I am changing the front wheel bearings on my '99 Mercury Mystique, but one of the bearings broke when I took the spindle hub apart. Now the inner race of the bearing is stuck on the wheel flange and the outer race of the bearing is stuck on the housing. There is no way to get a bearing/flange puller on either one of these bearing parts. How do I get them off? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you & God bless!
If you have the ball bearings from the ‘broken’ one, remove the bearing shields if still present; put the balls around the outer race using bearing greese to hold them; thread the inner race back into the outer race until it snaps into place; redistribute the balls evenly around the circumference; and try pressing again.
If the bearing comes apart again you will probably have to grind races off. You can probably split the inner race after grinding a kerf part way through then use a cold chisel to do the splitting (wear eye protection). The outer race will have to be ground amost through before the tension is released and it can be pulled from the hub. You will have to be careful not to cut into the hub or creat stress concentrating grooves.
I have heard about using MIG welding to shrink hardened valve seats for removal. You might consult a qualified welder about spot welding the outer race to try shrinking it. At least you might be able to draw the temper so the grinding will be a little easier.
Hope that helps. If you have any doubt about the integrity of the hub and/or spindle after bearing removal, replace the parts.
Cut the races with an acetylene torch or a die-grinder type tool fitted with a thin cutting wheel…
To remove the inner race from the hub you’ll need one of thesehttp://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1A808and a press. To remove the outer race from the hub you’ll need something like thishttp://www.otctools.com/products/detail.php?id=1736
If you don’t want to spend the money on these tools, then the next best thing to do is remove the knuckle and take it and the hub to a machine shop. The can get the old bearing off and install the new bearing.
Tester