hey guys im doing a drum to disc swap,and while im at it i will like to replace the bearings and seals.but i have no clue how will i do this.also how does a bad axle bearing feel like?also step by step info will be good

 

if it ain't broke i wouldn't try to fix it, that and it's no more work to do now as later. bad bearing will feel rough, seal ought to leak too. to change the bearing pull the axle, remove seal, remove bearing. pretty straight forward.

 

well iread in the haynes manual that i need a bearing puller and bearing installer?also when i turn hard the car feels like it on metal to metal contact.i check the rear end fluid and it was not missing.so seens i pulling out the axles for the drum to disc swap i might as well replace them now then down the road

 

your bearings can be bad while the seal isn't, so it wouldn't be leaking any oil. why you don't NEED special pullers and insert tools it just makes life easier especially when inserting new races. and don't get new bearings without new races, it just defeats the purpose. the best way to tell if a bearing is bad is to jack up the car and try and move the tire 'in and out' and 'back and forth'. if it moves more than say 1/4" then i'd replace them. my RAs focus had about 1" of play and some guys at the dorm helped him with it, they got it done in a day and that included running around looking for stuff. my personal opinion is to do it while your in there. when i put in my auburn lsd i replaced the pinion bearings and races when i didn't have to but i felt better doing so, even though the old bearings had another 50K on em why would i want to take everything back apart another 50K miles from now? if you're not to tech savy yourself like i am just make sure you have some freinds around who can help you. any other questions just ask i'm in chassis class right now at school and thats one of the things we go over

 

Bearing puller = a 6' piece of ¾" water pipe

Installer = large diameter punch for bearing, and 6" long piece of 2x4 for seal

Pull the axles, stick the pipe in one side and catch it on the back side of the bearing, and one good bonk with a BFH will send the bearing and seal flying across the garage. Repeat on other side. Takes longer to type it than to do it.

DO NOT try to "tap" the seal in around the edge. It will leak EVERY TIME if you try that. Instead, lay the 2x4 piece flat up against the seal, and with one huge whap of the BFH (you gotta be finely attuned to the difference between a bonk, as used above, and a whap) you just knock it in.

 

Green92RS305?wat do u mean by the races?

 

Or you can buy/rent the right tools for the job. Simple slide hammer for pulling the bearings-it took 2 whacks each side and mine were out, then the race/seal installer to put everything back together. All tools free rental so you dont need to go buy things to get'r done.

Your outter axle bearing will not have a race, they are self contained needle bearings. The "race" is the tappered metal circle that the bearings sit and spin agaisnt. Like when you pull you rotors off, when you remove the castle nut and bearing, the part the bearing actually rides agasint is called the race. They are very cheap as are bearings so they should be replaced together since sometimes the races tend to gull/pit and this will prematurely wear on your new bearing.

 

There's a forum dedicated to drivetrains, let's move this from Tech/General Engine to there...

 

so do the axles take races?wat else should i replace?

 

The axle bearing takes no race, it's simply a needle bearing set-up that is all in one. You knock out the old install the new, very simple and straight forward, outter axle seals will have to be dont to change them as well.

You could go as far as replacing the carrier bearings, but you will have to either cut the old bearings off or take it to a shop so they can pull them off. Then the new bearins will have to be pressed on. If your installing new carrier bearings you should also install new races. The old races will pull out with your carrier when you remove it from the housing and/or probably just fall off when you finally break the carrier free oout of the housing if your not hanging onto the sides of it. If you got it tore that far apart, wtf, might as well do it, just a little more time and money and no need to have a shop set everything back up so long as you remember to put the carrier shims back on the same sides they were removed from.

 

Is the center still in the rear? If so, you could do what I did, and make your own puller.

You need a length of threaded rod, a 10 pound (or heavier I guess) weight from a dumbell set, and a few large washers. The washer's outside diameter needs to be the same size as the outside diameter of the bearing. You can buy the bearings first (IIRC, they're $15 or so each) and use that for your measurements.

I got the washers and threaded rod and nuts from Home Depot... total cost was under $10. Cut the sides off two of the washers so they're more of an oval shape- this allows you to slide the washer thru the bearing.

Then use nuts and washers to rig up the rest of the slide hammer... slip the "cut washer" end thru the bearing on the end of the axle shaft, and slam that 10 pound weight backward.

I changed them when I swapped in a disk brake rear; one side was REALLY stuck in there, the other size popped right out.

I forget if I pried the old axleshaft seal out with a screwdriver, or if I used the homemade slide hammer on it.

 

Any one know where I can get the little screw/pin that holds the axle gears pin, it's about 2 inchs long.
Thanks,
Dan

 

hey i can use the same old shims?i thuaght u need new ones and then special dial indicators to get it right?so does the pinion bearing take a race?wat other bearings are there?

 

You can get any part you can imagine, and probably a few you haven't imagined yet, at www.drivetrainspecialists.com

You can re-use the old shims. You don't have to disturb them to replace the axle seals anyway. Shouldn't be an issue.

Don't bother with the whole slide hammer thing; it's too much like work. With such a simple easy alternative available, I can't honestly believe anyone would recommend doing all that. I believe I could have them completely changed out on both sides before somebody else could even get that whole rig set up on the first one. I'm serious.... it takes longer to type the description of the right way to do it, than it does to actually do the work.

 

alright i check out the site

 

guys one quick ?why is it that when i go to my autoparts store and look up the axle bearings it ask if a i have a 7.625 or a 7.75?dont we have a 7.56 aka 7.5 10 bolt?im confused

 

7.625 = the same thing as 7.5, just a different year model series, but the same parts

7.75 = 9-bolt

 

cool now i know wat to get