front grease cap removal?

[badgerspitfire]

Onto the front brakes and changing the rotors today.  Trying in vain the get the front grease cap off.  Tried tapping, and pulling on a small screw fed into the hole.... No luck so far.  Will heat (blowtorch) help or hurt the bearing?   Any suggestions welcome!   

[Colin Lindsay]

Try a longer screw in the hole; longer and maybe slightly thicker. It has to be big enough so that the threads bite and long enough to push against the hub nut; last one I used earlier in the week was about two inches long. Anything else will damage the cap.

[Guest]

Early days on my Vitesse, I had the same situation.

In the end I used a very thin / narrow blade screwdriver and tapped that between the hub and the seal mating faces - the idea is to create the slightest of gaps to get extra leverage. It's a case of tapping at opposite sides as you want the cap to lift as vertically as possible without causing an angle, which in itself will cause a jamming effect.

Once you have broken the seal it should a case of using the next size up flat blade etc. etc.  The other method I have used is a small claw hammer, the claws dig in well and spreads the pulling pressure.

I tried the screw method (if you will excuse the phrase) as per the WSM, but for me it did not work.

When do you achieve the glory you are seeking, the hub lip will need a fine rub down as with the cap to ensure you deal with any high spots which may be causing the issue. It is more than likely a combination of grease, dirt & moisture has "glued" the cap in situ. 

If there is some rust holding the 2x surfaces together, a spray of Plus Gas (rust breaker) not WD40 may well assist breaking through.

Just some options.

New caps are an idea, but I have found that their quality is not as robust as the OE item - hence worth saving if you can.

Ensure you refit the caps squarely to seat properly.

Good luck.

Richard.

[Colin Lindsay]

1 minute ago, classiclife said:

New caps are an idea, but I have found that their quality is not as robust as the OE item - hence worth saving if you can.

I have half a dozen badly dented versions where someone has levered them off with a hammer and screwdriver. I must find a suitable dolly and beat them back out again.

[Pete Lewis]

often its knock the  thing to death . many are now odd shapes due to variety of implements and birmingham screwdrivers 

i add a rivet nut to mine sealed witha short bolt, just fit a long bolt to simply drag it off , same as a long  tap screw but more ....refined 

fit rivnut facing outwards .

pete

[Guest]

That will certainly be worthwhile, Colin - as we know saving the old goods is a good call.

Regards.

Richard.

[dougbgt6]

Mine each have a hole made by over zealous use of a small flat blade screwdriver. I thought disaster! But it makes future levering much easier and the hole can be easily patched/covered. They come off once a year for tightening the bearing before the MOT and I find a big dob of grease sufficient for the year.

Doug

[JohnD]

I think that the S/t screw on the vent hole, not to pull on but long enough to bear on the end of the stub axle and push the cap off. is an 'official' method.

But so long after manufacture,  the hole may be getting bigger.    And bigger!     I weld a small nut to the cap - if you like and can reach, inside, but outside is fine - and keep the bolt secured in my tool box, appropriately labelled.     Then the hole can get no bigger, however many times I remove it.

 

[badgerspitfire]

45 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Try a longer screw in the hole; longer and maybe slightly thicker. It has to be big enough so that the threads bite and long enough to push against the hub nut; last one I used earlier in the week was about two inches long. Anything else will damage the cap.

I have long normal screws (woodscrews) but no self-tappers of that variety.  Can I get away with normal threaded screw? 

 

23 minutes ago, classiclife said:

Early days on my Vitesse, I had the same situation.

In the end I used a very thin / narrow blade screwdriver and tapped that between the hub and the seal mating faces - the idea is to create the slightest of gaps to get extra leverage. It's a case of tapping at opposite sides as you want the cap to lift as vertically as possible without causing an angle, which in itself will cause a jamming effect.

Once you have broken the seal it should a case of using the next size up flat blade etc. etc.  The other method I have used is a small claw hammer, the claws dig in well and spreads the pulling pressure.

If that fails, it's the screwdriver..   Do you push the screwdriver as if you are trying to get it into the gap between cover and hub (ie direction towards the engine bay, (along the rotational axis) or towards the sky / floor (ie 90 degs to the rotational axis))?

At least the sun is shining!

[Colin Lindsay]

3 minutes ago, badgerspitfire said:

I have long normal screws (woodscrews) but no self-tappers of that variety.  Can I get away with normal threaded screw? 

I used green coloured decking screws... very coarse thread; any kind of thread will do in fact probably the coarser, the better, as you'll need fewer turns to remove. Woodscrews would be fine.

[badgerspitfire]

I've hammered them to death.  Tried a big coarse screw, it just rips up the metal hole.  Tried getting a screwdriver in the gap between seal and hub, but when I try and lever it breaks the tip of the screwdriver...  

The track rod ends seem easy in comparison now  😖.

Is there anything else I can do, before I resort to buying some new ones and cutting these off?

many thanks again 

[dougbgt6]

That looks like your hammering in horizontally, that’s not going to work, the lip over hangs the piece that goes into the housing. Screw driver vertical under the lip, then lever/twist should do it.

Doug

 

[Pete Lewis]

you have a big hole in the cap,  so a large coarse tapper should move it 

Pete

[Peter Truman]

If you have a rivnut riveter put the river in head to underside thro the normal hole then you have a good longer thread to extract the cap.

[JohnD]

1 hour ago, badgerspitfire said:

I've hammered them to death.  Tried a big coarse screw, it just rips up the metal hole.  Tried getting a screwdriver in the gap between seal and hub, but when I try and lever it breaks the tip of the screwdriver...  

The track rod ends seem easy in comparison now  😖.

Is there anything else I can do, before I resort to buying some new ones and cutting these off?

many thanks again 

Did you read my post above?

The rivnut option is a good one, if you can't weld.   But the nut must be really tight!

[Colin Lindsay]

24 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Did you read my post above?

The rivnut option is a good one, if you can't weld.   But the nut must be really tight!

...and if the OP doesn't have a rivnut gun, or rivnuts?

[Chris A]

34 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

...and if the OP doesn't have a rivnut gun, or rivnuts?

Or even know what they are 🤔

[trigolf]

2 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

you have a big hole in the cap,  so a large coarse tapper should move it 

Pete

I use a large self tapper attached to slide hammer. it usually works.

Gav

[JohnD]

Colin,

If he can't weld then a rivnut.  Excellent suggestion!

If he doesn't have a rivnut tool then buying one will not break the bank: https://uk.farnell.com/laser/979/nut-riveter-40-nut-rivets/dp/2503813?gclid=CjwKCAjw5cL2BRASEiwAENqAPmnDJFV2GKkB7SLFtA_H90BLNvsJuYko5euq9JqumrVYrcMKiuFJthoCv_AQAvD_BwE&gross_price=true&mckv=sXTcwsRLN_dc|pcrid|432050589305|plid||kword||match||slid||product|2503813|pgrid|103464583874|ptaid|pla-903460168075|&CMP=KNC-GUK-SHOPPING-TOP-PERFORMING-PRODUCTS-NEWSTRUCTURE-20APR    This is a light duty one, but could cope with the small nut in a grease cap easily.

If he doesn't know what a riv nut is, then he can ask - why do you task me  with that if you think it's important?   Only fools don't ask questions and i have no doubt that badger is no fool.  You only have to have read "The Wind in the Willows!"   If he's shy, badgers are, then Google is his friend!

Trigolf,

the hole in your grease cap won't stay small for very long!

 

[Pete Lewis]

you can use a riv net spin nut on a bolt , insert bolt and tighten nut down the bolt , this collapses the rivet part of the nut, can only work if the rivnut does not rotate in its hole 

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Colin,

If he can't weld then a rivnut.  Excellent suggestion!

Agreed, and you guys have talked me into one from reading the posts in this forum, so I'll make the move relatively shortly. They're an excellent piece of kit.

HOWEVER: the OP doesn't have one and presumably doesn't want to have to choose one, pay the money then wait for fairly erratic postage, all for the sake of a small job like a grease cap... future jobs, yes, but at present... use a screw!!

 

[NonMember]

5 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

That looks like your hammering in horizontally, that’s not going to work, the lip over hangs the piece that goes into the housing. Screw driver vertical under the lip, then lever/twist should do it.

That sounds like you're used to the caps having a lip. Not all of them do, and I think the OP's is one that doesn't.

[badgerspitfire]

Thanks for all the advice chaps.  Tried screws - no joy, various amounts of tapping and trying to lever, again on joy.  Thanks for the tip about the rivnuts and rivnut gun (I'd never heard of one and the link to one was perfect).   So the current plan is to see if the garage will weld me some nuts on (ooh er!) when I get the tracking done, or invest in a rivnut gun, which I'm sure will come in handy for something else! 

So, oil and filter change, new oil pressure sensor, coolant flush and change (and a couple of new hoses and clips), track rod ends done, new rear shoes and drums, handbrake adjusted, brake system bled a zillion times (and brakes feel better), new pads and new LH caliper, new LH hose (saving the RH hose for when I get a replacement RH caliper - soon).  The next job on the list is new rotors with M1144 pads (I had some old pads so wasn't bothered about putting them on the less than good rotors).

Need a beer now!  I'd buy you all one too for your help, but we can't with social distancing....... 😊

[JohnD]

Badger,

Just seen this at the execellent Machine Mart.    Special offer on a two-handed nut rivetter, that will handle the biggest, if you want.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cht880-long-arm-hand-nut-riveter/

John

PS "I'd buy you a beer but  can't - social distancing, y'know"    Well, it's better than leaving your wallet at home! 

 

[badgerspitfire]

Thanks John!  Will look into it