kthiemann

You know it's gonna be a bad day when you're trying to replace the front axle u-joints, have soaked the hub nut with penatrating oil for 24 hours and it still won't break loose with a 3 foot cheater pipe on the breaker bar...... if the hub nut is that tight it makes me wonder just how much fun it's gonna be to get the hub bearing out of the spindle...........

Dave Miller

Been there...done that. I had a 400 ft-lb tq wrech with a 4 ft handle and stood on it jumping up and down while my son watched the torque needle hit 375 ft-lbs. I heated the nut a little with a MAPP gas torch and then it came off with the 4 foot breaker bar. Had to do the same on both sides. I tried not to heat it too much but I was desperate. Probably not recommended method to use because the bearing might suffer but it worked for me and I had no other option to try.

The next challenge is the 4 hub bolts the hold the hub to the knuckle. I was replacing rotors so I beat on the old rotors but they were not as hard to get off as the hub nut.

infidel

Be careful if you need to resort to a 4' cheater bar.
Many times the nut is galled to the axle stub threads, the threads come off with the nut = new axle stub time $$$.
Better to use heat or split the nut before you start going wild with torque.

kthiemann

gave it up till i can get it into my big shop when i found the right side just as tight as the left.....decided to change shocks instead....then to make it even more amusing when i had the shock out was looking at the block and the middle freezeplug in the block is leaking...gotta lov it

BigErksG2

i jumped on a 3 ft, 7/8" or 3/4" drive (whichever is bigger than 1/2") breaker bar and BENT IT! after realizing i didnt have the right tools to do the job at college i took it to a local shop and got the u joints, brakes and rotors done for 450 bucks.

torquefan

Leave the nut on. Just pull the hub/rotor with the shaft still attached. Done many u-joints this way, it's a little more awkward, but as Infidel says, it's better than removing the threads from the stub shaft.