We are trying to change the right front axle on my T100 truck, but we can't seem to get the grease cap off. We've put some dents in it with a rubber mallet, but it doesn't want to budge. Is there an easy way to get the thing off? (The manual says to "pull" it off, but that's apparently much easier said than done!)
Thanks, Trevor
There is usually a flange or lip formed on the side of the cap that seats against the spindle. It can normally be removed using a thin screwdriver or small pry bar and worked off by alternating sides. You don't want to use a hammer to try and pound it off.
"Ph@Boy" wrote in news:sKWdnVD4DIPuJ4LanZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@trueband.net:
I've found that has limited success, with too much chance of holing the cap as you try to get the screwdriver to bite.
I prefer an ordinary 1-lb hammer. I strike the cap at about a 45 degree angle, moving in a direction away from the hub. Strike the cap right at its end face, not in the middle.
Very best is a big set of end-cutters. They bite nicely behind the flange and allow the rocking motion that frees the cap without denting it.
There is a special tool that looks like the end cutters used on wire fences. The jaws are curved, and squeezing the handles pushes the jaws under the lip of the grease cap. You can also try the mallet or screwdriver trick.
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