Removing wheel bearing housing

[Wildman10]

To cut a long story short, I have a seized wheel bolt and after a series of disasters I was left with having to take a front wheel off complete with wheel bearing housing and brake rotor (oh, all right, 24 wheel bolts came off fairly easily, the 25th was stuck fast so I bashed on an under-sized socket, a male drive sheared off and I wasted an hour trying to get it out, so I hammered on an even bigger under-size socket, the male drive sheared off and I've spent well over 1 1/2 hrs trying to get it out, so I was changing a drive shaft boot so taking off the wheel assembly and drilling out from behind seemed a good idea at the time).

I've now unbolted or taken out everything I can find (wishbone unbolted, drive shaft out of hub, brake calipers unbolted, brake pipe unbolted, abs sensor unbolted, 4 off 4-square bolts on rear of hub unbolted) but the wheel bearing is stuck fast to the hub.   

I can't find anything left to unbolt and all the references I can find on internet searches and the manuals linked elsewhere on the site all imply the wheel bearing housing just pulls easily away from the hub.

I've applied some gentle and some not-so-gentle persuasion with ever decreasing concern for the wheel bearing, all to no avail, the hosuing moves not a mm away from the hub.   

Have I missed something (unlikely but not impossible), are the references wrong (unlikely), is the bearing seized onto the housing and shaft or is there something else?

If this fails, I see my only option as cutting/smashing the alloy wheel off............sob, sob.   

Ian

[mortygttdi]

I was led to believe there is a circlip inside the the hub housing then the bearing needs pressing out?????

I have both hub/bearing housings you can have if your having trouble. Not sure where you are but if your not a million miles away I can drop you which ever one off.

Darren

[bodger00]

Darren's suggestion is probably the best option here, but if all else fails can you apply heat to the bearing?

If you could heat one side and cool the other one should expand and the other contract.

It would beat smashing your alloy

[vRStu]

The bearings don't come out, the replacement assembly is the hub assembly.  I had a couple changed on one of my Octavia' and was not only surprised at the whole thing being replaced but also how cheap they were.

According to the manual, as you say it should come off once the bolts are removed.

[Boothy]

The bearings don't come out, the replacement assembly is the hub assembly.  I had a couple changed on one of my Octavia' and was not only surprised at the whole thing being replaced but also how cheap they were.

According to the manual, as you say it should come off once the bolts are removed.

How much did you pay mate?

[vRStu]

I didn't it was a warranty job but the hubs were something like £45 each.

[Boothy]

Am I right in thinking that the new wheel bearing is incorporated into the hub assembly then from your other post rather than having to just buy a bearing? Only reason I ask is one of my wheel bearings is on its way out so I'm curious as to what I'll need to purchase in the future.

[vRStu]

Yes you get a complete Hub Assy, quite a chunk of metal.  I figure it's done for speed and ease.

Remember to use new bolts too.