Hi all,

I'm just on changing the front and rear wheel bearings on my 02 290, I've managed to get the spacers out ok but how do you actually get the old bearings free from the hub?

I'm hoping there's some kind of easy trade secret for this........

Cheers in advance guy's.

heat up alloy hub with blow lamp.how did you get spacers out without taking bearings out?

heat up alloy hub with blow lamp.how did you get spacers out without taking bearings out?

To be honest the spacers came out with very little effort, just eased them out with a screw driver, but the bearings themselves are stuck fast. I'll try heat but I can't see how you get them out the hub as in do you knock them out with a screw driver or some other way?

To be honest the spacers came out with very little effort, just eased them out with a screw driver, but the bearings themselves are stuck fast. I'll try heat but I can't see how you get them out the hub as in do you knock them out with a screw driver or some other way?

i would just use boiling water over the hub, it will be enough to make the hub expand.

One of the lads a while back had an interisting suggestion. He used an expanding anchor bolt such as used in concrete anchors to lock into the stubborn bearing. Gives you something to beat it out then!!!!

I think they are 17mm or roughly 11/16 in.

Not a trials wheel I know but the principal is much the same...

Personally;

I use a long flat end punch - not a screwdriver.

Blow torch, heat gun, boiling water all help but 9 times out of 10 you don't need any heat at all.

I've used Copeys suggestion of a rawl bolt and it works a treat (sometimes the inner spacer tube doesn't have enough tolerance (freeplay) to allow punching out the first bearing).Welding some scrap to the inner race also works.

I use the old bearing to aid tapping in the new one rather than a socket.

There are times that the inner race will punch out and leave the outer race still in the wheel - then it gets more interesting!

DON'T forget to put the inner spacer back in before you tap in the last bearing!

Have fun

GJ

M10 rawl bolt works perfectly, stick it in, expand it fairly tight, get a long bar from the other side of the wheel and get hammering.

If the bar is knocking on the threaded part of the rawl bolt, it also forces the little collar further into the housing, thus making it expand whilst knocking. works a treat.

or buy a bearing puller.

Brilliant, thanks loads for all the help and suggestions. I never thought about a Rawl bolt. I'll give it a go with that plus heat. Thanks again.

There are times that the inner race will punch out and leave the outer race still in the wheel - then it gets more interesting!

If your bearing comes apart and you need to just remove the outer race get a welder (arc is easiest for this job) and just run three evenly spaced short beads on the inside of the race (where the bearings used to run). The race will almost fall out after that.

I got mine out with a long punch knock it from the inside, soak them with plenty wd40 worked well f me back and front wheels

I do this by removing the wheel spacers then using a socket thats a snug fit inside the bearing but wont go throught the centre tube I tap the bearing through the opposite side of the hub. Once the centre tube has some play you can use a long screwdriver or rod.

I'm too tight to buy a rawl plug

I do this by removing the wheel spacers then using a socket thats a snug fit inside the bearing but wont go throught the centre tube I tap the bearing through the opposite side of the hub. Once the centre tube has some play you can use a long screwdriver or rod.

I'm too tight to buy a rawl plug

That's the same thing I do. But on my '06 the center spacer is shouldered so I couldn't get it off center. I ended up mushing the end of the spacer a bit, took a while with a rat tail file to clean it up so the axle would slide through easily. I'm going to try that rawl bolt thing, that sounds like the BOMB!