[s-cars] Tools for pressing hubs and bearings

[Tom Green]

Fred,
Don't use an impact tool on the hub shark type tool.  It may not say  
so in the directions,
but the bolts will not withstand that much torque.  It's probable that  
you have stretched
the bolt already and need a new one.  A cheater bar will over-torque  
it as well.  When
you get the nut up tight but nothing moves, use a 3# hammer to provide  
the impact.
Just a tap to start things moving, then retighten the nut and repeat  
as necessary.
This hint was provided by another lister when I got my tool.

Dave,
Listen to Fred.  He is the man on this.  Take your strut and determine  
what kind of
anvil set-up you will need to support the strut in a perfectly  
vertical position while
you operate the press.  The slightest deviation from the bearing axis  
will ensure the
bearing will not move.  Also, 12 tons is not enough for these  
bearings.  It is enough
to distort the frame on many of these cheap presses.  If that happens,  
you will then
have to compensate for whatever angle that introduces to the press.  I  
hope you do
not really mean cast iron pipe fittings are your choice for adapters.   
Those would
certainly not tolerate any off-axis or off-center force without  
showering the area with
shrapnel.  You might as well use a hand-grenade instead.

Maybe you forsee a lot of other uses for a press and really want one.   
Just realize
that you will need many other parts to make the press usable,  
including a set of
adapter plates and cylinders similar to what comes in the HF hub  
tool.  That ad
offers the kit at full price.  Never pay HF full price when they  
always have sales
ads on their web site and 20% off coupons every day in some magazine  
or newspaper.

You can use the hub shark tool with the strut off the vehicle as  
well.  In fact, this is
probably the best way to learn to use it since you can't see as well  
with it on the car.

Don't bother with anything fancy like bearing pullers to remove the  
axle stub from
the inner race.  Just place a cold chisel tip in the space and lightly  
tap it evenly
around the hub and it will slip right off.

Tom

On Tuesday  July 12, 2011, at 9:50 PM, Fred Munro  
<munrof at sympatico.ca> wrote:

> Dave;
>
> I have a 12-ton shop press with a 3" platen, but when I had to do my  
> front
> bearings I went with the Audi "Hub Shark"-type tool. The jigging to  
> properly
> support the bearing housing while struggling to position the strut  
> seemed to
> be fraught with all sorts of potential for disaster - so I took the  
> easy way
> out! As you know, some of these bearings are in there tight. I don't  
> know if
> 12 tons would do some of them. I've stretched my press to the limit  
> at times
> on rear bearings. Even with a 1" impact gun, the Audi tool wouldn't  
> move one
> front bearing and I had to resort to a 3/4" drive Johnson bar with a  
> 6-foot
> cheater to move it.
> If you do get the press and need a larger platen cap, you might be  
> able to
> fab one from a 2.5" steel pipe end cap if you know someone with a  
> lathe. You
> want things to be square working at high press loads, otherwise  
> pieces tend
> to fly everywhere if something lets go.
>
> HTH
>
> Fred Munro
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of David Forgie
> Sent: July 12, 2011 8:28 PM
> To: s-car-list
> Subject: [s-cars] Tools for pressing hubs and bearings
>
> I need to change the front hub bearings on my UrS4.  I am thinking  
> of buying
> a 12 ton shop press
> (H-frame with bottle jack).  However, it would only come with a  
> 1" (or so)
> pressing "pin".  I know
> I will need something much larger, e.g. 3" to press the bearing  
> out.  What
> have people used to do
> this? (I am hoping for off the shelf Home Depot-type cast iron  
> plumbing
> bits).
>
> TIA
>
> Dave F.
>
> Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:28:10 -0400
> From: "Cody Forbes" <cody at 5000tq.com>
> To: "David Forgie" <forgied at shaw.ca>,	"s-car-list"
> 	<s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Tools for pressing hubs and bearings
> Message-ID: <ECE20255F19244C490A863BF23308011 at Hamilton>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
>
> Buy the following instead and to the job on the car in less time for  
> less
> money and not take up a bunch of space:
> http://www.harborfreight.com/fwd-front-wheel-bearing-adapters-66829.html
>
> I've used that exact tool in a professional environment about 10 or  
> 12 times
> with no issues.
>
> -Cody