I went to have my front end aligned but the tech said my wheel bearings are loose. I was able to take the manual locking hubs apart but I can't get what looks like a gear off the axle shaft. I tried both sides but no luck, any ideas.

 

There should be a ring that sits in a groove at the front of the hub housing. Get a rag and clean all the crud and grease uot and you will be able to see a gap in the ring. If you have a pick set or screwdriver you should be able to pop it out. There should also be a snap ring on the end of the axle stub shaft. After that screw 2 of the allen screws back into the hub and pull it off. You will probably have to wiggle it around to get it out.

 

I was able to get the big wire ring off as well as the snap ring near the end of the axle shaft but no luck removing the gear on the shaft and I remount a few of the allen screws and pull on them but it won't budge. If I grab the end of the axle and push and pull on it I can see the gear move a little on the axle splines but it just won't come off.

 

Sometimes if they have been on there for a while they can be a b*tch to get off. I have had the same problem myself. If you got the big ring and the snap ring off the gear should be able to come right off. Try grabbing the rotor and rocking it back and forth while you pull on the gear. It may take a little work but it should come off. Try spinning the hub and rotor too, while you pull on the gear.

 

thanks jmudder I will do that.

 

Let us know how it goes. If it still doesn't come off , I'm sure someone else here will have some other ideas for ya.

 

I just don't see what could be holding it on. I even took a piece of flat steel and drilled holes in it and attached it to where the hub goes and used my slide hammer and it won't come off.

 

What brand hubs do you have? Warn, Milemarker, Ford? Maybe that has something to do with it.I have only messed with warn and milemarker. Maybe you have different brand hubs that are removed differently. Just a thought.

 

Maybe one of the other guys on here has some pics or drawings they can put up that show locking hub removal. That might help you out too.

 

mile marker hubs

 

Same hubs I got. Just how bad were your wheel bearings? If they started to fall apart on you, you might have got a piece of metal wedged in between the gear and hub. Thats a long shot, but anything is possible. When I got my first truck and didn't know any better I drove my truck until my inner bearing disinegrated. I was able to pull off my hub and rotor without even taking off my wheelbearing lock nuts. There was chunks of bearing and metal everywhere in those hubs. Only other thing I can tell you is keep working at it.

 

I don't give up often but I just don't see how I can get that gear off. It is hard to grab onto and like I said it's not stuck because if I push on the axle I can see it move but I just can't get it to move past the part where the clip was. I will mess with it a little more and then if I can't get it off I will have to put out the $$$. Thanks for all your help.

 

Just pulled mine off. It was a pain in the butt. I had to use liberal amounts of WD-40, and use a mallet to bang on the outside of the housing. It eventually came loose.

 

If you got past this, how did you get to the wheel bearings? Ive managed to get off the wheel bearing locknut, but the smaller one has only 1 groove, and no wiggle room.

 

So, made it past the wheel bearing assembly, have the axle out, but I cant find a seal to replace. I want to have it in hand before I go to O'reileys to buy the replacement. My axle is leaking gear oil from where the axle slides into the axle tube. Digging through 20+years of grease and dirt to make sure I'm not just missing it.
Any advice?