Front Bearing Race removal

[CCM911]

Has anyone else had to really whack at the races to get the races removed from the front hubs? It is actually rounding off my punch, so I have to keep grinding it square again. I have one hub done so far. I thought it would be much easier.

I'll definitely freeze the new ones and bake the hubs before installing the new stuff.

[chrisbruck]

I threw mine on the grill to get hot first and they popped out pretty easily.

Freeze the race and grill the hub again to install the new one. I used the old race to tap in the new one. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it turned out.

[jason2guy]

if you have the old style hubs without the cutouts, find a hardened washer that grabs the lip of the small race on the inside, then some threaded rod and a few other pieces and press it out. for the large race its a little trickier, take an old race to the hardware store, find the right sized washer then cut the ends off. thats so you can get it in the hub from the race side. i use that method and it works great. and of course heat the hub for any kind of race work

[mowog63]

Chris,

I just did this on my 85 last month....

Getting the races out wasn't that difficult, but they didn't just pop out; I had to tap (firmly) a couple times on either side of the race, side-to-side to walk it down the bore.
Make sure that you have the hub on a solid surface to ensure that the energy you are exerting from the hammer isn't getting lost. I put mine on a the flat part of a heavy vise.

Honestly, the toughest part was seating the races....I learned the hard way - don't repeat my mistake.
Heat the hubs to around 300F for around 20-30 minutes in the oven after you clean them up....it won't smell very much.
Freeze the races for a couple hours prior to heating the hubs.

Look at the hubs and take note that the larger side race seat has a "false" seat under it that tripped me up - Jason set me straight on this thankfully. If you don't notice this, it will look like the race is not seated by about an 1/8".
The best way to verify the races are seated squarely on the seats is to use a dental mirror to look all the way around it - another Jason tip, he's a sage!

I'm not sure why you have to hit your races that hard, but I'm assuming since you have an 84 that your hubs will be the same as mine.
I posted pictures of my hubs/race seats in this thread:Wheel bearings questions

Good luck,
Erik.

[brp914]

I bought a collet/slide hammer tool off amazon to extract the races. The tool, obviously chinese, immediately broke. So I resorted to the hammer/drift method. As others have mentioned, heating the hubs really helps.

As for driving in the races I got a HF 12 ton press + a $34 bearing intstall tool. Absolute slam dunk.

Ive found that freezing the races does no good due to their small mass compared to the hub. The races immediately heat up.

[rusnak]

Use hardened tool steel, not a Chinese punch, or you'll have shrapnel everywhere.

I use a Craftsman steel punch that I bought as part of a set. You have to re-grind the tool edge at least once.

Yes, you have to really whack them to get them started. Walk them out from side to side, do not let the race start to turn.

The heating/ freezing thing is for guys who use Dremel tools (hobbyists). I like to press them in first using a bearing race tool to tap the race most of the way in, then finish with a hydraulic press, to make sure that the race is fully seated all the way around.

[rusnak]

B90P Wheel Bearing & Hub Kit for Porsche - Page 2 - Rennlist Discussion Forums

[bwrichardson]

With no cutouts, heating/freezing was not effective and I have neither a collection of hardened washers nor a press. I drove the 90 miles to a "Porsche" shop and for gas and $40 had the old races removed and the new races pressed in.

[jason2guy]

well done. of all the jobs on my car, ive done front wheel bearings way too many times. there was a 5 yr period in which i could not get my right front wheel to stop shaking. tires, bearings, struts, in the end it was a combination of my caliper not centered and the inner tie rod bushing. so in that time ive refined the race r&r.

[CCM911]

Thanks, guys, I feel much better. Rusnak, how did you know I was using a cheap Chinese punch? LOL.

I will attempt to remove the last two races this evening.

[TheSt|G]

I've always done them on the car(with BMWs) with a combination of sockets, puller tools, and PVC pipe as a standoff.

[douglas bray]

Round cold chisel on plywood on a concrete slab. Its the only way if you dont have a race press kit. The force of your hammer needs something solid behind what you are hitting. Do this job on a bench and all your force is lost in the bench. Must be done on a slab.

[bpu699]

I used a harborfreight $80 press (hub wouldn't fit...if I had to do it over I would buy the bigger more expensive one). I then took the old bearing race and cut a slit in it so it could be made smaller (ie. smaller circumference), then placed it over the installed bearing, and pushed it out with a chunk of scrap metal... it was a pain.

Getting it back in with heating and ice worked great. Dropped in with no presssure whatsoever...

[kevingross]

Another way to heat the hub, which I like, is a plumber's torch with a MAP gas cylinder. Take your time heating things up both on removal and installation. I prefer brass drifts to steel. Chisels are meant for cutting, not for moving parts, so be careful if you use one.

A hydraulic press can be helpful but it's also a good accelerator for destruction. It's not a substitute for heat: even with a press, warm the hub. Good luck!

[rusnak]

Yes, MAPP gas is actually a good move. Heat is another way of accelerating destruction though. I would not use oxy acetylene, and use an IR thermometer. I would probably stop well short of 200F. Hot to the touch, not red hot. The problem with heat is that the steel race will remain much harder than the aluminum. Since you're throwing the race away, just tap it out. And a brass drift will not last two good whacks.

[Willem Fick]

I have had success in the past by heating the hub up and then applying a blast of cold air from "freeze spray" to the race. This is a product used in the electronics industry to quickly cool down sensitive components during the soldering process. Works a charm!

[CCM911]

Guys, I got the races all out now. I did leave a few scratches in the hub that I'll dress down with some emory paper or the like. It should be fine.

This is a job that I will not be doing again for a long time, I hope.

To heat the hubs for the new races, I'll just crank my oven up to 400 degress and freeze the bearings overnight.

I really appreciate all this input.

[CCM911]

So I froze the races for two days, and put the hubs in the oven at 425 degrees for two hours. The first bearing dropped right in. The others needed a little prodding. Instead of a socket or a washer, I used the old races with the edges ground down, so they would not stick in the hub.

All in all, a very satisfying job.

[mowog63]

Physics, it's your friend.

Now to drive yourself crazy....chuck the hubs in a lathe and run a dial indicator on the top of the bearing races to check for runout!!!

[CCM911]

No way! LOL. I plan on whacking it up to about 90 or 100 and see if it shakes.

I am Old School like that.