How to remove rear wheel on a Series81

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I have been trying for over a week now with varying methods of putting oil heating up the hub and using a homemade pullerTo no success does anybody have suggestions on how to remove the rear wheel any help would be appreciated

Robert Reeves

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[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Bob,

How does that puller attach to the wheel?

It looks like it screws on to the hub in place of the hub-cap.

Did you remove all of the washers and cotter-pins?

The photo shows what seems to be a Black washer in the opening.

Should that come out so that all you see is the end of the axle?

You also may need to move the car forward an back a bit, like 3-feet, back and forth, to “break” the wheel a bit loose.

On the front wheels, you. may need to turn the steering wheel left and right to break the seal / jam.

I did that a few years ago and found that I needed to put the wheel-puller on the wheel, torque it hard with a BIG WRENCH (or 1/2-inch socket with a pipe on it to increase the torque) and let it sit, on the wheel – torqued, for a day or so.

Even then, the wheel / wheels did not want to come off easily (50-year-old dried axle grease).

When you are doing this, I assume that you have the car on jack-stands so that the wheel is off of the ground.

If you do as I suggested about leaving it for a day or two torqued, you should also re-torque it once or twice a day (if it is possible) to increase the torque.

Good luck,

Peter

 

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Robert,

Heat is usually the key.  Keep the puller on and heat and cool and reheat the hub.  Ideally heating it with a torch works fastest but of course you run the chance of paint damage, otherwise use a heat gun. It takes a long time to heat the entire hub.  Keep the pressure on. While you’ve got it heated,  give the outside end of the puller center bolt some good hits with a hammer, often times the hub will pop off.

I have heard that loosening the nut a little and driving it around with the puller on sometimes works but I have never tried it.

I noticed in your photos that the axle nut is not on the axle.  When you are using a wheel puller, you should leave the nut at the outer end of the axle threads.  There are two reasons for this.  The first is that the tapered end of the center bolt can swell the end of the axle and you won’t be able to get the nut back on.  The other reason is that many times when the hub breaks loose, it does so explosively.  I have seen a pulled brake drum come off and fly completely across the shop and leave a dent in the far wall.

Good luck, let us know what finally works.

Dave

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Robert,

As I have commented on this forum before, one should not strike the puller bolt unless they are already planning to replace the bearings. Brinelling is the likely result of such hammering, requiring replacement of bearings and races. Dave’s warning about the danger of serious injury/damage with the axle nut removed is right on!

Bob

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There’s one method I’ve heard of, and you more experienced guys can chime in on this.

Jack the car up from the opposite side of the stuck wheel, so that the stuck wheel is on the ground and the opposite wheel is off the ground.

Now, use the mass of the car itself, by rocking, to jog the wheel loose.  I’d guess this mean rocking the car, never done it, don’t know, I just thought I’d mention.

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