Help!!

[pat_neumerz]

Last month the front right wheel bearing began to make noise so I replaced it. Recently the left began.(no surprise) so naturally having the press available and all necessary components I decided today the day to fix the left. All was going according to plan until i got to removing the hub. I attempted every single possible idea ever. I originally tried the wheel hub removal clamp thing with a very strong air ratchet (which was successful on the right no issue), then i tried a number of different things, heating, penetrating lube, anything i could think of and to tell the truth im stuck. My car is sitting on a jack stand right now and im exhausted from like 6 hours of labor. Help please i honestly feel stuck.

 

[el_Don]

Get an extension, a breaker bar and a buddy. After that turn your Beast Mode switch to the [ON] position.

 

[KrayzieFox]

Get an extension, a breaker bar and a buddy. After that turn your Beast Mode switch to the [ON] position.

^What he said. And I assume you made sure to pop out the safety pin/groove on the axle nut right?

 

[RABID_MP5]

yeah a good impact wrench is the key. I learned it the hard way already. I've got a broken 1/2" breaker bar now. In a real pinch you might be able to cut the nut with a dremel or whizwheel down to ALMOST the threads and then bust it with the impact or a chisel. But this shouldn't be needed with the right tools. Remember, the only reason you could really get away with using heat (which can work) is that the bearing is already toast, since the heat can ruin the seals and melt out the grease.

 

[slavrenz]

Guys, I think he means that the hub is seized to the axle, not that the nut won't come off. To the OP, those are about your best options for getting the hub loose, so keep at it. What sort of heat are you using (propane, oxy-mapp, oxy-acetylene, etc.)?

 

[RABID_MP5]

oh, of course! I've never had the fun of a really stuck one. One clue may be in one heat cycle to heat just the inner shaft. It's counterintuitive since that's expanding against the outer, but the idea is this crushes the crap in there that's binding. Then after it cools you can try to heat just the outer part to expand it away & maybe beat on it then - without getting burned. I'm assuming the cv joint is far enough & heat sinked enough that it'll be OK - not positive. Anti-seize on those splines when you finally re-assemble.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

I assume that you are using this tool...if not, it's what I used and it pushed the axle right out. I'll also echo what others have said...you're sure you've removed anything else that would keep it from coming out, right?

 

[pat_neumerz]

So I got the hub partially off. I allowed for the whole piece to sit in penetrating oil all night then with a little more trying it actually pushed the whole axle back through the hub instead of pulling the knuckle out. Somethings sketchy about this whole thing. So i was like great ok now just to remove the last hub connection to the car, the ball joint. Now this wont come out. Once the hub is able to be disconnected I can throw it onto the press and remove the bearing but the ball joints stuck. I pried it as much as i could, to no avail. About to order or whole damn control arm. Help Pt2

 

[slavrenz]

So I got the hub partially off. I allowed for the whole piece to sit in penetrating oil all night then with a little more trying it actually pushed the whole axle back through the hub instead of pulling the knuckle out. Somethings sketchy about this whole thing. So i was like great ok now just to remove the last hub connection to the car, the ball joint. Now this wont come out. Once the hub is able to be disconnected I can throw it onto the press and remove the bearing but the ball joints stuck. I pried it as much as i could, to no avail. About to order or whole damn control arm. Help Pt2

Did you remove the pinch bolt completely? Also, get a cold chisel in that little slot at the back of the ball joint stud to help expand things. Then just tap the stud out through the bottom of the steering knuckle.

 

[pat_neumerz]

So i did end up getting it off. What i was forced to do was fork the ball bearing which essentially destroyed the ball bearing entirely. As it turns out the previous owner evidently had already replaced the bearing once. There are marks from an air chisel all up and down the ball bearing. Without damging force it would have never ever come off because it had literal notches hold the knuckle on. I just ordered a whole new control arm which blows and I have to find a place to buy a new knuckle bolt as that was all bent up from the previous owners great air chiseling. FML.

 

[slavrenz]

So i did end up getting it off. What i was forced to do was fork the ball bearing which essentially destroyed the ball bearing entirely. As it turns out the previous owner evidently had already replaced the bearing once. There are marks from an air chisel all up and down the ball bearing. Without damging force it would have never ever come off because it had literal notches hold the knuckle on. I just ordered a whole new control arm which blows and I have to find a place to buy a new knuckle bolt as that was all bent up from the previous owners great air chiseling. FML.

sucks dude. Where'd you order the control arm from? You can get a Beck-Arnley control arm for about $65 at RockAuto.com.

As for the bolt, I'm pretty sure that when I replaced mine that I was able to find the right size at a local auto parts store.

 

[pat_neumerz]

i went through napa. It was really expensive like pushing 130. As for the bolt its not a dealer part? Theres grooves in the neck of it that smell of a mazda dealer part.

 

[robbie53]

yea i had to do my driver side axle on my 2000 protege, it was rusted in there like you wouldn't believe, basically i had to destroy the bearing to get the axle out, it went from a half an hour job to about a 6 hour swearing and sweating adventure. And I also installed a beck-arnley control arm for about 100 bucks at my local auto store. don't ask me how that got wrecked while i was doing the axle but it did.

 

[slavrenz]

i went through napa. It was really expensive like pushing 130. As for the bolt its not a dealer part? Theres grooves in the neck of it that smell of a mazda dealer part.

I don't know what you mean by grooves, but there's nothing in the ball joint stud or steering knuckle that's threaded.

As long as you find a class 10.9 metric bolt with a matching nut that fits in that pinch bolt hole, you'll be fine. I'm about 95% sure I used an M8X1.25 bolt with matching nut, but I'm just not sure on the length of the bolt.

 

[pat_neumerz]

Yea im all set haha of course i cracked a wheel bearing pressing it in and had to do it two times but lifes good now. Ended up using a normal bolt because i went to mazda and they handed me a normal bolt and attempted to charge me 12 dollars for it. No chance haha. But now on to the swaybar bushing replacement <3.

 

[slavrenz]

Yea im all set haha of course i cracked a wheel bearing pressing it in and had to do it two times but lifes good now. Ended up using a normal bolt because i went to mazda and they handed me a normal bolt and attempted to charge me 12 dollars for it. No chance haha. But now on to the swaybar bushing replacement <3.

Glad to hear it all worked out. I had to do my bearing twice too, because i screwed my first one up by trying to tighten the axle nut with an impact wrench.