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The bearings in my Hope XC hub have seized, and they’re also stuck - anyone got any tips to remove them?
I’ve taken both axle caps off, freehub body, and the spacer on the axle. Hitting the axle through with a mallet isn’t working, so I’ve left the wheel flat with some Plusgas squirted on the bearing overnight, hoping it’ll seep through.
What next if the bearings are seized to the axle and the hub body?
Mallets are normally a waste of time, support the hub with something solid across it's flange or disc mount, put an appropriate size bolt into the axle, and hit that with a proper hammer. Pouring a kettle of boiling water on the hub will expand it a fraction, and make the job a little easier too.
^that - you need a spike of an impact so use a hard surface.
Never seen a bearing seize in.
Hope hub support tool, 4lb lump hammer. I read OP as axle still in place. Support flange, hit axle with hammer, it's popping straight out with the bearing on it.
Pop an old bolt into the end of the axle (IIRC a trail_rat recommendation) & smack on that instead of the end of the axle. Hope XC hub are easy to work on, even I managed it, just hit it harder (prefer plastic mallets but a sharp proper hit from a steel hammer might be needed).
If you're changing the bearings in the freehub body remember the inner bearing is held in place with a circlip.
I had a friend gift me his old hope xc and I still have the axle complete with bearing bonded to it. I got the out together but the axle died in the process. Never been able to get it off. Heat up the shell and aren’t you can expand it. Didn’t work for me but the axle and bearings were replaced a few years back but they’ve no stock now.
Thanks everyone. Boiling water did the trick. No other combination worked - mallet, hammer, hammer plus wood.
I’ve got enough left over for a coffee as well.