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MG MGA front hub removal BBS discussion at MG-Cars.net
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MG MGA - front hub removal
| What is the best way to remove a front disc wheel hub if you don't have the factory tool? Thanks! George |
| George G. |
| Slide hammer? http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/tools/ts117.htm |
| Barney Gaylord |
| Undo the nut and pull by hand - if it doesn't slide right off then find a flat bar to fit between opposite wheel studs, knock out the two studs and replace with long bolts and drill holes in the bar to match, pack out the end of the stub axle so the bar rests on the packing (suitable socket) and use nuts on the long bolts to draw off the hub. Alternatively go get a puller.... |
| Chris at Octarine Services |
| A universal puller can be purchased inexpensively, or borrowed / rented from your local auto parts store. |
| Steve Simmons |
| A block of hard wood that fits between the end of the stub axle and the knock off spinner roughly 55 mm long, then just tighten the knock off spinner - presto Mike  |
| Mike Ellsmore |
| Disc wheels, Mike, so no spinner. I always use a slide hammer. Cheap as chips and good for rear hubs too. If they come off with hand pressure something is worn out. |
| Dominic Clancy |
| Use a mallet on the brake disc whilst rotating it. Be careful how much effort you use. |
| P Draycott |
| This car has disc wheels, not necessarily disc brakes as well, so a slide hammer is the universal tool that gets the hub off in every case.....
Especially if backing plates are fitted, as beating one of those with a BFM isn't going to shift the hub anywhere useful, even a smidgeon! And with a slide hammer there's no risk of warping the brake disc. Mine cost me 20 DM (albeit 25 years ago), but with internet and Chinese prices they are probably the same price today, and there is absolutely nothing at all that can go wrong in such a simple tool |
| Dominic Clancy |
| https://www.harborfreight.com/9-way-5-lb-slide-hammer-and-puller-set-56505.html I have one of these, not needed often but when it is well worth the money! Mike |
| Mike Ellsmore |
| Thats a lot fancier than mine.... |
| Dominic Clancy |
| The reason the hub was removed was there was "play" in the front wheel. Upon inspection, it seemed to come from the wheel bearing outer race relative to the hub. Replacing both bearings seems to have solved the problem. A search of the archives showed that others have had this issue as well, sometimes just using bearing lock to fix. But it got me thinking, what is the failure mechanism here? The bearing outer race is hard, the hub is not. Could it be related to assembly procedure, there is an "Important" note in the shop manual about that?
George |
| George G. |
| Front wheel bearings for the MGA (except Twin Cam and "Deluxe") Are ball bearings, not tapered roller bearings. They must be press fit in the rotating hub. If you R&R the bearings to clean and re-lube periodically, and you do it often enough, then the bore in the hub can become damaged (slightly loose). Once there is a little looseness the bearing outer race can orbit (walk around) in the rotating housing, and wear of the housing progresses rapidly making the bearing fit very loose.
If you install a new bearing, leaving it loose, the housing will continue to wear and the fit will become progressively looser. If the clearance is not too bad (not more then 0.015" diametrical clearance), then you can fix it with bearing set adhesive. If the clearance is larger, then you have to replace the hub. |
| Barney Gaylord |
| Barney - surely you mean .0015 ? |
| Art Pearse |
| No. 0.015" diametrical clearance between bearing outer race and the hub is the limit. Loctite 620 bearing set adhesive can handle that much clearance and restore a solid fit. https://www.ebay.com/i/333588802071 I carry a bottle of this stuff with my traveling tools. It gets used somewhere about once year. |
| Barney Gaylord |
| Issue with using Loctite is that with up to 15 thou the runout at the wheel rim would be considerable if the bearing race is not properly centered on the hub. If you have to do a temporary fix then shim the bearing equally all round while the Loctite is fluid. Alternatively, if you have the facility then the hub recess can be knurled to restore fit. The only proper fix is a new hub. |
| Chris at Octarine Services |
This thread was discussed between 27/06/2020 and 06/07/2020
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