Need hub help quick

[pgfd195]

I have been having trouble with my 4wd and the frontend making a weird growling noise. I pulled the hub assembly off the side I thought was making the noise, the drivers side. Everything looked fine. Today, I buy new Warn locking hubs and start to change out the oem parts. Drivers side went in perfectly. Passenger side i am not so lucky. The old locking hub broke to pieces as I was trying to tap it out of the hub. It will not pull out. And yes I did pull off the locking ring. Looking inside the now broken locking hub I can see that the two gears inside are not lined up at all. and I can move the axle shaft around inside the hub. I don't think this is normal. I thought the needle bearings were supposed to hold the axle shaft straight. Are the needle bearings shot or the whole bearing hub assembly? And finally how can I take out the locking hub that is stuck? thanks

[kainers]

Those hubs are a mother fudger to get off if you have never touched them in there life time.Pull the snap ring off like you have done and tap spin tap spin wiggle tap spin wiggle.They will come off sooner or latter.Make sure you leave the everything else bolted up till you get the hub off.Makes for more leverage instead of stuff flopping around as you hammer on it.Sounds like you allready broke the plastic selector just like I did.So you aren't really going to do anymore damage then whats been done.If you absolute have to you can pull the whole axle out.It is a floater and will pull out when you unbolt the bearing.

http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/index.html this site may help you out with pics.

Mike

[klhansen]

[ QUOTE ]
And finally how can I take out the locking hub that is stuck? thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like your hubs have had a hard life, and little or no maintenance. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Since the locking hub is already destroyed, drill a hole in the solid part and use a slide hammer dent puller that has a sheet metal screw for a tip. You might want to drill 3 or 4 holes around the perimeter to be able to get it out. I'd soak it in PB Blaster and wouldn't be afraid to use some heat as well.

There is a needle bearing inside the locking hub that supports and centers the inner gear that the stub shaft splines into, and another needle bearing that supports the stub shaft just outboard of the u-joint. Either or both of those could be trashed. If the inner needle bearing has been bad for very long, it may also have scored the stub shaft.

Good luck