Axial is stuck on my Wheel Hub Assembly. Hammering it initially didn't work.

[scheidr]

Changing my Wheel Hub

What happens when your axial gets stuck to your bearing hub assembly? I "wacked" it with a hammer like I was supposed to but it didn't move. Granted I don't have a sludge hammer, just a rubber hammer and a large regular one. I've sprayed penetrating fluid into the gap betweem tjhe axial and the wheel hub but that's all i can do. What else is left?

-Thanks!

 

[HotZ28]

Let the penetrating fluid sit overnight and try again tomorrow with a bigger hammer. You may need a 10-lb sledge to brake the rust between the CV splines & hub. Once you are successful & replace the hub, use some anti-seize on the splines to prevent this from happening again.

 

[scheidr]

That's what I wanted to hear! I've been watching some of the "horror story" like videos on YouTube where these people are using torches and giant tension claws to pull these things apart. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that. This is a garage kept car so I'm thinking the rust welding can't be that bad.

One more question. I screwed two of the hub bolts in again to hold the hub steady. Are two of the bolts all I should need for this?

Now I gotta go find me a big a$$ sledge hammer!

Thanks!

 

[NickaV]

You shouldn't need to screw any bolts in to keep the hub steady, just beat the living $%!# out of it until it pops free. It may take awhile, mine were so badly rusted on that it took a couple of beating sessions to get it off. Gotta love that Michigan rust.

 

[Homer Jay]

As I suggested in your other post you should consider a hub puller. Beating the crap out of hub puts uneven stress on the CV joint which could damage or weaken it. A front wheel drive hub puller exerts even pressure and will break the bond between the hub and axle splines. They work great and can be borrowed or rented at a nominal cost if you don't want to purchase. The right tool makes all the difference. Use a good penetrating oil such as Kroil which worked very well for me. A few strong taps around the hub and it broke free on my 2001 which has seen harsh NY winters. Good Luck.

 

[txbarney]

Your post question did not specify some important information......what year LeSabre and if it is early I would guess it has steel wheels, all later (starting the late '80's) mostly had alloy wheels.
If you are not driving the car, you do not need to put any lug nuts back on the studs..... Something that might work and is safe...put 3 of the lug nuts back on the studs...but stop before they touch the wheel/rim
now lower the car to the ground. Rock the car from side to side and you might be able to put it in Neutral and rock it forward and back.....always being safe...the car on level ground....etc
The weight of the car may be enough to break the rim loose from the axel.
When you do get it off, clean both the axel and rim.....a wire brush, sandpaper, get both as clean as possible. Then coat both the back of the rim and axel with a light film of grease.
You might consider doing all the wheels .....if you had trouble with one, there is a good chance the others may be just as bad.

 

[HotZ28]

Thanks for the post, but I think you may have misinterpreted the original post #1.

What happens when your axial gets stuck to your bearing hub assembly?

 

[scheidr]

Dude, you win!!!. The penetrating oil overnight combined with one, good, solid whack from a 10 lb. rented sledge hammer did the trick. The thing came right apart. Soooo happy!

Honestly the hardest part of these types of jobs is getting the old stuff off where you have to deal with all the rust welding and corrosion.

I "wire brushed" and "anti-seized" the crap out of all the required surfaces and "thread locker-ed" all the bolts before screwing everything back together. I used the Chris-Fix YouTube video as my guide. Got wonderful tips on doing this type of thing. Also used the "1A Auto.com" YouTube video for all the Buick Le Sabre specific points.

Honesty don't know what the heck I'd do without YouTube as well as your guy's help.

Thanks Again!!!

 

[scheidr]

Thanks txBarney. FYI, It's a 2002 Buick Le Sabre Custom. I'm going to go into the back wheels the replace the break pads like I did with the front wheels while I was replacing the Hub Bearings. I'll check the back hubs as well but I'm not looking forward to going through this all again. We'll see, We'll see.

Thanks!