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How Do I Properly Remove The Hub Seal?


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Hey guys. Well the wheels are off and the I took off the entire hub assembly to change the rotor on my GMC. Well my latest problem is removing the hub seal without destroying it. It wont budge and I don't want to melt/burn it with a torch (got a pretty good MAPP torch). Any ideas?

The seal has the red arrow pointing to it, the bearing has the blue arrow pointing to it.

IMG_0408_1.jpg

-Thad

What America needs is less bull and more Bulldog!

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place one of your tire & rim assemblies on the floor so the convex side of the rim is up.

Place the hub face down (like it is in the pic) into the rim so the studs are thru the rim holes.

This will anchor the hub so you have something to pull against.

Now take a hook bar and get between the seal and the bearing and pry the seal out of the hub.

That's how I do it with unimount hubs which are pretty much the same as what you've got there.

"If You Can't Shift It Smoothly, You Shouldn't Be Driving It"

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Hey guys. Well the wheels are off and the I took off the entire hub assembly to change the rotor on my GMC. Well my latest problem is removing the hub seal without destroying it. It wont budge and I don't want to melt/burn it with a torch (got a pretty good MAPP torch). Any ideas?

The seal has the red arrow pointing to it, the bearing has the blue arrow pointing to it.

IMG_0408_1.jpg

:mack1: Why would you want to save the seal ? Would't you put a new one in when you pull the hub/ terry

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Guess I missed that part in the original post.

Remove the seal and throw it away.

Inspect the bearing cups and cones and replace if necessary.

Lube the inner bearing and set it in the hub, then install a new seal.

Once you've removed a hub, never reuse a wheel seal.

"If You Can't Shift It Smoothly, You Shouldn't Be Driving It"

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I wouldn't recomend reusing the seal over ...... However I do it all the time (when they slide off without coming apart) on my manure trucks, i've even in a pinch put the seal back together including the little inner spring and gotten them to reseal. Little hint, completely clean with brake clean and blow dry then lube with a good quality grease (I use schaeffers grease little stickier) inspect the sealing surface closely if it showes no sign of dry rot or cracking, crap shoot it and put it in.. for my short haul use not a problem. any over the road guys no way!! remember if it leaks you'll take it bac :wacko::angry: k apart!!

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Thanks for that tip! I managed to get it out using a 3 jaw puller. I thought it was reusable but even the service guide on eatons website says to throw it out. Its all bent up from the puller so its trash now. The funny thing is I cleaned the bearings off and found that the outer bearing cage is dented and the roller next to the dent didn't turn as freely. I never dropped it or hit it with anything when I removed it... strange. I just bent the cage out a little and its fine now.

Oh my next question is when reassembling the hub onto the axle do I use grease on the wheel bearings or just soak everything with gear oil? And how long should you go before you change the axle fluid? The truck only has 33k on it but its a 1988 so I guess its almost been 20 years since the fluid was first put in there.

Thats a great tip Herb, putting the hub into a wheel to hold it. Would have been easier then the milk crate :D

-Thad

What America needs is less bull and more Bulldog!

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Gear oil is cheap...(relatively speaking) You can never have to clean of oil in any of your drivetrain, change it!! certain properties of oil will degrade over time and could lead to failure. yeah in the bent seal situation I would not have chanced it either, the seals i'm refering toare the easy to push in type (rubber on the outside sealing surface) they usually come out pretty easy. GOOD LUCK!! :thumb:

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