Stuck spindle

[83chevyk10]

Does anybody have any good ideas on getting a stuck spindle off of the steering knuckle besides just pounding on it with a hammer and a 2x4? Shes on there good. Broke 2 chisels and been through 2 good hunks of oak with a hammer. And i have no torch to heat it. Its rusted up nice and tight to the knuckle. Any good ideas are excepted. Also could anybody give me a link to a replacement disk brake dust shield for a 10 bolt? Cant seem to find it. Thanks yall.

 

[HotRodPC]

Very common problem. Most ended up using some heat and saturating the hell out of it and letting it soak with some liquid wrench, PB Blaster or your favorite nut buster potion. You know it's said that 50/50 of Acetone and Auto Trans Fluid is best nut buster over all of them other spray can products.

 

[HotRodPC]

A propane torch kit from Home Depot or Lowes, and even Walmart isn't all that expensive. Just a small bottle of gas and a torch is nozzle isn't that much. In a kit, it usally comes with a striker too. If you want a bit hotter than Propane, Mapp Gas is hotter yet and sold in the same size bottles as the propane with the same end on it for the torch.

 

[CSFJ]

I remember spending a considerable amount of time with a rubber mallet, when I was in high school trying to get the ones off my '79. Took a while, but persistence pays off.

 

[MrMarty51]

If the bearing is seized and galled onto the spindle and a torch is not available.
Use one big hammer under the bearing, a ten or twelve pound works nicely, and use another biggish hammer, like a three or four pounder and pound the piss out of the bearing, after the rollers and cage fall off, keep pounding, it will crack and shatter the bearing race, and it`ll then come off.
a word of WARNING ! ! ! crack and shatter! using this method, wear a heavyish coat or at least a pair of coveralls and protect Your face and eyes, when the pieces of that hard steel start flying off, they will penetrate any exposed skin that they hit, impossible to get them removed.

 

[bucket]

There's a special puller tool for the purpose. I'm not a big fan of it because it pushes on the axle stub shaft. But using a couple sacrificial spindle nuts, a 3-jaw puller, and a hose clamp (to hold the jaws around the spindle nuts) should work too.

And heat the knuckle, not the spindle.

 

[Honky Kong jr]

Dead blow rubber mallet worked for me like stated persistence is key. Cuss words help too as does threatening it with scrapping it as motivation to come off too.

 

[bucket]

Dead blow rubber mallet worked for me like stated persistence is key. Cuss words help too as does threatening it with scrapping it as motivation to come off too.

Yep, threats work wonders too. My go-to always seems to be "Die you dumb sumbitch!!!"

 

[MrMarty51]

If the bearing is seized and galled onto the spindle and a torch is not available.
Use one big hammer under the bearing, a ten or twelve pound works nicely, and use another biggish hammer, like a three or four pounder and pound the piss out of the bearing, after the rollers and cage fall off, keep pounding, it will crack and shatter the bearing race, and it`ll then come off.
a word of WARNING ! ! ! crack and shatter! using this method, wear a heavyish coat or at least a pair of coveralls and protect Your face and eyes, when the pieces of that hard steel start flying off, they will penetrate any exposed skin that they hit, impossible to get them removed.

OH, I thought it was a axle/spindle bearing that was galled onto the spindle, please disregard this ppost.
At least now if someone does get a wheel bearing galled onto the spindle, they`ll know how to gettum offt.

 

[78C10BigTen]

Dead blow rubber mallet worked for me like stated persistence is key. Cuss words help too as does threatening it with scrapping it as motivation to come off too.

Always worked for me for any tough repair job lol

 

[MikeB]

Funny, but what they do on the TV shows is just tap the steering knuckle with a hammer, and the stud magically pulls loose. Well, I've rarely seen that happen in the real world, and it ain't gonna happen if the ball joint has been installed for 30 years.

I sometimes have to smack the heck out of the stud with a 4 lb hammer, and use a long brass drift in tight situations. Of course, you need to leave the nut installed for safety, which will also give you some more surface area to hit.

 

[83chevyk10]

After three days of PB blaster, 2 chisels, about 6 broken 2x4s, and having fightin words with an inanimate object, the spindle knocked loose. Thanks for the moral support, yall

 

[oldman]

nobody uses pickle fork ??

 

[78C10BigTen]

nobody uses pickle fork ??

Only pickle fork i ever used broke off at the fork end of the hangle and was stuck on the joint.... heat and big hammers work better.

 

[bucket]

After three days of PB blaster, 2 chisels, about 6 broken 2x4s, and having fightin words with an inanimate object, the spindle knocked loose. Thanks for the moral support, yall

You must have yelled at it to die.

nobody uses pickle fork ??

It's 4x4 stuff, trying to get the spindle loose from the knuckle. Not the knuckle loose from the ball joint. Or am I the one missing something?