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Electrolysis for hubs
Slimy38 - 10/1/15 at 03:59 PM

I'd like to clean up my hubs, but I don't want the hassle of stripping them down. What will happen to the bearings, seals, grease etc if I use electrolysis for rust removal?

As an example, the rear uprights still have the driveshafts attached. What should I do with the CV joint?

joneh - 10/1/15 at 04:05 PM

I looked into doing this. You'll wash all the grease out and then fill the bearing with water. Buy a 43mm (I think) socket ,the biggest breakers bar and vice and strip them down. You may need to bolt the vice to something un-moveable such as HMS Nimitz.

Slimy38 - 10/1/15 at 04:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by joneh
I looked into doing this. You'll wash all the grease out and then fill the bearing with water. Buy a 43mm (I think) socket ,the biggest breakers bar and vice and strip them down. You may need to bolt the vice to something un-moveable such as HMS Nimitz.


HMS Nimitz is about right. Archimedes once said 'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world'... I don't think he'd have said that if he had been introduced to an MX5 rear hub nut!!

joneh - 10/1/15 at 05:11 PM

The sierra one I did I had to bolt the vice to a tree stump! I wrenched my vice off the work bench.

ste - 10/1/15 at 09:41 PM

quote:
Originally posted by joneh
I looked into doing this. You'll wash all the grease out and then fill the bearing with water. Buy a 43mm (I think) socket ,the biggest breakers bar and vice and strip them down. You may need to bolt the vice to something un-moveable such as HMS Nimitz.


Nimitz is an American carrier so USS Nimitz

coozer - 10/1/15 at 09:56 PM

Nothing to worry about, stick them in the bath and let the electrolysis do its job. It doesn't do anything to anything that isn't rusty and will help free up the drive shafts making them easier to remove. It won't harm the grease in the bearings etc.

Electrolysis is passive only actually changing the rust or even the slight corrosion between parts (driveshafts and hub)

Nothing to worry about, go ahead and do it!

My next job with it is too stand my range rover axles on their ends to just totally derust the discs, and the ends of the axles. Need to get the bolts out holding the cups on to replace them!