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How to remove bearings from rear upright

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gideon:
I've just been trying and failing to remove the bearings from the left rear wheel bearing housing.  I pushed the stub axle out with a hydraulic press (it's a new toy), and tried following the approach in Serge's video.  I heated the alloy casting to about 120 Celsius and then tried tapping the inner bearing out from the opposite side using a large screwdriver and rubber mallet, tapping on the inner race of the inner bearing.  No luck.  I also tried prising the inner seal off with the same large screwdriver and also no luck. 

I know the inner bearing is supposed to be a light fit in the housing, so I should try to remove that one first.  The spacer moves just enough to expose one side of the inner race of the inner bearing.  Before I damage something with an ill considered attempt at applying more force, what is the best way to get this done?

BDA:
As I remember (and it was an age ago!) I heated my uprights with hot water and the bearings pretty much came out without complaint. You might try some penetrating oil with some heat.

jbcollier:
You are not saving the seal so jam in a large, flat-tipped screwdriver under the seal lip and then twist the screwdriver.  It'll come.

Forget the rubber mallet and screwdriver.  Use a proper punch and hammer  Hammers are hard. Punches are (relatively) soft. They are made for each other.  Screwdrivers and bearings are hard.  Hard against hard may cause one or the other to fracture and send metal chips flying about at high speed.  Not good.  Use a punch or something made of un-hardened steel (rebar for example).

Since you driving out the bearing against its inner race, your bearing are toast and have to be changed.

Slide the inner spacer side to side and hit on the inner race with the punch and hammer.  Start out with a medium hit and observe how far the bearing moves.  If it moves a lot, unlikely, then tone it down.  If it doesn't move, more likely, ramp it up.  Go from side to side so the bearing comes out "square".  If you hit only on one side the bearing comes out sideways which will ovalise the housing's bore.

cwtech:
If the bearing has been "Locktited" in place, I believe immersing in boiling water destroys the bond.

EuropaTC:
Hmm, they normally come out quite easily so if yours aren't then I would start to suspect something else is there.

It might be that the previous owner, having some Loctite for the axle splines, has decided to use the same stuff on the bearing "because it will make it better".  Or it might be that the housing was previously damaged and the last time they were assembled with the old dodge of using a dot-punch to raise the holding surfaces slightly and then setting the bearing in retaining compound.

If so, that won't easily be destroyed with gentle heating and I doubt hot water would shift it.  Bearings & seals are scrap so it doesn't matter how brutal you are as long as you don't damage the aluminium. I'd suggest some more heat coupled with a proper punch & heavy hammer as John described.

Brian

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