pulling bearings out of hub - help!
Discussion
I am trying to change the front wheel bearings on my 2009 Mitsubishi Colt, but am having not luck trying to remove them. I have a slide hammer and it was doing nothing, so I put a 25kg gym weight on there and it still does nothing. I'm not a weak person and train regularly in the gym and the only thing I have achieved with this bearing is getting sore and out of breath lol. I have not even managed to move it a hair. I have used tons of penetrating oil, tried hitting around the hub (with a hammer, striking bar etc) for ages to try and loosen corrosion, but no good. I also tried using bolts to push it out, but snapped the bolts trying. I wondered if there was a hidden snap ring or something? I have uploaded 2 pictures below, but there does not look to be anything?
Any idea how to remove this or a link to a tool that will 100% work. I would take it into a machine shop, but nowhere near me is open over Christmas and I don't have transport to get anywhere. So if there is any tool I could order and get delivered it would be better.
Any idea how to remove this or a link to a tool that will 100% work. I would take it into a machine shop, but nowhere near me is open over Christmas and I don't have transport to get anywhere. So if there is any tool I could order and get delivered it would be better.
Edited by Adam32 on Tuesday 26th December 19:06
Googling the thing it looks like a complete f
ker to extract, one supplier comments that Mitsubishi supply the whole hub assembly rather than expect workshops to separate them. Lots of heating and cooling cycles might get you somewhere or it might not, even with access to a press I'd not be confident of getting that out without destroying the bearing, grinding the outer race and attacking it with a chisel.
ker to extract, one supplier comments that Mitsubishi supply the whole hub assembly rather than expect workshops to separate them. Lots of heating and cooling cycles might get you somewhere or it might not, even with access to a press I'd not be confident of getting that out without destroying the bearing, grinding the outer race and attacking it with a chisel.You're going at it the wrong way, remove the puller because that will do nothing bolted on there, you need to knock out
the hub flange from the back, you can use a bar just smaller than the bore and it should hit out fairly easily, you will probably
then have the outer part of the bearing stuck on the flange, the bearing then gets pressed or hammered out from the back of the
hub, you will need to remove the ABS sensor or it will get mashed, if you can get the outer bearing part off the flange press it
back into the bearing and use a big old socket on top of it to hammer the whole thing out.
Getting the outer race of the bearing off the flange can be a bit tricky but the main bearing in the hub should come out
without to much trouble if you set it up and hit it right with a heavy hammer.
the hub flange from the back, you can use a bar just smaller than the bore and it should hit out fairly easily, you will probably
then have the outer part of the bearing stuck on the flange, the bearing then gets pressed or hammered out from the back of the
hub, you will need to remove the ABS sensor or it will get mashed, if you can get the outer bearing part off the flange press it
back into the bearing and use a big old socket on top of it to hammer the whole thing out.
Getting the outer race of the bearing off the flange can be a bit tricky but the main bearing in the hub should come out
without to much trouble if you set it up and hit it right with a heavy hammer.
Edited by Master Of Puppets on Tuesday 26th December 20:23
In your bottom pic at about the 8 o'clock position there appears to be a slot in the body.
Looks suspiciously like a snap ring end by that slot.
Don't know how many things are common to the various years, but this might (or might not!) help shed some light.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUBIAIDu9-I
Replacing the snap ring at 10:35
Bit of googling of 2009 Colt front wheel bearings' & quite a few of the kits show a snap ring.
Done a few of that style of wheel bearing (not on a Mitsubishi) & I think you might struggle without a press.
Looks suspiciously like a snap ring end by that slot.
Don't know how many things are common to the various years, but this might (or might not!) help shed some light.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUBIAIDu9-I
Replacing the snap ring at 10:35
Bit of googling of 2009 Colt front wheel bearings' & quite a few of the kits show a snap ring.
Done a few of that style of wheel bearing (not on a Mitsubishi) & I think you might struggle without a press.
Do people rate these tools? They seem to get good reviews
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-TOOLS-LAS6660-6660-...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-TOOLS-LAS6660-6660-...
Unless you've already got a workshop manual it might be better to buy one & hopefully you'll get a better idea of what's where.
Perhaps this might have what you need to know?
https://haynes.com/en-gb/mitsubishi/colt/2008-2012...
Perhaps this might have what you need to know?
https://haynes.com/en-gb/mitsubishi/colt/2008-2012...
With the strong disclaimer that I've not got one, and therefore not used one personally, Eric O of South Main Auto swears by these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Y9GTMGF/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bpWAxVN_4
If you have a look at the first pinned message, he also mentions a much cheaper 'knock-off' as he calls it.
His channel has a few examples of him actually using it successfully on a variety of customers' cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bpWAxVN_4
If you have a look at the first pinned message, he also mentions a much cheaper 'knock-off' as he calls it.
His channel has a few examples of him actually using it successfully on a variety of customers' cars.
Grenadier_45 said:
With the strong disclaimer that I've not got one, and therefore not used one personally, Eric O of South Main Auto swears by these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Y9GTMGF/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bpWAxVN_4
If you have a look at the first pinned message, he also mentions a much cheaper 'knock-off' as he calls it.
His channel has a few examples of him actually using it successfully on a variety of customers' cars.
Spunk 150 quid on a tool to knock a bearing out, which could’ve been done in 10 minutes if he actually knew where to hit and where to hold it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bpWAxVN_4
If you have a look at the first pinned message, he also mentions a much cheaper 'knock-off' as he calls it.
His channel has a few examples of him actually using it successfully on a variety of customers' cars.
Not a personal attack on yourself, but it’s obvious that no tools will help if the OP doesn’t know what he’s doing in the first place.
1. You need a good bench and vice, and I mean good, to do hub bearings, 9 times out of 10 you need to beat the lead the living s
te out of them.2. You need to drift the hub flange including the sleeve inside the bearing out, that’s to the wheel side of the hub. Get it in aforementioned vice, resting on the hub casting (never easy, they’re always a difficult shape) get a socket slightly smaller than the inner and knock the s
t out of it until it comes out. 3. Proceed to smash all the inner bits, balls, race etc out of the shell.
4. Clean the outer race areas and remove the internal circlip holding the race into the hub.
5. Source large socket or steel sleeve to then knock the outer race out of the hub. This will need a lot of physic, this is where you powerfully built gym attendees come in. Or should. Anyway, once out, clean up the bore with emery paper, apply a light spot of oil around the hub bore and fit the new bearing.
6. I hope you kept the old sleeve as this is handy for knocking the new one in, keep your hand and fingers underneath as when you knock it in the new bearing inner races will open up and drop on the ground, covering your new bits in s
te.7. Once in, re-install the circlip, you’ll get a new one with the kit.
8. Now the fun bit, get the inner race off of the old hub. An air chisel is the weapon of choice for this but you can slit it with a slitter disc on a grinder, or, the keep fit version is get the hub flange in the vice and cold chisel the bugger off.
9. Now you’re on the home straight, you’ll need that knocked back into the hub but without knocking the new bearing inner out. If you’ve got this far you’ll realise that you just need the correct size sockets to drift in and keep it all together.
Best to just get somebody to do it really.
Edited by Ritchie335is on Tuesday 26th December 21:52
If your new bearing is just the bearing the post above and a lot of swearing is the way to go, if the bearing is part of the drive flange you will need a special tool to remove and re fit it. It is possible with brute force to do without the tool but the tool pushes on the outer edge of the bearing when re fitting to avoid damage to the new bearing. In that case I would find a local garage that has the tool and get them to do it.
Just to add I'm actually a mechanic and have one of the different size tools for those type of bearings and it makes the job easy, there's more than one size of tool depending on the outer diameter of the bearing. As the tools are expensive another garage I'm friends with have the other sizes and we borrow the tools from each other.
Just to add I'm actually a mechanic and have one of the different size tools for those type of bearings and it makes the job easy, there's more than one size of tool depending on the outer diameter of the bearing. As the tools are expensive another garage I'm friends with have the other sizes and we borrow the tools from each other.
Rather than use a hub puller, rotate the hub to a position whereby you can knock out one of the wheel lugs then replace the lug with reasonably long bolt of the same size and screw the bolt in so it goes up aginst something solid so you can press the hub off rather than trying to pull it.
If you can do the above using 2 lugs on opposing sides of the hub all the better.
If you can do the above using 2 lugs on opposing sides of the hub all the better.
I would be wary of any device that puts excessive strain on the wheel studs; they are designed and specified for holding a wheel on... with a moderate tightening torque (C. 90 to 140 Nm), and anything in excess of this could over-stress/ stretch them. I have also seen distorted drive flanges where excessive force has been unevenly applied; again, these are not forces that they were designed to withstand. Ideally these things should be pressed apart; adequately supported as the force required to get a ten year-old bearing to separate from its housing can exceed 10 tonnes... pause to think about that mass hanging off one wheel stud or one 'corner' of a drive flange... and try to visualise what is going to 'give' first...
The instructions from Ritchie above sound like personal experience and well worth listening to.
This is not intended to be a substitute for those but in my ignorance of never having done it before I would be removing the ABS sensor as at best it is in the way, at worst it WILL be a casualty.
Aside of that, maybe a chisel or other wedge shape hammered in from the side may get it moving.
As was said above, the wheel studs aren't meant to take force like that anyway.
If it does need to go that way, then a hydraulic puller may well work better.
On top of that the "lip" on the other side could well be pressed into the hub carrier to prevent it ever coming out that way.
Better take it somewhere that can do it for me would likely be my answer.
This is not intended to be a substitute for those but in my ignorance of never having done it before I would be removing the ABS sensor as at best it is in the way, at worst it WILL be a casualty.
Aside of that, maybe a chisel or other wedge shape hammered in from the side may get it moving.
As was said above, the wheel studs aren't meant to take force like that anyway.
If it does need to go that way, then a hydraulic puller may well work better.
On top of that the "lip" on the other side could well be pressed into the hub carrier to prevent it ever coming out that way.
Better take it somewhere that can do it for me would likely be my answer.
Edited by E-bmw on Wednesday 27th December 14:05
Looking at that I would say it's one piece bearing and drive flange. If that is the case, support the most solid side of the knuckle on something solid anvil or piece of h beam and hit it f ING hard with a big hammer it goes out forward, once it starts to move it will come out fairly easy. You could refit new one the same way but I wouldn't advise it better to get it pressed in. They can be difficult to fit in the press to remove but pressing back in should be fairly simple.
imagineifyeswill said:
Looking at that I would say it's one piece bearing and drive flange. If that is the case, support the most solid side of the knuckle on something solid anvil or piece of h beam and hit it f ING hard with a big hammer it goes out forward, once it starts to move it will come out fairly easy. You could refit new one the same way but I wouldn't advise it better to get it pressed in. They can be difficult to fit in the press to remove but pressing back in should be fairly simple.
I now have it out and it is one piece. I spent a ton of money and purchased the Lisle 40100 Hub Remover. I also purchased the Hub buster. the Lisle tool did not work, as there was not enough solid material to press against on the hub and it kept sliding off. I could get a decent pressing position on the caliper bolt holes (as shown in the promotion material), but did not have the confidence to really torque on this for fear of snapping the knuckle. As for the Hub buster, this is the biggest pile of junk out. Smacking it with a 20lb sledge hammer for a prolonged period at full force did absolutely nothing apart from bend the hub nuts.I then purchase the below bearing press for 35 quid and put the knuckle in a vice. It worked a wonder, but I had to cut the flange off with an angle grinder to use the press, so that it had something flat and solid to press against.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404444743733
I really don't think hammering without the flange removed would have worked well. I think it would have beat up the knuckle badly. The only flat even surface is behind the flange, and you obviously can't push against the flange because the bearing and flange are only one piece.
In future I won't even bother with a slide hammer or other tools. The knuckle is coming off, put in a vice, flange cut off and pressed out (20 minutes max job). I just wish I had purchased the press first, instead of beating myself up and spending a ton of money. Plus I ended up damaging the ABS sensor so had to order another one for 20 quid! A bit of a nightmare job, but at least its done now.
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