i'm having a couple problems with installing the axles on this 9 bolt that i just bought.
First problem is the Pass. axle will not go in all of the way.the axles came out of a 2.77 gear rear that was in a 88 Z and i am trying to put them in a 3.27 gear rear that came in an unknown year f-body.it's a pre 89 because of the crappy cast iron brake calipers.in the picture even though it's a little fuzzy you can see a line where the axle should be and a line as to how far it's going in.FYI these are new bearings and seals.the fellow that i bought the rear from told me that he could not get the driver side axle to go in all of the way.

 

in this picture you can see how far it goes into the 2.77 rear

 

 

here you can see how far it goes into the 3.27 rear

 

Second problem is i beleive i have the wrong seal for the driver side axle.can any one tell if this correct or not.
driver side on top and pass. side on the bottem.

 

closer shot of the driver side axle seal.

 

here's a shot of the axles that came out of the 3.27 rear.as you can see the old driver side seal is different than the new one.

 

bump

 

The seals are different on both sides. From looking at the pictures I can't tell you the difference/which one is right off the top of my head. You can always look up the #'s. Do a search and you will find them posted here.

As for the axel going in half the way, the axles don't just slide in. They will go in about as far as you got that one and then you have to give it a little bit of persuasion to get the rest of the way. Not a lot but enough. It will pop in more or less. The reason for this is because the carrier has splines in it and the cone for the posi also has splines. These are usually not lined up 100% so there is some effort involved. You got it into the carrier, now you need to get it into the cone.

 

can any one tell me if i have the correct driver side seal.i don't want to have to order another seal to see if i have the right one.

 

Are the axles the same length?

 

yes

 

i've tried persuasion in the form of a large dead blow hammer.and it's not popping into place.

 

I had the same problem with mine. I wound up using a pry bar as a handle on the other axle (which practically fell into place) and turned it until the splines lined up and then the axle just popped into place. I'm having the bearings and seals replaced on my axles as I type this and after seeing the difference I don't see how the smaller one works. Someone has done this job on my axle before as it had the same seal (the big rubber one) on both ends. Apparently it works as I've been using this axle for almost three years and it just started leaking Saturday.

 

Do a search, I have read somewhere that the 9-bolt axle shafts are of different lengths. with the passenger side one being longer, this may be your problem.

 

They are different lengths. Anyone got a pic of the two different seals? I want to be sure I got the right ones as mine had the same seal on both axles.

 

As I said earlier, you should be able to find numbers stamped on them. This is the best way of finding out if they're really right. They might look right and be wrong.

 

just to make clear.
the pass. side axle is longer than the driver side.the axle from the 2.77 rear (that has the new seals and bearings) wont go in as far in the 3.27 as it will the 2.77 rear.you can see the difference in the pics.

 

i pulled the 4 bolts and 2 straps and pried the differential out and found that the splines of the side gear and the cone are not lined up.
i fell preety good about finding the problem but now how do i fix it.and jus as important........how did it happen in the first place?

 

Put the axle in and find some way to keep the diff from moving(either a buddy holding it or something) while you slowly rotate the axle while applying pressure. This should work in getting the splines to line up and allow the axle to pop into place. Worked for me.

 

ok i got the splines to line up. i put the whole unite in the vice and slid the axle into the splines with me standing on a stool i used a long rod as leverage and put it between the raised center section of the axle and a wheel stud.i then pushed and pulled rotating the axle untill the splines line up.

now i have that problem fixed i'm going to replace the carrier bearings while i have the unite out.can these bearing be pressed off or do they need to be cut off?

 

I use a very good jaw puller (happens to be a snapon but, alot of guys use a clam shell and a puller similar to a steering wheel puller to remove them ) and a press to reinstall them.

I guess if you were pretty good with a cut off wheel that would work but, you more than likely would cut more than the bearing and leave some extra metal behind. anyway I guess it's just up to your best judgment

 

White its out, I would also replace the wheel studs. Not that they may be bad, but I broke about 6 of them so far while torqueing them to spec. They bascailly sheard off. A set of ARP's should be a cheap investment.

 

while i have peoples attention.
what are the steps to replacing the pinion seal and bearing?i have done a search on this but i really didn't come up with streight forward procedure.

 

i rented a 5 ton gear puller from AZ to remove the carrier bearings and it didn't do a damn thing.it just couldn't get enough bite on the bearing to do anything.

 

i ended up taking the carrier to a local speed shop and they cut the old off and pressed the new on.

 

my puller works very well for this. the clam shells are very thin and can get under the bearings. but, anyway good to know it worked out in the end

 

driver side 9 bolt axle (wheel) seal Timken part #224255

 

passenger side 9 bolt axle (wheel) seal Timken part#710179