nillaice |
Happened to me in Chicago on a coast to coast run I spent the rest of the afternoon at an auto zone with a Dremel and almost made it to Iowa by midnibgt | ||
| Timbobuell |
As Djohnk describes, blind puller. Free rental from autozone, (deposit until you return.) Part number 27128. Pulled my bearings out like butter. | ||
| Richardbiker |
Thanks for the suggestions. Will go back at it this pm. Richard. | ||
| Phelan |
Guys recommending the blind hole pullers. Those work great on wheel bearings that are still in one piece. In this case, there is no lip for the blind hole bearing pulled to grab, because the inner race and bearings are gone, so that won't work. While talking about blind hole bearing pullers, it's important to note that the kit from Harbor Freight doesn't have a collet big enough fir the XB rear wheel, only the front. The kit from Auto Zone that you can rent, does in fact have a large enough collet. | ||
| Johnshore |
I used the harbor freight tool to do my rear bearings on the Uly this week. I used the method someone on here suggested: Lock in the collet then remove the slide handle. Turn over the wheel and beat the tool out from the other side with the proper punch. In my case a long half inch extension. Won't help here though I believe the edge of the outer race is completely covered by the wheel. | ||
| Djohnk |
I disagree ... I actually used the harbor freight puller to pull just the outer race. That's why I recommended it. That little lip at the end is enough to get in there and grab it. Heat on the hub is a must though (Edit -- egg on my face here, see my comment below) (Message edited by djohnk on April 25, 2016) | ||
| Etennuly |
I heat the rim hub with a heat gun. I says it goes to 1050 degrees F, so that gets pretty hot, but I move it around as to not burn the paint or powder coat. I heat it enough that I cannot touch it. Next time I will scope the temperature with my laser temp metering tool. If I have a stubborn inner race, with the hub still hot, I will then ice it. Either with ice cubes or a little shot of some liquid gas. Then I use the corner of a square stock bar. If it gets rounded off I will grind it back to a pointed sharp edge to grab the edge of that barely available race edge. Work around it tapping lightly and moving around all of the time. It should come out rather easily if you are not forcing it into a cocked angle in the hub. | ||
| Phelan |
hmm, I'm thinking HF has a bigger puller than the one I used then. My bad. I should find that puller. | ||
| Djohnk |
You got me curious Phelan, I went to my shop and measured the diameter of the large puller at max expansion .... it's a little over 1.4". I checked the inner dimension of the outer race and it's about 1.92" according to the SKF CAD drawing. I apologize to all, I guess my memory is wrong (it was probably over 4 years ago had that i had that outer-race only problem). I must have taken the rim to a welder (by the way, they are usually pretty cheap for a project like that). | ||
| Reepicheep |
Helped a neighbor with a quad and this happened. 5 minutes with the welder and the race was on my workbench. It doesn't have to be a good welder either, just a little flux core MIG will do fine. Weld in a washer, tap it out. Welding it shrinks it too. | ||
| Teeps |
I watched an Ozark mechanic remove an outer race in a piece of farm equipment using a stick welder. He laid a bead around the bearing race way of the outer bearing shell. After it cooled the race nearly fell out of its own weight. | ||
| Arcticktm |
I can't speak to the specific issue of only having the outer race left, but I can verify that my Harbor freight kit has a large enough collet for the rear of my '06 Uly. I was having trouble with it, so took it to local independent shop. they were mostly HD stuff, so didn't have a puller collet large enough for Uly rear. I gave him my H-F kit and he used the collet with his press and it worked fine. | ||
| Richardbiker |
Hey, Thanks to everyone for hashing out this problem. I took the wheel over to a local independent shop this morning. A mechanic there used to be the Buell guy at the local HD shop. He said it would be done later in the week. Four hours later they called and it was done, with the new bearings and spacer installed. $37 bucks and no more frustration. He basically did what Teeps and Hugh said about running a bead around and it comes right out. Going to lay some high temp paint on the muffler while I can get to the back of it and then reassemble it. Thanks again folks. Richard | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Tapered roller bearings usually have separately installed inner races. Sometimes there is not enough of a lip to catch a blind puller or to drive from the other side. Here are a few ides which work: If there is even a little race to catch, heat the hub before driving the race out. Aluminum expands FAR more than steel and the hub's hold on the race will loosen. 220F to 250F is good. A 'sudden, crackling, sizzle' when water is sprayed gives you a good idea of temperature. Using a heat gun is very slow but there is little risk of damaging your wheel's appearance. Electrically welding a bead around the inside of the race will shrink the race. There's generally no need to add any sort of a handle, the race will usually drop out. Care needs to be taken to keep welding spatter off of finished surfaces. There's a tool used for BMW headstock bearings. It is a thick split-washer with the outer edge machined to a wedge shape. A tapered screw expands the washer and the machined edge wedges the race away from the headstock. Once the tool is started, the tapered screw is used to draw the race from the headstock. |
