First off, how do I go about getting the old axle bearing race out of the pass. side of the rear? It seems to be pretty well atached to its old home and doesnt really want to come out. Secondly, how do i remove the old bearings? Do i have to take the axles and have the old bearings and the metal ring that retain them pressed off and new stuff pressed on or is there something i can do myself?

 

slide hammer for race, torch for bearing

 

hmmm... what do i use to get a hold of teh race? Theres not much to anchor to, just a small lip at the rear of the race. As for the pressed on retainer, i remember someone suggesting using a cold chisel to crack it. Would that work? I dont have access to a torch so im stuck with hand tools only. What can i use to install the bearings and the pess on retaining ring thing? Can i just get a long pipe and drive it home with a hammer or do i have to have it pressed on?

 

The long pipe works....I've done it before. We actually used a small diameter steel fence post. Just stand the axle up (easiest if you bolt it to an old wheel) and set the bearing on, then run the pipe down the axle and pound away!

 

anyone know what i can use to engage the race? Theres not much to grab onto.

 

Autozone rents tools around here, not sure about where you live. Get the slide hammer with the 3 prong spreader thing-deal. Home depot also rents tools.

 

DO NOT use a torch to remove the old bearing. Bring it to a machine shop and have them press the old bearing out. I got my 9 bolt used and whoever removed the old bearing on one of the axles used a torch and went a lil too far and gouged the axle. Now its hard to get a good seal.

Oh and I removed the axles with a slide hammer, attached it to the wheel studs and put the relavant lugs back on, one good hit and they were out.

 

i have snap on slide hammer kit, it has several attachments for seals/races. look in a snap on catalog and you'll see. they pivot so you put it in and then it pivots to engage the race.

 

thanx... i thought they probably made somehting to engage it. Ill take a look and see what i can get. Getting the old axles out wanst a problem. Just struck each one with a rubber mallot and out they came. Ill probably jsut take the axles down to my friends shop and have 'em press the old stuff off and press on the new bearings.

 

I'm in the middle of this bearing mess too. I vote for having the bearing pressed on and off. But I am wondering, do you need new bearings every time you pull the axles out? It seems to look that way since the bearing race gets seperated form the rest of the bearing.

 

no, you can just put them back in if you want the bearings and seals are asymetric and the race stays with the rear since its a seperate piece of the assy. Im replacing them because its alot more convienient now witht eh whole thing apart.

 

Umm... my bearing races either popped right out or took some pulling with my fingers. The new bearings had the races stuck to the rest of the bearing. Thats why I was wondering. Based on that I'm thinking that they are supposed to stay together.

 

well, i beat the snot out of the race today with a slide hammer and after what seemed like forever, it finally came out. I found out the reason why. The stock bearing locked up and the whole bearing including the race locked solid and spun in the housing, scoring everything. Whoever replaced the bearing on that side was too lazy to clean the surface up and they probably jsut hammered the axle in. I cleaned up the mating surface int he axle tube so it wouldnt get wedged in there agian. I guess it was a good thing that i didnt get lazy and just put the axle back in because the race from the replacement bearing was starting to pit and it probably would have failed sometime in the future.