Removing rear hubs

[stevewarbs]

Does anyone have any tips for removing the rear hubs, I have just bought a Sealey hub removal tool and snapped it clean in half

[oldtimer]

Hi Steve,
I haven't seen you at Gaydon breakfast for the last couple of months !

If you know your Jaguar history you will know that there were very strong links between Jaguar and the Standard Motor Co

So , who remembers the Standard Vanguard ? What on earth has this to do with removing XJ rear hubs you may well ask !

I just happen to have a Standard Vanguard rear hub puller ( it has a plate attached which says made by Churchill Tools ) those of a certain age will remember that Churchill made dozens of special tools for the motor industry.

I recon that the Standard Motor Company supplied hubs to Jaguar because the wheel stud PCD of XJ Series is the same as the Standard Vanguard

The puller I have resembles a very very heavy bowler hat. The rim has five holes which fits onto the hub and is retained in place by the wheel nuts. Running up the centre is a heavy duty bolt with a hardened ball which locates in the centre of the drive shaft and of course on the outside an extra large nut to wind the bolt down and drive the shaft out. Having tightened it up with an equally large socket and bar, if necessary it can be persuaded with a good thump from a lump hammer

This puller has always worked for me and no it will not split in half

Hope that helps a bit

[piman]

Hello Steve,

the last phrase from Oldtimer is the best tip for splittimng tapers, and in my experience is always necessary.

" if necessary it can be persuaded with a good thump from a lump hammer"

Tp clarify, it is to hit the end of the jacking screw once it has been wound up very tight. It may take a few goes, together with checking that the screw is still tight but is often the secret of successfully spliting a hub from the axle.

Alec

[340jag]

I got my 3 leg puller off e-bay , think it was around £20 inc post , did the centre bolt up very tight and hit it with a sledge hammer , just popped off , car is a MK2 !

[oldtimer]

Ah,
We are at cross purposes here, Yes the MK 2 has a half shaft with a tapered end onto which the hub fits. I have used three leg pullers with a hydraulic ram. They work a treat, in that enormous hydraulic pressure is applied. The secret is to clear off for a cup of tea and wait. Usually, half way through ya cup of tea there is a tremendous bang as the taper lets go and all the bits clatter to the ground. A load of rags beneath helps.

You will note from the heading that Steve is talking about an XJ Series hub. On this model there is no half shaft. The arrangement is that there is a short shaft out of the diff with a brake disc and Hardy Spicer coupling joint attached. The hub assembly houses another short shaft with a pair of taper roller bearing which of course are the rear wheel bearings. This short shaft has about 8 to a dozen spines on to which the hub fits. On the inner end of this short shaft where another Hardy Spicer coupling is mounted. The inner and outer U/J 's are joined together by the drive shaft.

Yes, XJ hub removal can also be problematic. Thread seal may have been applied during a previous occasion, I seem to recall that it is recommended. I'm sure I can confirm this if you need. Access to a hydraulic puller is probably the best option but my Standard Vanguard top hat looking old iron puller has served me well.

I hope my ramblings are of some help.

PS Might see you at Gaydon

[stevewarbs]

Thanks All, I purchased a modern equivalent of the tool oldtimer describes and managed to break it The 3 foot breaker bar I was using was bending as I was tightening. I was looking at buying a hydraulic version but there appears to be an awful lot of poor quality kit around. Is 8 ton enough or do I need to go to 10 ton or even 12 ton?

What I might do first though is to buy another of the mechanical version and try the lump hammer tip.

I will be back at Gaydon as soon as I can get the car back on the road. September is a bit optimistic so hopefully October.

[stevewarbs]

The second hub puller arrived and duly snapped about 5 seconds into use. In the meantime I have emailed Sykes Pickavant asking if it was worth paying the extra for the 12 ton hydraulic puller compared to the 8 ton. The response came back that their mechanical puller was far cheaper and designed to be hit with a lump hammer and would exert 20 tons of force.

The Sykes Pickavant puller arrived today and whilst it cost double the previous 2 it was obvious that it was 5 time the quality. The thread is very fine and it needed half a turn and a whack, half a turn and a whack (repeat 50 times)but slowly and surely the hubs are now both free so hopefully tomorrow the cage will be out, I can get the calipers out and off for refurb and start rust treating, painting etc.

[Roadsreman]

Trying to contact Oldtimer,
Do you still have the hub puller you mentioned in your post back in 2017? The reason I ask is that I am trying to remove the rear hubs on my Triumph roadster which has the same rear axle as the Standard Vanguard.The hubs will not move and I suspect I need the type of puller you mention.
Would you be willing to sell it or even loan it to me? I would of course pay a deposit and meet the cost of postage if you are too far away from me to collect it.
Here is hoping.
Kind Regards,
John Lewnes

[davidr]

I'm afraid that our good friend Oldtimer passed away just over a year ago.

[Roadsreman]

I'm afraid that our good friend Oldtimer passed away just over a year ago.

So sorry to hear that, many thanks for taking the trouble to reply.