broken wheel studs

[exdeath]

Anyone use anything other than a BFH to remove broken wheel studs?

I tried to find a C clamp style joint separator or a C clamp with a hex knob instead of a finger handle, but ended up just using the BFH in the end.

Can't possibly be good for the hub bearing but I'm told that's what all the pros do anyway.

 

[StageLeft]

I've done this a couple of times and cannot imagine how anything but a hammer would get those out. Air wrenches without torque sticks to put wheels back on at the shop FTL.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

The only other way I can think of would be to use a press, but I'm sure you know what that involves...

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
The only other way I can think of would be to use a press, but I'm sure you know what that involves...

I think I would take my chances with the hammer and take a risk at having to pull the bearing, vs. having to pull it anyway.

 

[boomerang]

I used to crew on a local racing team. We changed the studs on the race cars on a semi-regular basis. We always used a BFH.

Everytime we did it we remarked that there had to be a less brutal way - as we beat the hell out of them.

 

[nwfsnake]

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...m.taf?Itemnumber=38335

This will work if you have enough room behind the stud.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: nwfsnake
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...m.taf?Itemnumber=38335

This will work if you have enough room behind the stud.

That works, thanks!

I've seen mini C style stud/tie rod pullers online but they were all $100+ !

This time it didn't matter too much, it was just one broken stud on high mileage driver. But in the future I will need to replace a bunch of good studs with longer ones, this should do the trick nicely.

 

[brblx]

i would second the notion that all mechanics do it with a hammer. one or two swift blows usually does, you're not gonna hurt the bearing. think of the load it's under when the car's sitting on the ground- thousands of miles with a thousand pounds of weight levered against it is what makes hub bearings die, not a couple hammer blows.

 

[LordMorpheus]

I replaced a stud on my front right hub a couple weeks ago (i was changing ball joints, and drove one of the nuts from the ball joint onto the stud instead of the lugnut, ruining the stud ... not making that mistake again).

I used a balljoint press to press the stud out - I couldn't fit the end of the press behind the hub, but there was a flat spot on the back of the knuckle that I could stick the end of the press on.

I actually thought it wasn't working and took it off to hammer on the stud, but the stud was loose and came free with just a tap.

 

[jlee]

BFH worked fine for me.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: JLee
BFH worked fine for me.

Yeah, aint nothing wrong with the BFH. I just didn't want to shock my steering gear by banging on it like that so I used the press. If I were doing the rears I wouldn't even have bothered with the press.

Also, realistically I couldn't really do anything with a hammer that would come close to the shocks that it experiences in normal driving so I don't really have anything to worry about ... I know all that, but I still don't like to just start banging on things.

 

[exdeath]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus

Also, realistically I couldn't really do anything with a hammer that would come closeto the shocks that it experiences in normal driving so I don't really have anything to worry about ... I know all that, but I still don't like to just start banging on things.

Weight bearing rotation on a soft cushy rubber tire is a little different from a sharp direct high impulse lateral blow with a hammer.

 

[BW86]

I've always just used a hammer