im gonna pop the bearing out tomorrow and buy a $30 replacement bearing from autozone and try the 'frozen bearing + torched hub' trick.
any guesses as to why the bearing was so stubborn to go inside? everything looked smooth and clean.
is it possible that the bearing was the wrong size and off by a half mm or something? i also noticed the hub+shaft had a lot of difficulty passing through the bearing for re-installation so i could drive the truck across the street.
Im going to ride my bicycle to the flea market tomorrow and try and pick up a socket to beat the bearing in with. any idea what size socket I should try to purchase? seems like it should be anything with an OD between 51 to 56mm
An old shade tree trick, that I don’t recommend unless you’re totally screwed, but it sounds like you might be totally screwed. It’s best to use a tool, and second best is to use a socket or a piece of pipe the right size just like
@Curious Hound said. But if you’re in a jam…
Get an oak or Hickory piece of wood, like a dowel or a hammer handle, something very strong, and use it like a punch. But you’re not going to punch the bearing down the middle, you want to do it in circular emotions around the edge.
Got a piece about 6 or 8 inches long. Put it at the 12 o’clock position and give it a whack. Then move it to 4 o’clock and give it a whack, then move it to 8 o’clock, and give it a whack. Each time, try to see if the bearing is moving at all.
The reason you’re using a piece of wood is so you don’t damage the bearing and you don’t damage the housing. You need a strong piece of wood so the wood doesn’t just crumble.
If it doesn’t work, try hitting it a little harder, but work your way up. Also, you might want to vary the 12/4/8 combination, but having said that, nor do you want to do it every quarter inch in a circle around the bearing. If it’s hung up side to side, when you get to the right place, it should move a little bit. Once you have that, you may want to tap it 180° from that, and alternate back-and-forth, but still running it around a ring in between.
You shouldn’t have to bash it like you’re using a sledgehammer, that would be the sign that it’s definitely the wrong size. But if it’s just wedging a little bit as it’s going in, you may be able to “rock it” to drive it home this way.
Hope it helps
