Steering Knuckle Rebuild

[1990new]

I originally posted this in the "what have you done today" thread but decide to create a unique thread in this the Repair Help Forum.

Almost finished my first steering knuckle rebuild. With the help of the excellent instructions on the forum, it wasn't all that difficult.

Hope someone who has had this problem before can help me. I probably should have pulled out the rope that I used to push in
the rear grease seal before I tightened the nut so much when pressing in the bearing. But too late now.

Can someone tell me the easiest way to get the rope out now?



Tried my best to get the rope out but ended up breaking it off. So I decide to just leave it there and let it melt.
The Polypropylene rope melts at 150 degrees so it should be out of there pretty quick one the wheel gets rolling.

[zoom zoom]

lol, that's why I only did it that way one time, and you don't know for sure if it even pressed in right! Best way is to install both outter races, drop in the outter bearing and press the seal in, then (using old inner races with a slit cut in the side) put the knuckle on the hub shaft and press the outter bearing on.. pretty not hard after you do it that way the first time!

[1990new]

lol, that's why I only did it that way one time, and you don't know for sure if it even pressed in right! Best way is to install both outter races, drop in the outter bearing and press the seal in, then (using old inner races with a slit cut in the side) put the knuckle on the hub shaft and press the outter bearing on.. pretty not hard after you do it that way the first time!

Thanks. I'm doing the second one tomorrow and I will definitely use that method.

Today I made a tool to press the hub out of the knuckle...will be cleaner than pounding it out.


Regarding the rope...comparing the hub position to another intact knuckles, it appears to be pressed in the same depth.
I put the knuckle in a vise, mounted a wheel on it and spun it until it loosened up pretty good, so l'm going to
leave the rope in there and let the polypropylene melt when it get up over 150 degrees.. Will give me a little extra grease seal.

[zoom zoom]

Yea sorry I can't help you with the rope situation, mine came out but I had to really REALLY pull on it. I even had to wrap it around a 4lb sledge and slam it a few times.

[Rocketman]

The next time I do a set of Capri knuckles I will take pictures and post the process.

[1990new]

Great ... Would be nice to have pictures of the entire process. A video posted on YouTube would be even better.

[WmWatt]

Use thinner rope?
Some photos at http://www.photobucket.com/Festiva-frontwheel

[scitzz]

I am still trying to figure out why the rope was used in the first place.

I did a picture tutorial, I was going to link it, but my recent "organizing" of my photobucket albums broke all the links to the pics. I am going to rebuild the Aspire knuckles this weekend for Smedly's BP swapped car, Bite Me, and can take a bunch of pics.

Arty and I had GenevaDirt take video of us, mostly Arty, doing the rebuild with no special tools at all last Madness. I don't know where the video is. I can say, I find it easiest to knock the hubs apart with a hammer, even compared to trying to get the hub to sit right in a press.

[WmWatt]

I thought of the rope thing on my own, probably others did too. I took the photos above showing how it didnt' work for me. Later I just put the seal in and put the wheel together without using a rope.

[1990new]

I thought of the rope thing on my own, probably others did too. I took the photos above showing how it didnt' work for me. Later I just put the seal in and put the wheel together without using a rope.

Went back and looked at your link to the picture in your post this afternoon and saw where you noted in the picture caption that this was a questionable method. I should have paid more attention to the captions. With mine having the dust shield on, it was even more questionable. You have though of some ingenious way of getting this done. I would never have tackled the job you did on those rusty knuckles. Amazing the way they turned out.

I got my second one apart this afternoon and may put it back together tomorrow (not using the rope method).
I'm still just going to leave the piece of rope in the first one and let it melt out. After several spins it's turning pretty well now.

The bearing are still good on all four of my Festivas. I'm just rebuilding these two knuckles that had bad bearings for the future. I have two additional knuckles with used but still good bearings in them on the shelf also and two addition sets of bearings and seals for future rebuilds. After this rebuild, I'm set for
a long time.

[1990new]

I am still trying to figure out why the rope was used in the first place.

I did a picture tutorial, I was going to link it, but my recent "organizing" of my photobucket albums broke all the links to the pics. I am going to rebuild the Aspire knuckles this weekend for Smedly's BP swapped car, Bite Me, and can take a bunch of pics.

Arty and I had GenevaDirt take video of us, mostly Arty, doing the rebuild with no special tools at all last Madness. I don't know where the video is. I can say, I find it easiest to knock the hubs apart with a hammer, even compared to trying to get the hub to sit right in a press.

Note my reply to WmWatt... I should have paid closer attention in the first place.
Hope all goes well with Smedly's knuckle rebuilds...and lots of pictures would be nice. If you do a little write up too and give me permission to post, I'll post it along with the picture on my festivacentral.blogspot.com.
I put a write up on this subject by festyboy there earlier. It shows up in Google searches frequently.

[blueoval]

I had a bad wheel bearing and took both front hubs and all new bearings and seals to a mechanic and paid him to change them thought he was going to press them out but he just beat them out and in. I put them back on my car and it sounds like the passenger side is grinding,it was real hard to turn the wheel,i think I am going have to have it redone, anyone have the same issue? sorry not trying to jack the thread just really have to get my festiva back on the rd thanks

[scitzz]

I had a bad wheel bearing and took both front hubs and all new bearings and seals to a mechanic and paid him to change them thought he was going to press them out but he just beat them out and in. I put them back on my car and it sounds like the passenger side is grinding,it was real hard to turn the wheel,i think I am going have to have it redone, anyone have the same issue? sorry not trying to jack the thread just really have to get my festiva back on the rd thanks

If he missed putting the spacer in there, your done.

Smedleys will go well, I just need to get over there, did another set for a friend of hers a week or so ago. Done maybe 8 or 9 sets, with only one failure. I think I pressed them together too tight. Redid it and rode approximately 120K until I did the aspire swap a few months ago.

[1990new]

Second rebuild (without rope).

Ok... It was much easier the second time. I put all the tools I made in one toolbox drawer so it will be even easier next time.

Inserting the outer bearing in the knuckle and then pressing in the outer seal first made it much easier.
Press in inner and outer races, bolt on the rotor, press the hub thru the outer bearing already in the knuckle, put the spacer on, drop in the inner bearing and press it on, press in the inner seal. Easy as pie.

I put an original Festiva freshly turned rotor on this one. (Had two turned but one went below thickness spec.)
Just cleaned this knuckle up and didn't paint it either.
The rotor on the first one I rebuilt was like new.

[scitzz]

Very good!