9 inch axle bearing

[AndyT]

So I have some noise coming from my axle on the drivers side which leads me to believe the bearing has gone bad... There a tiny bit of movement up and down so I decide to pull the axle to look at the bearings. Now this is my first time pulling an axle but it looks to me like something is missing... Like a seal. Also there are two real deep nasty grooves on the axle itself. I'm assuming the axle needs to be replaced too? Any suggestions?? Pic to follow.

 

[AndyT]

Here's what it looks like

 

[Timmy390]

The seal is on the housing "cup" and is that's made the groves on the shaft. The bearing is a sealed bearing and needs no lube from the gear oil thus the seal in the housing cup.

If you have axle movement up and down with the bearing in the housing cup, one of two things (or both). The bearing is bad, or the housing cup is damaged and will need to be replaced or the "both" comes into play.

Hard to tell from the pic how bad the groves are on the axle.

Tim

 

[gladkin]

I recommend you buy a new bearing and you will see there is minimal play on a new bearing and you can then guage if yours are worn out which it sounds like they are if you have movement. Check the other axle side to see if you have grooves (as Tim said, it's too hard to see on your pic). I do recommend replacing both left and right side axles' bearings at the same time as you do need to press out the old bearings (i used a shop for this as my press is too small and they only charged $40 to remove the old and install the new for both axles). See your shop manual for cracking off the bearing retainers with a chisel and hammer as you can do that easily on your own (actual procedure) prior to pressing out the bearings.

 

[Rustytruck]

You may be able to press in the seal into a little different spot so the seal lips don't land in the same grooves. If the bearing is loose in the axle cup then stake around the cup with a center punch to snug up the bearing then clean and apply Loctite 660. This will make the axle much harder to remove later should you need to.

http://www.loctite.sg/sea/content_data/93755_Loctite_660_Quick_Metal_Retaining_Compound.pdf

 

[AndyT]

The grooves are very pronounced I can definitely feel them. The other side has the start of a groove but nothing like the one pictured. Not even close. The one pictured are pretty deep and I doubt the seal is working properly because of it.

 

[Timmy390]

Test fit the bearings in the housing before you have them pressed on the shafts. I and several others have gotten the wrong bearings on the first trip to the shop. A good idea is to take an old one with you. I got confused between the 2900 and 3300lb BTW, I pressed mine on and off using the HF 20 ton press. They pop when they let-go LOL

Those grove might cleanup. I used emery sand paper and cloth to clean my groves and rust up. Then found out that not all seals are created equal. Tried a cheap one from Advance, it failed, tried a cheap one from O'reillys it failed too. Then I went to NAPA and bought a more expensive "double lip" and it's been dry since.

Tim

 

[DirtDonk]

Sounds like your other axle's groove will clean up quickly using what Timmy said about emory cloth or fine sand paper. Done it many times on different vehicles.
Looks like the one in the pic already had the issue once, then had the seal replaced in a slightly different location and then got worn down a second time. Or is that just a trick of the photo?

Even if they feel deep, it doesn't hurt to take a minute to see how well they clean up. And whether or not you have the leeway to put a new seal in the housing in such a way as to meet the axle shaft at a new spot.

There are also "Ready-Sleeve" or "Speedi-Sleeve" products that literally press on over the machined seal surface to create a brand new sealing surface. However, if your uses are hard and you plan to run larger tires and use it even harder, I would use this as an excuse to upgrade to a stronger axle.

I can't tell for sure, not knowing the history of the truck, but I'd say that it has been run a lot with older and/or low levels of gear lube. Any rubbing surface can and will wear from a seal, but a well lubed setup will live a long life and have very little groove. Mine have 175k miles on them and don't have anything more than the very shallow wear area. And now they're on a friend's truck to put more miles on them.
Yours have enough wear to indicate a lot of miles or some circumstances not conducive.

Can't tell if those are small or large bearings, but that was good advice to take one with you to make sure.
Small bearing part number is: RW207CCRA
Large bearing part number is: 514003P

Part numbers should be stamped into the side of the shell and easy to read once cleaned. Usually...

Paul