Need help with rear driver side axle fused to hub

[ROBinGa]

I am attempting to take both rear knuckles off to take to a shop tommorow for them to press in new bearings I bought. Passenger knuckle came out completely and was so easy I thought I would be done with whole job in less than 2 hours. I basically followed advice on a thread in this forum but mainly a YouTube video by FordtechMakuloco. I was mostly worried about pinch pins but those came out easily using my air hammer. I have the driver side knuckle disconnected from all the ball joint connections right now but the axle will not punch through the wheel hub. I soaked it in PB Blaster, have whacked it very hard for a long time with axle nut at the end with my 3 pound hammer, I went to Advance and rented a hub puller but it is just chewing a bigger deeper hole into the end of the axle tip and I'm to point where I can't physically turn that puller any longer. I applied heat with the only heat I have -a propane torch. I am at wits end. It's not just stubborn, the splines of the axle seem fused to the wheel hub.

Can I remove the entire axle and get a new axle and a salvage knuckle? I am about ready to think along those lines.

Please let me know if you have experience with a stuck axle and how you solved yours

 

[07gtman]

pointed air chisel if you have one

 

[ROBinGa]

That's how I removed my passenger side and just a few pulses and it zipped right out. I've tried it and no go.

 

[07gtman]

That's how I removed my passenger side and just a few pulses and it zipped right out. I've tried it and no go.

more penetrating lube while its still wet hit it with the air chisel the vibration will help it soak in

 

[07gtman]

more penetrating lube while its still wet hit it with the air chisel the vibration will help it soak in

do that 4 or 5 times then try the big hammer ..but be careful dont hit it too much with the big hammer so you dont mushroom the head of the shaft put the bolt on the end of the shaft. repeat the lube and air untill it comes out

 

[Number Twelve]

I guess you didn't see my post in the bearing Thread. One half-shaft spline (drivers side) was cold welded to the hub. A little 3/16th inch long piece of spline broke off and had to be dragged the whole length of the hub, kicking and screaming all the way. I used a hub puller and the 1/2" air gun took 3 whole minutes screwing the push-bolt in to drag the splines across each other.

After I got it apart and knocked the piece of spline off with a chisel, everything was two-finger easy.

There ain't no amount of PB Blaster that would fix that!
Your case might be fatal.
The cure is in the Automotive Dismantling and Recycling Emporium (junk yard).
The next problem is how to get the half-shaft out of the pumpkin at the junk yard. I don't know how to do that yet.

 

[07gtman]

I guess you didn't see my post in the bearing Thread. One half-shaft spline (drivers side) was cold welded to the hub. A little 3/16th inch long piece of spline broke off and had to be dragged the whole length of the hub, kicking and screaming all the way. I used a hub puller and the 1/2" air gun took 3 whole minutes screwing the push-bolt in to drag the splines across each other.

After I got it apart and knocked the piece of spline off with a chisel, everything was two-finger easy.

There ain't no amount of PB Blaster that would fix that!
Your case might be fatal.
The cure is in the Automotive Dismantling and Recycling Emporium (junk yard).
The next problem is how to get the half-shaft out of the pumpkin at the junk yard. I don't know how to do that yet.

i didnt see it either did you fix it

 

[ROBinGa]

So is there a write up on how to take the driver side half axle out? I've read people saying take a 2x4 and hammer but does that mean you drive the axle splines out of the differential? I am pricing knuckles, axles, and hubs thinking that I am likely headed that way. This really sucks that it's just so close to coming apart.

 

[Number Twelve]

So is there a write up on how to take the driver side half axle out?

Yebbut it's buried about 8 pages deep right now.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...ar-wheel-bearing-replacement-pictures.251915/

 

[Number Twelve]

i didnt see it either did you fix it

Read slower.

After I got it apart and knocked the piece of spline off with a chisel, everything was two-finger easy.

 

[imp]

I did mine with the typical axle slide hammer puller. Remove the long rod with the hammer slider on it, set aside, use a long threaded bolt (Mine has 5/8-18) to bear against the axle shaft, 3 lug nuts on the wheel studs, tighten wrench, axle presses out backwards easy as pie. Used for both front and rear. Use the 4-fingered flat one below, fits many 4 and 5 lug hubs. Can buy just the slide, hammer and base as one separate tool, instead of the whole kit. imp

Like this:

 

[ROBinGa]

Success! It took about an hour of slowly gaining ground a half turn at a time with the hub puller and a 4 foot length of iron pipe on end of breaker bar. I could tell we were making progress so we just kept going. Cramped forearms and all we got it off. None of the PB Blaster made it in the inner groves of the splines. I don't think the heat worked either but may have aided removal. I think the main thing was just brute force with the hub puller and leverage. I couldn't see anything on the splines at all that should have bound it up. I think it was 13 years of torque and heat cycles that just made it tough. I never want to do that job again.

 

[07gtman]

Success! It took about an hour of slowly gaining ground a half turn at a time with the hub puller and a 4 foot length of iron pipe on end of breaker bar. I could tell we were making progress so we just kept going. Cramped forearms and all we got it off. None of the PB Blaster made it in the inner groves of the splines. I don't think the heat worked either but may have aided removal. I think the main thing was just brute force with the hub puller and leverage. I couldn't see anything on the splines at all that should have bound it up. I think it was 13 years of torque and heat cycles that just made it tough. I never want to do that job again.

nice job thanks for posting

 

[imp]

@ROBinGa
Guess I lucked out on mine. Both rear and one front, came apart easy as pie. One front scheduled for any day now! imp

 

[ROBinGa]

Both my driver's side suspensions caused me trouble. On the front, the upper ball joint pin was fused to the steering knuckle and the lower strut mount bolt was fused to the strut. I had to purchase a new steering knuckle for that job. And I had to cut strut bottom mount bolt with sawzall.

By the way, on this rear I did end up mushrooming the end of axle just a bit hammering or maybe by the hub puller tool expanding the hole at end of axle shaft. Either way I am going to have to use grinder in my Dremel to grind down the tip of axle shaft just to get the axle nut on. There is a little room to grind and make a taper there before the threads start.