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MG MGB Technical - Axle Shaft Removal - Late Tube Rear End

Hi All...

Am I missing something?

1) Removed wheel, drum, hub, back plate.
2) Removed bearing cap.

Paul Hunt suggests loosely putting the hub back on and banging on the back of it. I never thought of that - good idea. I dont really care for banging on the hub, though...

I borrowed a hefty slide hammer that has a claw on it. I put the nut back on the shaft and grasped the back of it with the slide hammer's claw. I swear I've done this before... But I wrap and wrap on the slide hammer and the bearing/shaft doesnt seem to be coming out. I don't think it's even budging.

I even fired up the torch and applied some heat on the casting all around the bearing. Doesn't matter.

This thing should be coming out, right? There isn't some clip or anything holding it in yet, is there?

FWIW, the axle's still on the car.

Any suggestions?

Curt
cjd DeHaven

I had to replace rear seals and bearings on my GT (with tube axle) last week. Took it to my friend/mechanic and MG tragic with a hoist etc. He replaced the hub and gave it a wack with the BFH and out the axle came with the bearing - worked like that on both sides.

John
J Tait

Curt,

Take the hub off, loosely fit two bolts in opposite holes, with the heads towards the car, and the nuts against the car side of the hub. Put the hub back onto the shaft so that the bolt heads touch the axle casing, adjust the nuts so that you can get the big hub nut back on and then just screw it on and you pull out the axle with very little effort and no shockloadings.

There are many reports and pictures of this, but I can't remember where.

David
D Balkwill

Interesting idea, David.

So you put the bolts in the holes in the hub - this implies removing 2 studs...

I like that better than a big hammer - as the axle is still on the car, which is on stands, I wouldnt want to knock it off the stands!

I had tried something similar where I had piled small pieces of wood behind the hub. To no surprise, when I cranked down on that nut, the wood just compressed. Gonna try the bolts now. Thanks.

Curt
cjd DeHaven

An interesting idea from David. As I understand it once the bearing cap is off a bolt with a nut already on, pushed into two opposite axle casting holes such that the head of the bolts project far enough so that the back of the hub reaches them before the hub is fully on the half-shaft, will indeed pull the half-shaft and bearing out of the casting as the hub nut is tightened.
Paul Hunt 2010

It is for once actually warm in Manchester, so of course I got it the wrong way round. Paul is right, the bolts sit in the holes in the axle flange, and press onthe back of the hub. Not my idea, I quote from the excellent information on the Octarine forum

14. Run a nut down a long screw/bolt so it is about 2" from the head (you need two of these) and place them into opposite holes on the axle case. Replace the hub on the half shaft so that it rests on the two bolts. Replace the axle nut and tighten - it will pull the bearing out of its housing

So thanks are due to Chris
D Balkwill

Very good!

David, when I first read ur original post, I wondered, "why dont i just use THOSE holes?" The ones on the axle case... Then I convinced myself I might break one of them off. But on second inspection they do seem faily beefy. Then with Paul's post and your correction - along with a documented quote I might add - I feel much better about using the holes in the case.

Many thanks, Guys. Hopefully if all goes well, I wont have to post "How do I remove the axle from the car...." : )

Curt
cjd DeHaven

After the removing seal carrier and split seal sleeve, as Curt said, put the hub & axle nut back on a couple of turns and put a 9/16 1/2 drive socket behind the hub and just tighten the hub nut. pulls the bearing out every time. It usually pays to have a large screw driver handy to stop the hub turning as you tighten the nut. You do not need to remove the wheel cylinder pipe, just hang the back plate on a piece of wire to the shock arm.
Garth
Garth Bagnall

All...

The improvised "puller" implemented by using a couple of bolts behind the hub as described above worked like a charm! Many thanks!

I ended up using a pair of 3/8 x 2 inch bolts - it's what I had laying around. I think something a tad longer would work better as they kept falling out... Perhaps 2-1/2 inch length would work better.

In closing and for the sake of the archives a picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks again - Curt



cjd DeHaven

Good picture,Thanks,Rich
rich osterhout

This thread was discussed between 25/06/2010 and 30/06/2010

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