driveshaft stuck in hub

[davrob]

Hi folks,i am doing a bit of work to my 2001 fabia 1.4,new wishbones,ARB bushes and wheel bearings,

i stripped what i could and fitted new wishbones with new bushes ,i was going to get my local garage to press in new wheel bearings,

the car is sitting outside local garage so its handy if i get stuck,i havent got socket to loosen wheel hub so i asked them to remove hub and then replace bearings for me on there bench,

What they told me today is that the driveshafts on both sides are seized into hubs and what they suggested i do is remove complete strut and outer driveshafts from the gearbox of car and then they will try and hammer out shafts from the hub on there bench,as strut is still attached to hub it gives them something to hold,grip in vice while trying to remove shafts.

I was also told they have had this problem before and the splines on the driveshaft might get damaged so might need to replace them aswell but  hopefully not.

Has anyone got any ideas how else to do this as i felt this was a bit extreme?

Also if worse case scenario i need to replace outer shafts whats the cheapest option for this,i see you can get these from eurocar parts.

 

http://www.eurocarparts.com/cv-joint-kits

 

thanks in advance.

[Guest BigJase88]

I had the same scenario

Ended up buying a new driveshaft and 2nd hand hub

[hutchysrs50]

Wd40, heat and bigger hammers!

[vindaloo]

Reads like a complete PITA. Would suggest removing them and using lots of lube, plus gas, wd40, whatever on them. Maybe hide them  in the freezer or somewhere cold overnight, then heat the hub itself in between bashing the axle. Main pain with that approach is making sure the ABS sensor doesn't get burned ... or knackered when you try to take it out beforehand.

 

Good luck and plasters..

 

 

J.

[davrob]

Thanks for the replies people,

car has only done 31,000 miles so drive shafts should be in good nick so it would be a pity if they get damaged.

I have been using 3 in1 penetrating spray on the rest of the parts that i have removed so i will soak hubs with this,will remove both struts tomorrow and see what garage can do with them next week.

 

Also any tips on removing struts and drive shafts?,or is it straight forward.

Edited 30 May, 2014 by davrob

[davrob]

Well , i am just back from car and did not get very far,loosened top mount bolts and then noticed its a spline type bolt holding drive shaft to gearbox so will have to wait wait until next week to get correct socket to remove shafts,also soaked around hub where drive shaft is seized ,will go back tomorrow and give it another spray with the penetrating spray. 

[Avalon]

Undo the ball joint top nut, drop the wishbone, remove the rear bolt that clamps the hub to the strut, remove the shaft at the gearbox and then drop the hub from the strut. Now you can spend a stupid amount of time trying to abuse it out with a blow torch, deform a socket by brewing it with a hammer or skip straight to buying a used hub (they're universal over polo/fabia/ibiza over the usual years) and replace the shaft, hub and bolt/nut. It's the process I've followed recently.

[felicia16v]

if you remove the brake disk you can attach a big 3 legged puller to the outside of the hub, the threaded bit will push against the end of the drive shaft and usually after a lot of heat and lots of turning and hitting the shaft should come out 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=3+leg+puller&rlz=1C1ARAB_enGB473GB473&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OTSKU8SEOsbBPM7_gZAD&ved=0CFEQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=643

[Avalon]

Or the puller will bend, the end of the shaft mushroom/deform and you're then talking angle grinder and ball ache or skip the lot and spend £30 on a hub from a scrappy and £60ish on a new shaft. Having done as you suggest with a blow torch, two pullers and a full garage I'd suggest my way was worth it, I'd have saved more than the cost of the parts in tools/time if I'd followed my advice.

[felicia16v]

possible, I have a tool I made as we come across this a lot, I cut the centre from an old fabia steel rim, welded a thick tube over the centre and welded an m16 nut into it, this has without fail removed every one so far but is a bit more involving than most are prepared to go to lol.

If only there was a bit of grease on the splines in the factory.......

[c3po]

possible, I have a tool I made as we come across this a lot, I cut the centre from an old fabia steel rim, welded a thick tube over the centre and welded an m16 nut into it, this has without fail removed every one so far but is a bit more involving than most are prepared to go to lol.

If only there was a bit of grease on the splines in the factory.......

Got any pics of this frankentool or a more detailed description? May be tempted to have a go

[TMB]

possible, I have a tool I made as we come across this a lot, I cut the centre from an old fabia steel rim, welded a thick tube over the centre and welded an m16 nut into it, this has without fail removed every one so far but is a bit more involving than most are prepared to go to lol.

If only there was a bit of grease on the splines in the factory.......

 

Sounds like a similar thing to what I once made to pull the rear drums off the old Estelle. The drums were pressed onto a tapered shaft. The tool looked like a top hat, with the four wheel stud holes in the brim which was welded to a thick piece of tube, and a nut welded to the top of a plate at the top of the tube with a large bolt in the nut which you tightened to pop the drum off. Worked very well.

[c3po]

Ahh now I get it, to the man cave.......

[TMB]

I'm crap at drawing but the tool was something like this...

 

[davrob]

Managed to get the offside drive shaft and strut removed from car so thats at local garage waiting for them to try and press out shaft from hub and then replace bearing for me.

I also tried to  remove nearside shaft but it was not playing game,got the 6 bolts out and crawled underneath car and tried to knock shaft out from gearbox with a hammer and large  flat head screwdriver  but it would not budge?,any ideas folks?

[davrob]

Just a quick update on this,managed to get drive shaft out of gearbox eventually with a hammer and blunt chisel,

Garage could not press out shafts from the hub without damaging the splines on the end of the drive shafts so i had to get

2 new outer cv joints,new wheel bearings are in the hubs now so now i just have to get time to build car back up then its MOT time.