Arrrrgggg Front hub stuck/frozen on 2010 4X4 v8 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Arrrrgggg Front hub stuck/frozen on 2010 4X4 v8

geosnooker2000

Well-Known Member
Joined
March 29, 2007
Messages
286
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City, State
Somerville TN
Year, Model & Trim Level
'10 Eddie Bauer V8 4x4
I'm starting on the passenger side (replacing both sides). I've been at it since noon yesterday. I've tried about 5 doses of penetrating oil, banged on the lug nut bolt flange from both sides of the steering knuckle, I've banged on the base of the hub side to side using a tow ball as a drift, and prying with a BIG crowbar. It will not budge.

I went to the AutoZone to borrow a hub puller, but all they have are press-type gadgets that would only press against the drive shaft (which is totally free in the splines/I can push it in and out with no problem) which would do no good, and probably screw up my CV joint.

Do I have to just go with the slide hammer? Is there a better way? I saw a video of a guy using a socket and extension on the head of one of the hub bolts from the back side, wedged up against the frame of the truck and he used the power steering to "push" the hub out. I checked, and that's doesn't seem possible on the Explorer (he was working on a Jeep Grand Cherokee).
 



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Slide hammer wont work you need heat propane may do it but will take forever but map gas I know will but it will take a while. I did my drivers side with a mapp gas torch and a 4 lbs hammer and got it out. I also tried slide hammer and impact chizzle neither worked. Thats when I told myself never again without oxy acetylene torch. I was also hitting on the flange and eventually you will see a small gap.

Edit
I forgot to say to heat knuckle where the bearing sits and not the bearing itself.
 






Slide hammer wont work you need heat propane may do it but will take forever but map gas I know will but it will take a while. I did my drivers side with a mapp gas torch and a 4 lbs hammer and got it out. I also tried slide hammer and impact chizzle neither worked. Thats when I told myself never again without oxy acetylene torch. I was also hitting on the flange and eventually you will see a small gap.

Edit
I forgot to say to heat knuckle where the bearing sits and not the bearing itself.
Yeah, I got serious with the propane torch this afternoon. Made little to no difference. I tried (against my better judgement) to do the "power steering as an hydraulic press", but was too chicken to really torque it.

At this point, screw it. I put it back together. Gonna pay a shop to do it probably on Tuesday. If I had a garage, and it wasn't 90 degrees, and I didn't have other paying work to do...
 






Yeah, I got serious with the propane torch this afternoon. Made little to no difference. I tried (against my better judgement) to do the "power steering as an hydraulic press", but was too chicken to really torque it.

At this point, screw it. I put it back together. Gonna pay a shop to do it probably on Tuesday. If I had a garage, and it wasn't 90 degrees, and I didn't have other paying work to do...

I know how that feels. At least I had a garage and the weather was 50ish springtime weather.
 






You are trying to remove the bearing assembly and not just the front hub right?
 






You are trying to remove the bearing assembly and not just the front hub right?
The bearing assembly is INSIDE the front hub, and it is all one "non-serviceable" piece.
71iXSHVhcML._SX425_.jpg
 






Yea I went through the same thing. Even watched probably the same video, it was a no-go.Day 3 I gave up. Belive me, you aren't going to get it out with hand tools (im not saying its not possible to do with hand tools, if its going to come out without a press, it will come out fairly quickly, Im just saying once you pass day one and quit being gentle and its still in there, its unlikley its going to come out with hand tools...). Fords design is stupid. On everything I have replaced hubs on, there is just a tiny bit of the hub in the knuckle to center it, on ford its like 1/4"+... Once rust gets in there, its not coming out without hydraulic persuasion,

I ended up removing both knuckles from the truck so the bearings could be pressed out. On a decent hydraulic press its literally a 5 minuet job, and that included blocking it up, the actual pressing it out is about 5-10 seconds, then a little clean up with a wire wheel and you are ready to go. Im lucky to have one at work, but any decent auto shop will have one and and do it for you for pretty cheap if you bring them the knuckles.
 






The bearing assembly is INSIDE the front hub, and it is all one "non-serviceable" piece.
71iXSHVhcML._SX425_.jpg
Correct - that's why I was asking. The hub is separate on the rear and wanted to make sure you weren't trying to only pull it on the front.
Fortunately, we don't see a lot of salt around here so it's a fight but usually winnable with patience and persistence. I would think it would be similar in TN.
 






Last time I did hubs I started soaking those nuts with Aero-Kroil two weeks before I started
working on them. They came off without any issues. Aero kroil is not cheap but its the best.
If you know its needs to be done soak it ahead of time.
 






Both my fronts came off after 10-12 years in north jersey without more than maybe 5 minutes of whacks with a small hammer. Maybe I was lucky, first time I was outside in driveway on a 20 degree day because I was tired of my wife telling me she’s scared to drive it with that rumbling noise
 






Take a cut off disk on a 4 1/2" angle grinder and cut a 1/2"+ deep slot perpendicular to the bolt holes, through the bolt holes, at the parting line, in the bearing housing only. Bearing housing is scrap anyway. This way you will have a slot to drive progressively thicker wedges into and force it out. You may still need an acetylene torch. Grease or moly on the OD of the new one may help next time.
 






my 2 ways are 1. get a 8+lb sledge hammer and a steel spare rim with out a tire and mount it on the hub and smack the crap out of the rim 2. get a 8+lb sledge hammer and a really long pipe wrench like 36+ long and tighten it onto the flange and smack the crap out of it and hope it comes out before the adjuster ring on the wrench cracks
 






my 2 ways are 1. get a 8+lb sledge hammer and a steel spare rim with out a tire and mount it on the hub and smack the crap out of the rim 2. get a 8+lb sledge hammer and a really long pipe wrench like 36+ long and tighten it onto the flange and smack the crap out of it and hope it comes out before the adjuster ring on the wrench cracks

Kinda rough on the ball joints.....crack one and get a surprise later!
 






Yeah, I got serious with the propane torch this afternoon. Made little to no difference. I tried (against my better judgement) to do the "power steering as an hydraulic press", but was too chicken to really torque it.

At this point, screw it. I put it back together. Gonna pay a shop to do it probably on Tuesday. If I had a garage, and it wasn't 90 degrees, and I didn't have other paying work to do...

I did the Hubs a few years ago. The passenger side was easy. The driver side CV Axle was seized up in the hub. I spent 2 days with pullers, presses, propane and looking for any advice on this forum. I finally said screw it. I grabbed my 8 lbs. sledge hammer and aimed it as best as i could on the splined shaft of the CV axle and hit it as hard as i could. It finally moved . I hit it a few more times then put the press on it and it came out. I had to replace the CV axle because the end of it was now mushroomed out from the sledge hammer. I was worried about causing damage to the axle, alignment, etc...but everything was okay. I made sure I put an ample amount of anti seize on the spline shaft of the new CV axle
 






Have you seen this video? It may or may not be helpful in your case. It did help me.
 






That's an awesome video, I have never owned an air hammer but I just ordered one! Thanks Larry!
 






Yeah, I had an air hammer and it made the job so easy!
 






I’ll still stand by the theory that the axle torque on the FRONT hub is not critical for the bearings, since the same bearings are used on 2WD trucks with NO axle stub or not at all. Rear hubs are different story.
 






I’ll still stand by the theory that the axle torque on the FRONT hub is not critical for the bearings, since the same bearings are used on 2WD trucks with NO axle stub or not at all. Rear hubs are different story.
I am with you on this. I've said it before on this forum, and I'll say it again. Torque values on the front bearings are going to be equal to the maximum torque for the nut size and thread involved. There is no preload involved.
 



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Just did the hubs on my 2010.

The splined shaft punched in with a Hilti vibrating demolition chisel. I spent $100 on ebay and beat the hubs out of the knuckles in about five minutes with a 5 lb sledge and this:

61aoiME1CeL._AC_UY218_ML3_.jpg
 






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