Front Hub Grease Cap Removal

[MikeH]

I' sure this has been discussed before, but a search didn't help. How do you remove the grease cap from the front hub? I have wire wheels and can't get the cap to move. I want to dismantle the hub to repack the wheel bearings. Thanks,

 

[tony barnhill]

MG provided a tool especially for that....look at the rearmost head bolt back by the distrbutor...its nut is longer than the others & has a bracket bolted into the open end....take it off the engine & insert the end that held the bracket into the hub...it'll screw right onto the post on the dust cap...then you can simply pull the dustcap...I've taken one of those nuts & screwed it onto a long head stud & then welded a handle across the other end of that stud & its my own personal dust cap puller!

 

[MikeH]

Thanks Tony, unfortunately I've screwed up the screw. There's some alliteration for you. Any other ideas?

 

[tony barnhill]

Maybe I should start selling my little wrenches!

 

[Steve_S]

Grab onto it with a set of slim-nosed vice grips and yank it out. If it's stuck, you can put a slide hammer onto the vice grips. Just take every precaution in case the vice grips pop loose and go flying at you or another object in the garage. Worst case, drill a big hole in it and pry it out with something, then replace with new.

 

[tony barnhill]

Or, get a long nut from the hardware store & make your own wrench...after you've hooked onto it with the vise grips, the threads on it are probably gonna be ruined.

 

[Steve_S]

The nut won't work because the threads are already toast. Unfortunately there's no room to run a die down it, either.

Oh, forgot one thing, you may be able to knock the stud though to the inside, leaving a hole. This eliminates the need to drill into it, possibly introducing metal shavings to the hub bearing. I just don't remember how much clearance there is behind the MGB grease cap.

 

[tony barnhill]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]The nut won't work because the threads are already toast.[/QUOTE]

Ah, that's what "unfortunately I've screwed up the screw" means...hehehehe

Not alot of room for tipping left or right to wiggle off - you're left with the vise grip method. Time to get a dust cap with good threads (I had to replace one the other day for the same reason!)

 

[Steve_S]

Remember that in a pinch you can replace the stud with a standard bolt and nut.

 

[MikeH]

Thanks guys, guess i'll have to resort to brute force.