Wheel hub removal

[Jonny_L 0]

Hi guys, Is there any way to remove a front wheel hub on my vr without splitting the ball joints and taking the lot off?

I've removed the wheel, caliper and disc, but I don't have a ball joint splitter! any ideas?

Thanks, Jonny

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

Have you tried taking the lower pinch bolt out and pulling down on the arm? or remove the three bolts on the arm that hold the lower ball joint in place and slide it out that way?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Do you mean the bearing housing or the hub itself? The hub is the metal disc the wheels bolt to, the housing is the bit the strut and brakes bolt too.

 

You can get the hub out with a really strong puller, but getting it back in again without a press will be fun. Bearing housing - as above, undo the ball joint's 3 bolts but you'll need a BJ splitter to remove the tie rod anyway.

[Jonny_L 0]

thanks for the replies.

I found out that halfrauds do the splitter, so i just got myself one.

I'm replacing the actual hub as one of the wheel bolt socket threads is gone, but I've started removing the housing now so i can make sure i fit the new one on properly, and while i'm there i'll do the bearings.

 

I'm having trouble with splitting the ball joint tho. halfords gave me a bolt up type splitter, which has already buggered it's self up! lucky i was dubious of it and bought a fork type too.

Now, i've broken the rubber seal trying, but i still can't get it split. I assume there's some kind of trick to doing it?

Forgive my ignorance, i've not done ball joints before.

[chrisw 0]

I buggered one of those laserline splitters from Halfords as well. Machine Mart do a stronger version which did the trick for me but it was a close run thing. Many people claim you can rap the knuckle of the joint with a lump hammer to make it release. Even if it doesn't release it it should certainly loosen it a bit. Be careful to only hit the bearing hounsing part of the knuckle.

 

Chris

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah you need to beat the cr@p out of the ball joint with a hammer, well, not literally as you'll bend the bearing housing, but some goodly blows.

 

Do it in stages.....give the BJ a beating, use your splitter, crank on the pressure, beat the BJ again, crank up the splitter a bit more and so on and so forth.

 

If you split the seal (inevitable with fork splitters), replace the BJs.

 

Use only VAG BJs and bearings. Pattern ones don't last that long, so it's false economy.

[Furkz 0]

give the BJ a beating, use your splitter, crank up the pressure, beat the BJ again, crank up the splitter a bit more and so on and so forth.

 

If you split the seal, replace the BJs.

 

Use only VAG BJs. Pattern ones don't last that long, so it's false economy.

 

WTF are you chatting about... ya dirty boy :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

BJs on here are Ball Joints, offline they're something entirely different :-)

[Jonny_L 0]

cheers guys, I sorted it in the end, turned out I wasn't hammering hard enough! I hammered the crap out of the thing and it finally split.

The job's just about done now, i've taken it to my local garage to get the tracking checked and hopefully pass my mot now.

I ended up needing to replace the track rod end with one from gsf, as vw had forgotten to order one in and gsf had one in stock, so i'll see how it goes, otherwise i'll have to replace it again.

 

I can't wait to get it back now, a week without the raddo has been doing my head in!

[dinkus 10]

Use only VAG BJs. Pattern ones don't last that long' date=' so it's false economy.[/quote']

 

WTF are you chatting about... ya dirty boy :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

And you were wondering how he managed to get cheap prices on parts at VAG ;)

[Jonny_L 0]

Ha! well, if it's gonna go that way, My local Vag refused to give me a BJ yesterday, but said that i could have one any time after then.

Aren't I a lucky boy. :lol: ...damn.

[Furkz 0]

dinkus, imagine you got a discount and a BJ everytime you went to VAG

 

their adverts would be exactly like Carlsberg ones :lol:

[billinjah 0]

what you mean you dont furks??

[Taggart 0]

You can get the hub out with a really strong puller, but getting it back in again without a press will be fun.

 

Can you not tighten the hub nut to press it back in?