Front hub assembly replacment difficulty?

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Bigshawn

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Wow, I have to say that there was a lot of fretting over nothing. Chevy did a great job building the '08 Tahoe as the axle spline was well greased as was the bracket surface where the hub sits in. The hub popped right out with 4 wacks with a 3 pound hammer. The grease was actually still yellow. There was just the slightest bit of rust behind the contact points.
Since the oem lasted 97,000 miles I put in another of the same.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
Sounds like you don't live anywhere that puts salt and other junk on the road in the winter time.
 
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EddieC

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Sounds like you don't live anywhere that puts salt and other junk on the road in the winter time.
Oh, to the contrary.
The chemicals used are rusting the cars out again like in the 60's.
 

89Suburban

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Wow, I have to say that there was a lot of fretting over nothing. Chevy did a great job building the '08 Tahoe as the axle spline was well greased as was the bracket surface where the hub sits in. The hub popped right out with 4 wacks with a 3 pound hammer. The grease was actually still yellow. There was just the slightest bit of rust behind the contact points.
Since the oem lasted 97,000 miles I put in another of the same.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
Hey man just glad you had it easy. Very good to hear! How's she feel now?
 

Douglas Friedberg

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I must have gotton the worst one on the planet. A cal. vehicle that must have been used to launch boats into the ocean as salt water really did its work on this one. A midwest rust bucket was better off. took two days to get one hub out better off replacing the knuckel, and may do that to the other side. 256,000 miles. wouldnt come out with a 30 pound sledge or any other beating device, as a matter of fact the wheel hub broke off first making it even harder to remove. Had to make a slide hammer puller with 1/2 plate steel adapter and wack at each of the three holes 150 times each before it let loose. Nightmare. May have been the original hub. totally rusted into place. pics i have. That was the passenger side. drivers side will be next. pass side had to be replaced races gone no lube in bearings ABS light early warning as it ate the abs wheel almost in half. Yes there was some noise letting me know it was going and snaping and got real bad overnight and barley made it home. I got a better work out then any gym ill tell you that. And done in the street on jack stands.
 

Tonyrodz

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I must have gotton the worst one on the planet. A cal. vehicle that must have been used to launch boats into the ocean as salt water really did its work on this one. A midwest rust bucket was better off. took two days to get one hub out better off replacing the knuckel, and may do that to the other side. 256,000 miles. wouldnt come out with a 30 pound sledge or any other beating device, as a matter of fact the wheel hub broke off first making it even harder to remove. Had to make a slide hammer puller with 1/2 plate steel adapter and wack at each of the three holes 150 times each before it let loose. Nightmare. May have been the original hub. totally rusted into place. pics i have. That was the passenger side. drivers side will be next. pass side had to be replaced races gone no lube in bearings ABS light early warning as it ate the abs wheel almost in half. Yes there was some noise letting me know it was going and snaping and got real bad overnight and barley made it home. I got a better work out then any gym ill tell you that. And done in the street on jack stands.
If you have a compressor an air chisel makes quick work of it. I live in NJ--they use salt on the roads here--teying to replace the ds hub was taking me all day. I was beating on it for hours with no results. Next day went to HF and bought an air chisel, got it off within 5 minutes.
 
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EddieC

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Sounds like you don't live anywhere that puts salt and other junk on the road in the winter time.
On the contrary. Corrosive winter chemicals are spread even before storms hit. It's worse than I can remember since the 60's.
With that, I was astounded that my original '08 hub popped right off. It was well greased.
 

89Suburban

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I must have gotton the worst one on the planet. A cal. vehicle that must have been used to launch boats into the ocean as salt water really did its work on this one. A midwest rust bucket was better off. took two days to get one hub out better off replacing the knuckel, and may do that to the other side. 256,000 miles. wouldnt come out with a 30 pound sledge or any other beating device, as a matter of fact the wheel hub broke off first making it even harder to remove. Had to make a slide hammer puller with 1/2 plate steel adapter and wack at each of the three holes 150 times each before it let loose. Nightmare. May have been the original hub. totally rusted into place. pics i have. That was the passenger side. drivers side will be next. pass side had to be replaced races gone no lube in bearings ABS light early warning as it ate the abs wheel almost in half. Yes there was some noise letting me know it was going and snaping and got real bad overnight and barley made it home. I got a better work out then any gym ill tell you that. And done in the street on jack stands.

If you have a compressor an air chisel makes quick work of it. I live in NJ--they use salt on the roads here--teying to replace the ds hub was taking me all day. I was beating on it for hours with no results. Next day went to HF and bought an air chisel, got it off within 5 minutes.


@Douglas Friedberg, been there my man. @Tonyrodz trick works pretty good.

Here is a few vids to prove it:


 
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89Suburban

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Kept hearing my name lol! Definitely worth spending the money on that chisel.


Took exactly 15 seconds to get the first crack open. WELL worth it! :)

Wish I had it when I did the other side rookie style. I was prying so ******* that thing I bent the hub flange and God knows what else in the suspension/steering.
 

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