I just picked this up from someone on the board here whom I trust, but I thought I would ask for help here too......

I went to change the brake pads this morning and came across a question….are the rear axle shafts only held in place by the calipers?? When I went to pull the rotor off, mind that there where no nuts on it and it came off easily, but the driver side rear axle shaft also came out about 4-5 inches. I just pushed it back in, but it seems strange that it came out at all without force.

It seems like there should be a “C” clip or pin inside the housing holding it in place. Any thoughts would be helpful……

Thanks in advance for any input.......

 

BTW --

This rear assembly was just installed is why I asked the question.....it is a second hand 10 bolt PBR that replaced a 10 bolt drum setup......better gears and disc brakes --- YEAH !!

 

The calipers do assist, I suppose, in holding the axels in place through the rotors, but the C-clips should hold the axels without the caliper's assistance. If one axel is slipping out that far, I suggest that a C-clip has somehow slipped out of place or broken, etc. You'd be well advised, for safety's sake, to pop the diff cover and take a look, especially since the rear is secondhand. Note the following link for some miscellaneous info:

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=246768

JamesC

 

YEah, if you can move the axle 5 inches without taking out the C clip, there is something wrong. Open that rear up and see what's going on. Losing an axles on the highway could kill you, or worse, damage your ride!!!

 

I neglected to add that this is also a good opportunity to inspect the gears as well as change the fluid. You might try Mobil 1 75-90 (and GM posi additive if required).

JamesC

 

Thanks for the info .... I'll be looking at it this week..... Those where my thoughts exactly.

Cruising down the road and losing an axle shaft would suck big time...