front wheel bearing replacement - got ideas?

[David.X5]

I'm waiting on a couple of missing o-rings to continue on my upper oil pan replacement, so started working on the front wheel bearings while I had time tonight and the knuckles off the car.

Things went pretty well until I got close to the end - now I can't get this bearing race off the hub.

Any ideas? Wish I still had my welder... I could have put a blob of metal to hold the puller in place...

I have a couple of different pullers, but neither one is able to get a grip as the bearing has a chamfer that makes the tool slide off...

FWIW, the BMW version is $100, Febi is $90, Vaico brand is $50.

[CapeX5]

Heat. Only heat the race, it will expand and than try a puller of some sort

[axgordon]

I cut it using 3" air razor wheel and cut the race until razor wheel touching hub. Then, just hit it into cut using chisel and hummer. It splits open and easily removed. Don't worry if you nick the hub with the razor - it will not affect it.

[jdstrickland]

You need a press to get that off. You might be able to beat it into submission, but then you need to get the next one on and this will take a press to do it right.

[upallnight]

You need to get a better bearing separator tool. You can get a cheap one at HF. As for removing the bearing from the spindle I use a hydraulic punch with an OTC hub tamer kit.

Here's a video on what I am talking about. Instead of using custom made cups and pushers I just use the cups and pusher from the hub tamer kit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3dgrgmMZw0

He also used it on a Scooby Doo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZDK4LyTkRg

[Scott ZHP]

Some ideas:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ing-r-r-2.html

[Ricky Bobby]

Dremeling a notch diagonally across the race, and whacking it with a chisel to crack the race enough to slide it off worked for me. Do it carefully and slowly and don't go all the way through -

Thank you Scott for linking the thread with my relentless babbling about the job a couple years ago - but I hope its frozen in internet heaven so that it can help people! haha

[David.X5]

Victory! Tried dremeling first. One notch, then two, then some criss-cross passes and it was all mine. No nicks, too!

That is some serious hard steel. It completely ate up the end of my Craftsman cold chisel.

[David.X5]

Thanks for all the good ideas!

[Ricky Bobby]

^Glad it helped! And yep I bought a chisel set from Harbor Freight for $12 and I knew it would get eaten alive - I chucked it after the job, between the races and the axle nuts staking lol