Remove Bearing Race From Hub The Smart Way!  

Do NOT insult those of us who are actual mechanics! I have known how to get a bearing race off since before there was even internet! CUTTING THE RACE OFF IS THE WRONG WAY! IT IS SO WRONG! The right way is to press it off and if you don't have a FUCKING press, then what are you doing replacing an encapsulated bearing?

@@TheRealAaronWitchey exactly 💯. He is showing the "right way" for one aspect but I bet he does it completely wrong for everything else....

@@TheRealAaronWitchey It's not wrong. If done correctly it is actually less likely to do damage than a press. These bearings aren't sold as a hub and bearing combo in the aftermarket and the OEM is expensive. Every single press in bearing also uses a separate hub. You claim to be a mechanic, yet you don't know plenty of cars have the hub pressed in after the bearing? You really need to chill out. Clearly if you knew it from before the South Main Auto or other popular videos, was that comment targeted at you? Relax, please, and use some common sense and context.

@@gorillawrenchin Nothing I showed was wrong or harmful to the hub in any way. Kindly correct me if there is a single thing I did which will damage the hub or affect performance. The target audience of this video is DIY mechanics and home gamers, not professionals with full access to a shop full of tools. Even then, I know plenty of professional mechanics who cut off bearing races regularly for various reasons. It is a commonplace technique and the point of this video was showing a Dremel can provide more control with less noise, sparks, dust, heat, and risk of damage.

@@TheRealAaronWitchey Oh, and if you didn't know, it's extremely common to press a hub into a bearing both on or off the car with a wheel bearing press kit that uses a large bolt and various cups and plates to press the hub in. It actually has less risk of damaging the assembly than a press and it is for that reasons Subaru even released a specific service bulletin to do it that way rather than using a press. Many OEM service manuals call for the same procedure.

That's awesome! The more you do it the easier it will get. Thanks a lot for the comment!

Hahaha oh boy do I feel that! I was amazed how much cooling the wheel kept it from wearing down for sure.

@@802Garage not in feeling even old that I'm awake now. I'd like to learn some more stuff like that and look forward to next tips

@@fryreartechnology7611 Thanks really appreciate it! Have several more cool informative vids lined up. :D

@@802Garage if you cut it on both sides usually when I cracks it will stay open and basically fall off a whole lot easier

@@houstonmoore2952 Yep I'm actually going to make a video on that next. 😁

I have used it for so many different things. Including cutting the heads off bolts that were stripped holding in a Jeep transmission.

I love the control of the Dremel and the air saves the disc! Def possible to do with an angle grinder if you're careful though. Also angle the cut more than I did in this video for easier removal.

@@802Garage I gave my old Camry to my daughter after doing this ( following flooding in Montreal) at 350,000 km. 450,000 and good for another 200,000 ( before engine gives up the ghost)

Yeah there are many methods and I just wanted to show the cutting method with what I think most people have available. Your method sounds cool and like a fun science experiment, but it doesn't sound quicker to me. If time is paramount, going heavy with a cut off wheels on both sides will work, hahaha. I'm going to make another video soon on doing this method, but cutting both sides and cracking to see it fall off. And yes the welding method works well too! Thanks for the comment.

A lot of us don't have Oxy torches. The Dremel method is best for us DIYers with normal tools

@@DaDaDo661 Yeah that was my intent behind the video. :) Thanks.

@@DaDaDo661 oh, I'm not discounting the Dremel method at *all*, that's why I made sure to specify that I've used it. It just reminded me of a "cool trick" I figured out messing around in the shop, so I decided to share it, is all. I figured it out after getting into blacksmithing and having an idea I wanted to test, stemming from my experience with fast quench times and not preheating the quench oil causing blades to become super brittle and sometimes just fracture during the quench itself, along with stress risers and grain structure causing failures. My theory is the "chisel whack" changes the local grain structure along where the edge strikes and adds internal stress... The rapid heating causes the material to expand, and it's then immediately hit with liquid CO2 (upside-down Air Duster) and is immediately, RAPIDLY quenched down to around negative 100F, before ever being heated long enough to become fully annealed... That "super-quench" causes the material to rapidly shrink and contract while also becoming much harder and more brittle, and the metal fractures along the surface defect along the defect that was created with the chisel. It's more of a "hey, this is cool!" and a neat science experiment to do, more than anything else... Although it's come in handy several times where a bearing race was butted up against something and a Dremel wheel wouldn't fit to cut it.

​@@802Garage i will have to try tig i was shown mig to extract races now im wondering which will shrink faster lol

Thanks for watching! It helps if you angle the cut even more, but I straight up forgot to when filming. Next I'm actually going to make a video on just cutting and cracking both sides, hahaha.

Thanks I appreciate the positivity. Too many people want to jump on and say "just do it this way instead" when that's not the point. Watch a video on every different technique and you expand your tool set rather than having one solution for every problem when another might save time, effort, and money. :D

Heck yeah! Thanks for the comment.

Actually planning to make a video on that next!

Fair point.

In my experience, you always need to touch it again. :P No, but seriously in this case they don't sell the hubs alone for some reason and the OEM hub and bearing assembly was too expensive for my friend I was fixing the car for. Plus I don't really like to replace things unnecessarily if I have a good part. This only takes a few minutes! Not that this was a great example of a good part, but this car had a ton of miles and was in really rough shape and it was pretty much repair to get it to end of life. I hear you though.

Yep, I just like to show a variety of methods that work for people who don't necessarily have all the tools! I don't even have all the tools for the methods for every job hahaha. Sometimes the more expensive methods are actually slower as well. Like a ball joint puller versus my ball joint trick.

Man I tried pulling an axle bearing off of a 12k lbs axle today, had over 2klbs of pulling pressure, nothing. Absolutely had to grind it and crack it just to have a fighting chance

Yep if you have a welder. :) This vid was about the cuttin' method.

Check my comment it’s easier. Acetylene torch and a bolt, nut and washers.

@@tycenwitlox283 If you have an acetylene torch. I'd wager 99% of DIY mechanica do not. 😁

That's actually a cool idea nobody had mentioned before. People talk about welding beads and all, but I like that! Obviously this video is targeted at lowest common denominator home gamers though.

Hahaha awesome story. We accumulate some good ones over time. :)

Yeah I've seen all the same vids, hahaha. Personally, I'd probably go with this method 9/10 times anyways because it really doesn't take long and it doesn't involved getting out the torch. Still a good technique though!

Over time I accumulate many correct tools hahaha, some of them I still go back to my old methods.

Gets it done!

Hahaha, that can definitely be a time saver! In this case for some reason only the dealer sells the assembly, everyone else you have to buy the bearing and press the hub in. On the older cars you had to press the bearing in before the hub. So just depends on the job.

@802 Garage still have to press them together. Here in California, bearings and hubs are on the shelves at auto part stores

@@jonnysanchez3833 Oh for sure haha. I like reusing when I can, but if I was doing constant business I'd buy new hubs often too.

It's pretty easy to cut it on accident! Use the air and if you wanna make it even easier just cut a slit in both sides and crack with a chisel.

See pinned comment. This doesn't take long either.

As long as you didn't make a huge gouge or something it's totally fine. Just needs to be round still and not cracked hahaha. Everyone saying just use a torch is over simplifying.

Yeah when it comes to like flat rate shops and every tool under the sun, there are faster way. This is more for home gamers and DIY, but honestly there are a lot of tricks I use that are faster or easier than some of the tools available. I just like to be meticulous and not damage anything. :D

Good for you. :) Now do you think this video was for you?

At least you aren't one of the 100 people saying "JUST USE A TORCH!" Hahaha. We all know you can use a torch. I want to get an induction heater very bad, just haven't had the spare cash. Have you had good luck with the affordable ones?

@@802Garage yes. I don't use it commercially, like hours a day, but maybe 10 or so hours a month, and it has been great. The only issue I have had with the cheap ones, and the expensive ones, is the clamping screws that hold the leads tight will come loose over time. But, high frequency electricity, some amps, and soft copper, that'll happen. It is well worth it to get the set in the nicer aluminum case with the extra leads. You may not use the extra leads right off the hop, but once you learn what all you can do with one of them and get more comfortable with it, you'll use them more and more. The flexible leads that are just kinda floppy are worth every penny for odd shaped stuff. And the longer ones definitely help for those PITA exhaust flange nuts that you'd burn an old oily, leaking vehicle to the ground trying to heat up with a torch. The heat is almost completely isolated to whatever is inside the coil, so no worrying about burning wires or fuel lines or anything else. What sold me on them was watching my local Cornwell tools salesman hold a head bolt in his bare hand at the head of the bolt, and heat the threaded end to bright red without burning his fingerprints off. Obviously, the heat will conduct its way up the bolt, but try that with a torch and let me know how it goes. Another tool you'll wonder how you lived without it for so long is a plasma cutter. Even a super cheapo one. Now THOSE are awesome. One piece of advice about looking for a plasma cutter, make sure you can get consumables for it before you buy it. That can be more difficult than most people realize.

@@robertschemonia5617 I do have a plasma cutter and yeah I have seen the wonders of the induction heater like you are talking about, just gotta pull the trigger on one. I can tell we deal with a lot of similar issues, hahaha. I know it would save me tons of time. I want to use them for brake bleeder screws too! Thanks again.

@@802Garage they work awesome for WAAAY more stuff than people realize. And, yeah, you're right. I have been a mechanic of some sort for 15 years now. I got out of doing light duty stuff. Cars and pickup trucks are for the birds. I went to what I love. Welding/fabrication and heavy equipment mechanic. I also do pretty much all the maintenance and repairs on all the equipment where I work. From huge scrap handling machines and hydraulic demolition shears, to 3 phase alligator shears, all the electrical stuff, plumbing, A/C, and maintenance and repairs on semi trucks and scrap trailers. I love it. The variety. Not the same stuff day after day after day. When I was doing auto stuff, I specialized in internal engine diagnostics/repair, and suspension. Not only can I rebuild clapped out engines, from nitro R/C engines to huge diesels, I can make them ride good and drive straight too. I have done waaaay too many lift kits on jeeps and leveling kits on pickup trucks to ever want to do it again. Something about taking a pile of steel and using lightning to sew it together to make something useful is just cool to me. That, and working on stuff that will ABSOLUTELY kill me, and hurt the entire time. Lol. There is just something about sitting in the cab of a machine, and being able to literally throw a full size vehicle 20 feet into the air so it lands 50 feet away with the flick of a wrist that is just oh so satisfying. Having all that brute strength literally at your fingertips, but still having the ability to finesse the machine to pick up one single thing the size of your fist without destroying it is something out of this world. That, and using a thermal lance that can cut through just about anything that sprays liquidized steel 15 feet up and out from you is too cool too. Just remember man, YOU are the softest thing in any shop. And everything in there can or will kill you, and it will hurt the entire time. So wear safety glasses and earmuffs. Bits of grinding wheel in the eyes and tinnitus fuckin sucks. Lol

@@robertschemonia5617 Hahaha I definitely hear you about the appeal of massive powerful machinery. That said, I actually kinda prefer small stuff. Not like motorcycles and RC, but the small car engine world. IDK why it just makes the most sense to me. But I love everything mechanical. I also take pride in making stuff work properly and smoothly and better than it was before. That's what I really enjoy. Cleaning and lubing every little thing and making stuff work people say won't. Also getting more and more into fabrication and custom work as time goes by. Hoping to get a TIG soon, and my main goal for my channel is crazy and unconventional engine swaps. Thanks for the comments!

It seriously impresses me too. If you heat them up they can be gone in seconds, but a little compressed air and they go for a long time.

@@Willam_J Right?

Does this work on regular cutting discs aswell? Because some days i have to cut like 5’ of aluminium profile and it most times costs three quarters of a disc due to it starting to wear aggressively half way during the cut. Makes me wear a dust mask from all the green residu it spreads into the air.

@@bertbergers9171 It should definitely help a lot!

Haha yep see pinned comment. Multiple ways to skin a bearing, or whatever. ;)

Welcome!

Thank you!

Very welcome, thanks for the comment!

Definitely could not do 10 in the time it takes to Dremel and knock it off, but either way I generally agree with you. That said, see the pinned comment. The target audience of this video is likely 99% people who do not have a torch.

@@802Garage After you get the torch out, it takes, probably, less than a minute. I know you can't cut that bearing so fast with a Dremel. But anyway, the thing is I'm getting really old and I'm trying to share things I've learned in 60 years of shopwork. I know at least a couple dozen techs that have ready access to oxy-acetylene and don't have clue what can be done with it. That's MY target audience. I've done your technique many times and it's great also. Thanks for the opportunity to ramble.

@@channelview8854 It's faster for sure. It would be fun to have a race. I just thought it was a slight exaggeration and I admit I sometimes get annoyed by comments because I feel like people miss the point of the video. I definitely hear you overall. It's surprising how many people have tools and don't know what to do with them and how many don't have tools they could put to good use, hahaha.

That's a great idea for sure! It also helps if you angle the cut more than I did, but I forgot when filming.

Haha when money is available and the parts are available, it's always an option. For some reason nobody sells this hub aftermarket and the car is on its last leg anyways.

Right. I just replaced two for $178 bucks a piece and I was done in 30 minutes.

Thanks! Yeah if you have the bearing splitter tool it's handy, but this is still pretty quick.

How would you use a press to remove the race ?

I agree with everything you said, and I actually meant to angle the cut more as I usually do, but got distracted making a video. I know cutting into the hub shaft is not a big deal, I still like to avoid it. I have done this many times, part of the point of the video was to show it with the minimum tools possible for home gamers. A lot of people have a dremel who do not have air tools or even an angle grinder. But yes everything you said is generally correct thanks for the comment!

Yeah sadly your options are usually cheap stuff that doesn't last or really expensive Dremel stuff that is just okay. The fiber reinforced cutting wheels are great though.

Yeah an air cutting tool is also great!

Check the pinned comment, hahaha. Problem is you need a fairly hot flame and the setup isn't instant either. This is pretty quick and simple for most home gamers.

They are super nice. Have you used the fiber reinforced ones that look like a tiny waffle? They last like 10X longer than the normal ones and OMG they cut nice.

There are a lot of methods that work, but many involve more expensive tools that most people don't have and heat which I like to avoid when it's not necessary. This is just one way and part of the reason to use a Dremel instead of an angle grinder is greatly reduce risk of damaging anything or hurting yourself. They normally come off much easier after cutting, but I didn't angle this one as much as I should and the shaft was very rusty. Releasing another version soon where I cut both sides.

Holy shet.

On purpose?

I just got a chunk out of my finger this morning

@@ljguy300 doubt it, maybe, not sure.

@@houstonmoore2952 I have an infected hand that’s been fucking with me. Dirty ass c5 corvettes.

$200 is a lot of money to a lot of people. I charged less than $200 for this entire job. Wheel bearing was like $30 and this only took me a few minutes. Whole job was a few hours due to rust cleanup and all. Old rusty car on its last legs.

Going to make a vid on that next!

Yup!!

Right? Haha. Next time I'll show just cutting both sides.

Hahaha the damage is not where I cut, it's much larger than a Dremel disc, and it's from the person who replaced the last bearing. I did not even cut all the way through the bearing race if you notice from the close up of cracking the bearing with the chisel. Think harder. Here is a longer version if you want more evidence. www.tiktok.com/@802garage/video/7152704706924776750

Won't get it cold enough in this case and because both parts shrink they'll stay together.

Nope pretty common when you don't have a shop full of specialty tools!

No way to know without checking runout and flatness. I reused it because for this car they actually very rarely sell new hubs alone and aftermarket doesn't sell hub and bearing together, leaving OEM as the only option which is quite expensive. That, plus the car is very high miles and on its last legs. Did the exact same job to the other side and both are holding up well so far.

It's just a demo you tit.

Thanks a lot! Angle the cut more than I did and it's faster. I just forgot.

I think it takes quite a while with propane. But just showing one method.

I mean that's great. Issue in this case is that the hub is mostly only available from the dealer now and is $100+ and while there are aftermarkets allegedly available many of them are lower quality brands you kinda roll the dice on. Plus this takes all of 5 minutes and really isn't a lot of effort even for an older person. Getting the hub off of the car is far more work in any rusty area. Suppose you could just buy an entire knuckle if money is no object. ;) This was an older car that just needed to limp around a while longer.

We've all seen the South Main Auto video.

They break often. You buy them in packs of like 10-50. Just wear eye protection it's not dangerous otherwise. They also make fiber reinforced discs that have like a waffle pattern in them and those are amazing so much harder to break.

Thank you! I actually meant to angle it more and forgot. If you go at more like a 30-45 degree angle it takes a little longer to cut, but it knocks off way easier.

If you're using a grinder an angle is pretty much the only way to cut it without chopping through the wheel face of the hub... how tf have you been doing it

@@NoknOnDors Watch the vid! Don't cut all the way through and then crack it. No knicks at all!

As long as it's only in one spot and not around a significant potion of the circumference, it should be fine. Also just make sure the surface the wheel seal rides on isn't damaged, if you car has one. Plus the back face that the bearing race presses up against needs to be flat.

@@802Garage Thank you so much. The damaged area is completely covered by the bearing and the faces are fine. 👍

@@oddballdynamics.9658 Sounds good to go!

So you like to do it the expensive way! Plus that requires shipping a part or going to the auto parts store. Then you'll likely have a part inferior to OEM. ;) It's easy to tell people to spend their money, but I like teaching them how to save money. (I know you might be joking around, but no tone in text, so no hard feelings either way.)

Basically, when the cutting disc gets too hot, the material degrades quickly. The air cools it off and keeps the wheel together!

I was surprised just how much it saves the disc. Almost zero wear.

Hahaha. Yeah it works great instead of using like half a disc if you go fast it barely changes size.

Yeah it doesn't matter, but I like to avoid damaging anything I work on. Plus the last person actually did damage where the bearing face sits against the hub back and I have to grind it down for a flat surface. Could have contributed to vibrations or bearing failure. A little care can go a long way.

High HEAT head.

@@ginginthing See pinned comment. Propane will never get this cherry red though. Way too much mass.

It works well, many people just aren't careful enough IMO.

You're trading one risk for another. Far less likely to go too far with a Dremel.

If you are talking about the hub itself, yes! Some small cuts aren't going to affect the function. If there are a lot of deep cuts around the shaft it could be an issue, and you don't want any raised areas on the flat part of the bearing race sits against as that will cause it to sit unevenly. Obviously, the bearing race itself is destroyed and no longer usable.

I'd need a quality chisel first. ;)

There have been lots. Explained to them it's for an old beat car and these particular hubs aren't for sale typically or affordably. It is what it is hahaha. Also free is always cheaper!

Absolutely should replace the race when installing a new bearing for numerous reasons. That's a hack job. Sure, you can inspect the race and make sure it's good, but you also have to remove it to install a new seal on the type of bearing that is multiple pieces. So really just a big no no.