Driveshaft Stuck in Hub

Hello,

I attempted to replace the driveshafts in my '91 Civic Si this weekend
and failed. I got the ball joint separated fine, but I could not get the
driveshaft out of the wheel hub for the life of me. I soaked it in
penetrating oil, beat the hell out of it, tried some light heat cycling
(was worried about frying the bearings), broke a 3-arm gear puller, and
gave up. I expected the ball joint to be the tough part and not getting
the driveshaft out of the hub.

The puller was cheap, and the parts that broke were the two pieces of
metal that connect the solid arm to the 'body' which houses the screw.
It was a generic puller and the part that broke is twice as thick on my
Craftsment 5-ton 2-arm puller(smaller puller).

I was putting the puller on the hub(which seems strong enough to handle
the puller). If I give this another attempt next weekend will I be able
to get it out if I buy a better quality 3-arm puller? I am thinking
about taking out the whole knuckle with the driveshaft in it and taking
it to a machine shop, but none are open on the weekends where I am
working on the car.

Any comments or ideas are much appreciated,

Mark

I would try hitting the shaft with a wooden stick and a hammer.
Leave the wheel on. Leave the car on the ground.

In my case, I pried with a large screwdriver. Once it moved a bit, the rest
is easy.

Chopface wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I attempted to replace the driveshafts in my '91 Civic Si this weekend
> and failed. I got the ball joint separated fine, but I could not get the
> driveshaft out of the wheel hub for the life of me. I soaked it in
> penetrating oil, beat the hell out of it, tried some light heat cycling
> (was worried about frying the bearings), broke a 3-arm gear puller, and
> gave up. I expected the ball joint to be the tough part and not getting
> the driveshaft out of the hub.
>
> The puller was cheap, and the parts that broke were the two pieces of
> metal that connect the solid arm to the 'body' which houses the screw.
> It was a generic puller and the part that broke is twice as thick on my
> Craftsment 5-ton 2-arm puller(smaller puller).
>
> I was putting the puller on the hub(which seems strong enough to handle
> the puller). If I give this another attempt next weekend will I be able
> to get it out if I buy a better quality 3-arm puller? I am thinking
> about taking out the whole knuckle with the driveshaft in it and taking
> it to a machine shop, but none are open on the weekends where I am
> working on the car.
>
> Any comments or ideas are much appreciated,
>
> Mark

"Sean Dinh" > wrote in message
...
>I would try hitting the shaft with a wooden stick and a hammer.
> Leave the wheel on. Leave the car on the ground.
>
> In my case, I pried with a large screwdriver. Once it moved a bit, the
> rest
> is easy.
>
> Chopface wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I attempted to replace the driveshafts in my '91 Civic Si this weekend
>> and failed. I got the ball joint separated fine, but I could not get the
>> driveshaft out of the wheel hub for the life of me. I soaked it in
>> penetrating oil, beat the hell out of it, tried some light heat cycling
>> (was worried about frying the bearings), broke a 3-arm gear puller, and
>> gave up. I expected the ball joint to be the tough part and not getting
>> the driveshaft out of the hub.
>>
>> The puller was cheap, and the parts that broke were the two pieces of
>> metal that connect the solid arm to the 'body' which houses the screw.
>> It was a generic puller and the part that broke is twice as thick on my
>> Craftsment 5-ton 2-arm puller(smaller puller).
>>
>> I was putting the puller on the hub(which seems strong enough to handle
>> the puller). If I give this another attempt next weekend will I be able
>> to get it out if I buy a better quality 3-arm puller? I am thinking
>> about taking out the whole knuckle with the driveshaft in it and taking
>> it to a machine shop, but none are open on the weekends where I am
>> working on the car.
>>
>> Any comments or ideas are much appreciated,
>>
>> Mark
>
Forget the wood stick. Use a brass rod and a 3 lb mallet. I've done 3 Hondas
with mileages up to 150k. Some can be stubborn but not too bad. For
penetrant I'd recommend Kroil or PB Blaster. Heat may not have been a wise
choice. That could cook any oil in the spline andpossible damage the hub
bearing.

>RickySpartan wrote in message
>>"mrhct" > wrote
>>> "Sean Dinh" > wrote in message

> >>> Chopface wrote:
> >>> I attempted to replace the driveshafts in my '91 Civic Si this weekend
> >>> and failed. I got the ball joint separated fine, but I could not get the
> >>> driveshaft out of the wheel hub for the life of me. I soaked it in
> >>> penetrating oil, beat the hell out of it, tried some light heat cycling
> >>> (was worried about frying the bearings), broke a 3-arm gear puller, and
> >>> gave up. I expected the ball joint to be the tough part and not getting
> >>> the driveshaft out of the hub.
> >>> The puller was cheap, and the parts that broke were the two pieces of
> >>> metal that connect the solid arm to the 'body' which houses the screw.
> >>> It was a generic puller and the part that broke is twice as thick on my
> >>> Craftsment 5-ton 2-arm puller(smaller puller).
> >>> I was putting the puller on the hub(which seems strong enough to handle
> >>> the puller). If I give this another attempt next weekend will I be able
> >>> to get it out if I buy a better quality 3-arm puller? I am thinking
>> >> about taking out the whole knuckle with the driveshaft in it and taking
> >>> it to a machine shop, but none are open on the weekends where I am
> >>> working on the car.
> >>> Mark

> >>I would try hitting the shaft with a wooden stick and a hammer.
> >> Leave the wheel on. Leave the car on the ground.
> >> In my case, I pried with a large screwdriver. Once it moved a bit, the
>> > rest is easy.

>> Forget the wood stick. Use a brass rod and a 3 lb mallet. I've done 3 Hondas
>> with mileages up to 150k. Some can be stubborn but not too bad. For
>> penetrant I'd recommend Kroil or PB Blaster. Heat may not have been a wise
>> choice. That could cook any oil in the spline andpossible damage the hub
>> bearing.

> Plan A: Strike the end of the driveshaft (square on) with a 48 oz.
> hammer with the tire on, you are replacing the shaft?
>Plan B: Remove the spindle nut. Take it for high speed
>drive, especially looking for a large pothole.

Let's stick to practicality. Go down to the tool rental and get an
industrial 3-jaw puller. Insert a (14mm or 3/4") socket onto the end of
the driveshalf to prevent marring of the shaft. Position the jaws and
center the jaw's post into the socket. This will prevent marring or
slippage. If you insist on removing the knuckle/hub/driveshalf
be warned that it might require a use of a smaller specialized
3-jaw puller in two separate areas. As far as I know, you would
most likely mar these studs if not using a specialized remover since
the studs are known to be extremely tight and fragile.

Rick