Hello all.

Just tore apart my MINI S 2006 Coupe to replace the front wheel bearing assembly. Everything was going fine. I got all of the nuts and bolts off. Ready to remove the assembly and looked at the manual and it says to remove the wheel sensor as to not damage it. Ok.... I took off the mounting bolt and the sensor will not budge. I called the dealer where I bought the car (Classsic Mini) and they were very nice to give me some pointers, although I did not like the pointers they gave me. They said that the sensor usually does not come out and they have had to drill them out, ruining them and replacing them.

To add further insult to injury, I really could not easily remove the bearing housing. Now I did not get that far in beating on it as I thought as long as I cannot get the sensor out, I would be taking this to a shop anyways.

So my questions are:

How does that sensor come out? Pull right out? And how much do you beat on the housing to get it seperate from the car?

Will you ruin the sensor if you leave it in and pull out the assembly and bearings? Does the sensor somehow stick below the bearings and get snapped off as you pull the bearings out.

I guess what I need is somone that has done this and knows what it looks like.

 

Depending if the bearing/hub is froze to axle you may be able to remove the assembly with out pulling the sensor.

Are you down to just the hub and axle? with the caliper an the rotor removed? If you have the four 13mm bolts that held the hub out the reverse side of knuckle, have the axle nut off and give a few taps with hammer to the axle. If the axle moves you in luck. Have a thick set of gloves grab the axle behind the knuckle and carefully tap the hub off. When it comes off enough push it towards the bottom of the knuckle to avoid contacting the speed sensor.

 

Isnt there anyone out there that has done this?

 

It does not & will not, (the sensor)follow the wire & unplug it. (you may have to pull the inner fenderwell & replace some of the plugs that hold the wires in place though)

Sorry cant help you with the hub itself, never had mine apart, only pulled the axles.

 

I have. The sensor can be left in depending if the hub is froze to the axle.

Two routes can be taken:

If you feel better with the sensor out:
Spray a lot of WD40 or some sort of penetration lube around the sensor in the knuckle and leave to soak. After soak, use a set pliers gently grab and twist the sensor. If it feels like it may break STOP! I can write up how to remove a broken one with out drilling, but try to avoid breaking.

If you are careful and are confident:
With caliper, rotor removed, and axle nut removed; Spray lots of WD40 or similar into axle/hub assembly, tap on axle end and see if it will move out of hub. Careful on the taps, you do not want mushroom the axle end with threads.
If it moves; remove the four 13mm bolts retaining the hub to knuckle on the reverse side/cv side of knuckle. With a thick set of gloves hold hub, tap axle in increments each time the axle slides back and the hub out, allow the axle to move downwards in knuckle to avoid contact with sensor.
Wire wheel or brush knuckle to hub mating surface, being careful not to hit sensor.
Apply a grease or anti seize to axle splines and to knuckle to hub contact area. Re assemble.

 

There is a pic on a tutorial somewhere that shows how to get the hub off. Basically you use a plate like a worn brake pad and the lug bolts to push it off the car. Place the pad on top so it is solid and screw a lug into the hub. As the lug comes out of the back of the hub, it hits the pad, which is wedged against the strut and this pushes it out.

 

OK. Thanks for the replies. Where it sits now is that I put to back together with the intention of waiting to hear from some of you. I had it disassembled to the point where the four bolts were off, the axle nut was off and all ready to come apart.

So, if I get it back to that point which will not be hard as I only tightened everything enough so that if I had to drive it to a repair shop a few miles it would not fall apart.........

So I should screw back on the axle nut, (to protect the threads) and give it a tap to see if it moves. I never thought of that, that the axle would move in. Then hold the assembly how? To not break the sensor?

From what I get reading the posts, as I tap out the axle, i hold the assembly with upward pressure and downard pressure on the axle. Is that right?

 

I see what you mean. I have studs on my car so i will have to screw them out anyways. Has anyone ever used a hub puller on this?

 

sensor - there are groves that run along the sides, so i used a long screwdriver to pry it up from both sides until it started to move.. spray some pen lube on it will help too.

hub - i used an old rotor and a BIG hammer to wack it off.. my first hammer was too small.. you need a bigger one and it will pop right off. if it doesnt work, you need a bigger hammer.

phil.

 

Yes, when all else fails, the BFH solves all problems.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Cannot try this again till tomorrow night or weekend. While the weather was great early in the week, I am in Buffalo NY, it has now got cold and wet. I have to move this into the garage before I give it another go.

Let you all know how it goes. I will take photos.

 

THis is the one

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...l-bearing.html

 

Thanks..I will give that a try. Maybe tonight.

 

Hi all.

Well. I used a steering wheel puller to move the axle in. Where do I go from here? Sorry for the size of the files. My computer that I use for shrinking jpgs is on a large cloning job right now.

 

Thought I was kind of silly to post that last post. I realized that I know what to do. I have built several Caterhams, rebuilt a few Lotus Elans and I am asking a stupid question. I guess I am getting too cautious in my old age. Just being unfamilar and not being able to afford to make a mistake has got me spooked.

Anyways. All set. Here is the picture of the assembly off the car and then one that shows where the speed sensor is.

Thanks all for the help. Do we know the torque settings? I do have a book but thought I would ask if someone knows off the top of his head


Thanks again to all for the help. If I can help anyone else, let me know.