How to remove a dustcap from a freehub body?

ghost1324

I am having problems removing bearings from my freehub. It's a 2009 Giant Reign X1 but I doubt this hub is original since there is no brand logo on it. Hard to find useful tips repairing noname products
I tried pushing the bearings out of the freehub body like on the picture bellow but there is a dustcap that needs to come out first and I just can't see how. It seems to be screwed inside the freehub body but I don't know how to unscrew it. I just can't hold it firmly enough to unscrew it.
Has anybody done this before or has any idea how to remove this dustcap?
Thanks guys!

jimothy78

if it's a rubber seal, it's unlikely to be screw-in - probably just pressed in. Have you tried a tyre lever or similar?

ghost1324

You were right. I used tyre lever and it popped out nicely.
But there is no way I am getting bearings out of the freehub body. I tried pressing them out
Then I tried hammering them out and they do move a bit. But less than a mm.
By now I completely destroyed the bearings so I tried pressing them out using a vice and as much power as my arms can deliver. They just won't give.
I am pressing on the bearing's inner race because the opening on the "pressing side" is not wide enough to press on outer race. If this is the problem then these bearings are impossible to replace. Should I heat freehub body or freeze the bearing to get it out?

rockmonkeysc

I had a 2010 Reign X and it looks like the same hub, I believe it's a Formula hub and it's fairly rubbish.
I did get the bearings out of the freehub once but it was such an awkward job I just bought a new freehub next time.

ghost1324

Do you remember how you did it?
Colleague on another forum said there is often a seeger ring between the bearings in a freehub. It is holding inner bearing in place so outer bearing has to come out first. This would explain why pressing and hammering on the inner bearing didn't work.

I think I will try something like this next.

Does this sound familiar to you?

jimothy78

From those views, it looks like there's two bearings, with a spacing cylinder (the middle bit) between them. Try putting that trusty tyre lever in there to push the cylinder slightly to one side, which will allow you to get purchase on the inboard side of the outboard bearing with a long flat-head screwdriver or similar.

Once you've knocked out the outboard bearing, the cylinder should fall out and you'll hopefully be able to knock out the inboard bearing the same way.

ghost1324

Unfortunately it wasn't that easy. This spacing cylinder has a groove on each side and bearing's inner race sits inside this groove. This groove keeps the cylinder parallel to the bearings at all times and it is impossible to move it to the side.

What did the trick was this DIY sollution :idea:
Here are some pictures.

jimothy78

Well done!

Now you need some circlip (aka "snap-ring") pliers to remove the circlip and release the inboard bearing.