Axle shaft binding and Warn hub install issue when putting Dana 30 hubs back together

[mtxride]

I'm looking for some help putting my Dana 30 back together.

The short story is that the passenger side Warn locking hub won't go into the wheel hub and the axle shaft feels like it's binding between the axle housing and the spindle.

And here's the long story...
I have a '66 with the Dana 30, Warn locking hubs, and have converted the drums to disks about 3 or 4 years ago. I used a Chevy conversion kit that I got from Tom's. Everything initially installed without any issues and I haven't had any issues with using the brakes. The Bronco drives and steers great.

The inner axle housing seals had gone out, so I finally decided to replace them. While I was at it, I decided to repack the hub bearings and replace the outer seals. I started tearing down the front end on Friday and everything came apart fine. I put in the new inner and outer housing seals, repacked the bearings and put the driver's side hub back together without issue. Today, I then put the passenger side back together and got stuck when the Warn locking hub wouldn't go back into the wheel hub. I messed with it for a bit and noticed that the axle shaft wasn't turning freely. I broke the hub back down and pulled everything back off. The axle shaft was fully seated in the differential and would turn fine until I bolted the spindle back onto the knuckle. It feels like the axle u-joint is getting smashed between the spindle and the axle housing and it also seems like the axle shaft isn't perfectly centered in the spindle.

The only new parts are the seals, everything else is what's been on the vehicle in the last 3 or 4 years. I made sure that the seals were fully seated, I made sure that all driver's side parts stayed on the driver's side and all passenger side parts stayed on the passenger's side. Does anybody have any idea what's going on here? I am completely stumped.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Chad

 

[DirtDonk]

Just bringing this back to the top of the page Chad. There are a few things that can do this, but from your description it might take some head-scratching before we nail down a solution.

Do you have a locker or limited-slip differential by any chance? If so, it's possible that the shaft did not slide all the way in.

Doesn't sound like it, but did you make any other changes while you were doing this?

Good luck.

Paul

 

[mtxride]

Thanks Paul. Nope, it just has an open differential, the same one that's always been there. When comparing it to the drivers side, the axle shaft looks like it's all the way in, any further and the u-joint would rub the axle housing. Nothing else has changed, except for my patience!

 

[surfer-b]

When you removed the spindle did the brass bushing come out of the back of the spindle, if so make sure you have it in the correct way or it could/will keep the axle from going all the way into the spindle. I will see if I can find a diagram of what I am talking about.

 

[mtxride]

I haven't seen a brass bushing with my setup. On the back of my spindles, there is a little rubber seal that seats on the bearing, then a plastic thrust washer, then a bigger rubber seal.
Just like in this picture:

Could the brass bushing that you are referring to, be my plastic thrust washer or is there something else that I'm missing?

 

[savage]

I haven't seen a brass bushing with my setup. On the back of my spindles, there is a little rubber seal that seats on the bearing, then a plastic thrust washer, then a bigger rubber seal.
Just like in this picture:

Could the brass bushing that you are referring to, be my plastic thrust washer or is there something else that I'm missing?

Yes, make sure you place the thrust washer onto the inner stub axle with the bevel towards the seal.

 

[surfer-b]

Here ya go, the brass bushing, the middle piece, it should have the chamfered sliding onto the axle stub first. Not sure if this is the prob but its worth looking at.

 

[surfer-b]

savage got it,

Could the brass bushing that you are referring to, be my plastic thrust washer

yes, the ones in the kits are now plastic

 

[mtxride]

Yep, I made sure the thrust washer went on correctly, with the bevel side on first. I even tried installing the spindle without the seals and thrust washer, just to see if any of it was causing an issue, but still had the problem. The axle shaft would turn a bit more freely but the locking hub still wouldn't go into the wheel hub.

 

[mtxride]

How close should the tolerances be between the spindle and knuckle? I pulled the axle shaft out and held the spindle on the knuckle and noticed a very small amount of left and right (front and back relative to the vehicle) play. I didn't notice any up and down play. Again, this is with me just holding the spindle up against the knuckle, when bolted down it's nice and tight.

 

[dave67fd]

Did you confirm your spindle bearing didn't move in its seat or got messed up in the tear down or reinstall?

 

[mtxride]

I didn't pay much attention to it. It came off fine, I wiped it down, then re-greased it. It looked fine and turned smoothly so I'm assuming it's OK. I'll take a closer look when I start working on it again.

 

[mtxride]

Well, I somehow got the locking hub back in! I first turned the steering wheel back and forth a few times thinking that maybe it'd help re-seat the knuckle. I then played around with the clocking of the spindle and found a spot where the play between it and the knuckle was minimal. I put the axle shaft back in, bolted the spindle on and noticed that the axle spun much easier. I then put the rest of the hub together but the locking hub still wouldn't go in. I then grabbed the driver's side knuckle and steered it back and forth a few more times, then the locking hub dropped right in! I don't know if anything I did has anything to do with anything. My thinking was that cycling through the steering maybe helped re-seat the knuckle or the axle shaft??
Either way, thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Toddpole]

Sometimes ya just gotta "wiggle it, just a little bit". Glad you had success.

 

[mtxride]

Ha, that is true! Thanks Toddpole. Wouldn't be a Bronco if you could work on it without issues!