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Re-installing rear axles into hub the right way with the proper tool (E30, BMW, Porsche, etc.)

September 10, 2014
By

It is not always justifiable to spend the money on a specialty tool, however in the case of rear axles a little investment goes a long way.

 

The problem with many german cars and particularly E30’s is that the tolerance between the hub splines and the axles splines is VERY small causing a VERY tight fit.  Even the smallest amount of grease, dirt, and even oil will not allow the splines to go back in. What most people will do is clean the splines until they are very clean, inspect and remove any burs (especially in aftermarket re-manufactured axles) and then hope that they can re-install the axle without damaging anything; many people attempt to get leverage by putting a crowbar between the differential and the axle, DO NOT DO THIS, you risk damaging the diff output shaft and you will most likely bend the axle dust cover causing your newly installed axle to loose its grease and pre-maturely fail.

 

As far as tools go, there is two pieces of good news. The first is that there is a tool that was specifically designed to pull the hub in. This OE tool is fairly expensive at about $400. The better news for cars that have M22 x 1.5mm (such as the E30)  / M20mm x 1.5mm  axle shafts  is that the exact same problem and tool exists for early to mid 90’s fords and has the same thread size and pitch as the OE tool, however this latter tool is $16 to $50 depending on brand.

 

The concept of the tool is rather simple. Traditionally once you have the axle most of the way in you would use the axle nut to pull the axle the rest of the way; essentially the purpose of the below tool is to extend the threads of the axle. This is achieved by a bolt which on one end that has female internal threads to screw onto he axle shaft, then a forcing cylinder goes from the hub end, this forcing cylinder rests on the hub lip that the factory nut would seat against. As you tighten the nut on the tool, the bolt which is threaded onto the axle pulls into the forcing cylinder, taking the axle with it.

 

First lets look at the OE tool which costs about $400-$450:

Made by Gedore (KLANN) the model is KL-0415-4  for the master set and KL-0415-2 for the BMW set

 

E30 Axle tool

 

Adapter M16x1.5 (eg BMW F20)
Adapter M20x1.5 (eg Porsche Cayenne, VW Touareg)
Adapter M24x1.5 (eg, BMW E36, E87, E90, Mercedes W203, E46 (325i))
Adapter M30x1.5 (eg, BMW E32, E34, E36)
Adapter M22x1.5 (eg, BMW E30)
Adapter M27x1.5 (eg, BMW E32, E34, E38, E39, X5, E46 (330i))

 


For cars that use M22 x 1.5 and M20 x 1.5 the following MUCH less expensive options are available.

KD Tools 3532 (M22 x 1.5) also available on ebay as a no name “Ford Front Hub Installer #3532” for $16.95 shipped:

KD Tools 3020 (M20 x 1.5)

Ford installer 3532

 

 

Mac Tools FHI7135M includes both M20 and M22 can be found used on ebay for cheap $25-50 since no one works on old fords anymore:

Mac tools axle installer

 

 

OTC sells either individually or as a set:

OTC 6298 Front Hub Installer and Puller Set ($100):

 

OTC 6298

OTC 7924A M22 x 1.5 only ($40)

OTC 7135A M20 x 1.5 only ($40)

 

Great Neck OEM 27192 Front Hub Puller/Installer Set includes both ($70)

great necks ford front hub installer

 


 

 

7 Responses to Re-installing rear axles into hub the right way with the proper tool (E30, BMW, Porsche, etc.)

  1. [email protected] on July 13, 2015 at 7:22 pm

    Per your website chart and adapter info for reinstalling my BMW e46 rear axle into my hub using the recommended OTC 7924A (M22x1.5) tool. Ordered it thru Amazon Friday. Received it today, and just discovered this M22x1.5 tool is too small.

    Where did you get your info from?
    (I couldn’t find any other website indicating this tool.)

    Are you sure its not suppose to be an M24x1.5??

    Desperate in Kansas City.

  2. admin on December 9, 2016 at 12:43 pm

    I grabbed the information from here:

    http://www.klann-online.de/en/Service/Mobile/WebCatalogue/ProductCard/tabid/264/eid/14226/Default.aspx

    However looking at realoem it looks like the E46 had atleast two different sizes of axles, the 330i for example has M27x1.5 and the 325i has M24x1.5.

    Best to go to http://www.realoem.com look up your vehicle by vin and go to Rear Axle > Output shaft. It should bring you to a page like this:

    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=EY32-EUR-04-2004-E46-BMW-316i&diagId=33_1191

    Reference the nut size.

  3. […] Re-installing rear axles into hub the right way with the proper tool (E30, BMW, Porsche, etc.) […]

  4. Rob on July 22, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    Knowing what tools to use is much better than learning workarounds. This helped me save a load of time doing a tedious job. Thanks.

  5. Vincenze on September 9, 2019 at 3:27 pm

    I think you can rent the last tool from Pepboys.

    OEM Front Hub Puller/Installer
    Part #: 27192

  6. Mark Romans on January 13, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    Is it possible to find an inexpensive option for a 24mmx1.5 axle for my e36? Got my e30 covered, thanks to you!

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