no i did remove it after i cut the inner race it slid right off and there was rust creeping under the race how who knows maybe water in oil. wire wheeled it before assembly. i think i have some pics still ill see if i can find them. it was stuck so bad i ruined the shaft pressing so hard it caused visible runout in the shaft

 

Hi Blake

Can you confirm a few things in your post. I have to do this job in a couple months and I always like a plan B.

You say you cut the bearing cage, will that allow the bearings to be removed and the axle to be removed from the hub? You cut and cracked the inner race, but did you have any trouble with the outer race in the hub? Does that come out easy?

 

That looks like a fun lil project!

 

you just chisel out the metal cage that holds the balls. then the shaft with inner race comes out and your left with the hub with the outer race still. the outer came out rather easily for me anyways. just be careful with a cutoff wheel you dont want to nick the shaft

 

Wow. Almost no gear oil? Wouldn't that cause more major problems than the axle shaft bearing(s) being toast? What happened to the carrier/ring/pinion?

 

TNRabbit, could you tell me how hard it was for you to press the new bearings into the bearing cases? My new bearings (and the old ones as well, I checked) pressed into the cases by hand (not easily) after they were greased up.

 

Read the first post; there is play & whine in the diff. Going to install a locker down the road.

 

Oh, well I just wondered why all this attention was being spent on the axles when the center section is probably thrash. I didn't see where it was said about replacing the carrier section. I'll go back and read it again more carefully.

You're right, you did already mention that in the 6th post down. I just skimmed over it the first time, sorry.

 

I finally got everything back together. I was UNABLE to use the Harbor Freight 12 ton press because it wasn't tall enough to fit the entire axle under to press out the bearing. I ended up going to a local mechanic (GREAT one, let me know if anyone in this area wants his number) to get them pressed in. For $60 he pressed old out, pressed new in & installed the retainers/clips.

Funny, I've not heard a single noise from the rear differential~

Not much play, either. Must have been all the crap going on with the bearings--WOO HOO!

I'm keeping a close eye on it anyway.

Sorry no additioan pics; everything was so covered in gear oil I had to soak it all (bought new brake pads) in kerosene to clean it off & didn't have hands clean enough snap any photos.

NOTE: DO NOT soak the rubber E-brake bellcrank covers in kerosene more than a few minutes! I left them in & they swelled to about 3 times normal size. New ones from the dealer were an ASTOUNDING $18 EACH (wtf??).

~

 

I would like to post me experience removing the bearings. I used the "dremel tool surgery method". The retainer was easy to remove with a cutting disk on the grinder and then some finer cutting with the dremel tool disks. The bearing races and retainer are very hard steel, so it does not take much effort to crack them. You do not have to grind all the way through as the steel is very easy to crack the remainder. For the bearing I removed the seal and cut the bearing cage where it covers each ball. I then ground the race on the inner and outer race in one spot to remove the groove that the bearings ride in. This allowed one bearing to be able to drop out when both cut grooves are aligned with a bearing. Then I rotated the hub around so each bearing could be popped out. Once all bearings were out the axle was free. The inner race was then cut/cracked with the dremel. The outer race had 2 flat spots ground, so it could be punched out. I used the fiberglass reinforced cutting disks, the finer cutting disks and some of the tapered stone dremel tools.


Install I used just a 30" section of 1/4" 2" square steel to hammer the bearing on, using another piece of steel directly on the bearing for some protection. The steel was heavy enough that I did not need to use a hammer in addition.

Of course I would rather pay someone else to do this for $60.

 

SO, I've been having issues with my rear brakes since doing this job. First, they kept tightening more & more until they froze up. E-brake was solid in like one click. So I switched the adjusters to the opposite sides to see if I had switched them. Now, the e-brake doesn't work AT ALL & the adjuster adjusts the until they hardly touch.

I don't know what to do at this point. I'm switching back to where the adjusters were originally, but not sure what to do about the brakes. HELP!

 

,...I searched & found one similar situation back in 2005....but only 2 posts & no followup.

 

I'm still trying to figure this out. Do you mean to tell me NO ONE has ever had this issue???

 

WTF guys; this is my only vehicle & I'm outside cussing it out & about to take a sledgehammer to it right now....a little help, please?!?

Newbies with stupid @ss repeat same d@mn questions every other day get a response & I've been here for YEARS and get jack squat....

 

I got jack squat and you are welcome to it

Let me ask my buddy Jon. He will know.

:wabbit2:

 

Did you replace your brake shoes?

Jon says if you didn't replace the shoes the oil soaked shoes will stick.

:wabbit2:

 

Shoes replaced. Everything else was soaked in kerosene for a week then greased & reassembled....the right side is tightening up the most to the point it is seized before the left one gets quite so bad. I just removed everything & backed the adjusters off, but I know it's coming back in a few days. I've about decided to order new adjusters at this point.

 

I beat the living ˟˟˟˟˟ out of the right side drum trying to get it off...˟˟˟˟˟ty cell pics:

 

Still no love on stopping these adjusters from tightening all the way up.......

anyone?

 

i gotta ask arent the adjusters side specific wehere one is reverse thread. or has the teeth slanted the other way