Pumpkin picking

[TheLimeRanger]

So my pinion seal is leaking as well as the differential gasket on the 9”. I have someone that can rebuild it, just need to get it out. Seems pretty straightforward but I’m wondering how far out I have to pull the axles in order to get the pumpkin out. My garage is not very wide that’s why I’m asking. Thx!

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, less then 12" on each side. If you can get the wheels off you will have enough room. Be safe under there. Good luck

 

[garberz]

Switch out the crush sleeve for a solid spacer. If you ever need to change your pinion seal again, makes it very simple to retorque the yoke.

Mark

 

[TheLimeRanger]

Switch out the crush sleeve for a solid spacer. If you ever need to change your pinion seal again, makes it very simple to retorque the yoke.

Mark

Excellent idea! I’m going to do just that. Thx!

 

[Apogee]

You should have about 1.5" +/- spline engagement per side, so if you pull the axles 3" or more, you should be golden.

 

[Timmy390]

Yeah 3 inches or so maybe 4.

Be sure to slide them back into place once the 3rd is out. If they sit on the seals you will be going back in and replacing them as they will more than likely leak if the weight of the axle shafts sit in them.

Tim

 

[TheLimeRanger]

Should I replace the seals/bearings anyway or is it not necessary until there’s an issue? Not sure what normal protocol is here

 

[Timmy390]

Should I replace the seals/bearings anyway or is it not necessary until there’s an issue? Not sure what normal protocol is here

OH I would change the seals and bearings. That will require a full removal of the axles. Axle bearings are pressed on with a retainer ring. The ring has to be cut off and then the bearing can be pressed off. Both are then pressed back on.

Tim

 

[B RON CO]

Hi, you would need @ 3' of room on each side to get the axle shafts out. Good luck

 

[TheLimeRanger]

Hi, you would need @ 3' of room on each side to get the axle shafts out. Good luck

Thx guys!

 

[papy]

be ready for when that third member breaks loose. i had my body off frame and still found it award to catch when it broke loose as it surprised me lol. a floor jack comes in handy and floor padding of some sort in case in drops.

 

[DirtDonk]

Should I replace the seals/bearings anyway or is it not necessary until there’s an issue? Not sure what normal protocol is here

It's kind of hit or miss, but there is a general rule-of-thumb that we use a lot of the time.
First, do you know the vehicle's history? Have they ever been replaced? If not, then replace them no matter what the mileage is because the grease in the bearings is not a minimum of 43 years old!

If you do know the history, and the bearings have more than 75k miles on them, then I say replace them while you have the chance. That's not too many miles at that point, but it's that tip-over point in my opinion.

Beyond the "while I'm at it" tip-over point, the rule-of-thumb is that you should be ready to replace them once they're over 100k miles. They may last 90k like mine did, or they may last 150k like many do under light use. But I've seen multiple, many multiple, too many catastrophic failures at the magic 120k mile mark for it to be ignored. Hence my recommendation to start thinking about changing them at 100k and be sure to change them by 120k or you're just living on borrowed time.
Or sooner if you use the vehicle hard, carry extra weight, have big tires, or just beat on your stuff a lot.

So there's my general rule-of-thumb to go by.
The other half of that rule is "when in doubt, replace them!"

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

To add to your "until there's an issue" part of the question, my bearings ('71 big bearing) had not failed, nor were they making any noise or giving me any indication of looming failure. However, as a good practice I checked them out when I simply had the brake drums off while doing a service.
I could move the axles up and down slightly and the bearings sounded dry to me. Not knowing anything but what bearings should sound and feel like, I decided to change them. And glad I did!
They would probably have lasted another 15k miles but they were still toast at 90k in my case. And the first thing I noticed when I put the new ones in was that the Bronco rolled much easier.
I had always put it's resistance to motion off on it being a heavy truck with big tires with more rolling resistance. But it was in fact the wheel bearings having been worn out before their time.

So the answer I gave previously still stands for most, but in my case it was "until there was an issue" that I found early-ish and was able to fix before any problems arose.

Unfortunately I did not notice any better gas mileage!
But I slept better after that too.;D

Paul

 

[TheLimeRanger]

To add to your "until there's an issue" part of the question, my bearings ('71 big bearing) had not failed, nor were they making any noise or giving me any indication of looming failure. However, as a good practice I checked them out when I simply had the brake drums off while doing a service.
I could move the axles up and down slightly and the bearings sounded dry to me. Not knowing anything but what bearings should sound and feel like, I decided to change them. And glad I did!
They would probably have lasted another 15k miles but they were still toast at 90k in my case. And the first thing I noticed when I put the new ones in was that the Bronco rolled much easier.
I had always put it's resistance to motion off on it being a heavy truck with big tires with more rolling resistance. But it was in fact the wheel bearings having been worn out before their time.

So the answer I gave previously still stands for most, but in my case it was "until there was an issue" that I found early-ish and was able to fix before any problems arose.

Unfortunately I did not notice any better gas mileage!
But I slept better after that too.;D

Paul

That’s good enough for me! Since the seals and bearings have to be press fit and I don’t have a press, any suggestions on where to take them?

 

[1buckeyefan1]

That’s good enough for me! Since the seals and bearings have to be press fit and I don’t have a press, any suggestions on where to take them?

google local axle and rear-end shops. odds are there is one nearby you..

 

[Timmy390]

That’s good enough for me! Since the seals and bearings have to be press fit and I don’t have a press, any suggestions on where to take them?

If you have space for one.........Cost me $60 (10 years ago) to have one done yes one side. 20 ton HF press was $169 so I bought one. Paid for its self 10 times over. I use it all the time.....I have several toys.....friends use it too.....
https://go.harborfreight.com/coupons/2020/02/32879-39713109/

Before I bought my press I took the axle to a local (not a chain store) tire repair shop. They had a press.

Tim

 

[DirtDonk]

Same here. The local small chain had a press and a brake lathe so they could do all the basic stuff in the back while you waited. Not so much anymore, but they're probably still out there.

The funny thing is, the farther out axle shafts come down in price, and the more labor rates go up and machine shops disappear, it won't be long before it costs more to press new bearings on than it does to buy new axles with bearings already installed!

A brand new heavy duty 28-spline set of axles with new bearings already installed goes for $270 and a new set of Extreme 31-spline axles with new Set-20 tapered roller bearings is $325
Gettin' closer!

Paul

 

[TheLimeRanger]

Same here. The local small chain had a press and a brake lathe so they could do all the basic stuff in the back while you waited. Not so much anymore, but they're probably still out there.

The funny thing is, the farther out axle shafts come down in price, and the more labor rates go up and machine shops disappear, it won't be long before it costs more to press new bearings on than it does to buy new axles with bearings already installed!

A brand new heavy duty 28-spline set of axles with new bearings already installed goes for $270 and a new set of Extreme 31-spline axles with new Set-20 tapered roller bearings is $325
Gettin' closer!

Paul

After kicking this around I think I might just pull the whole rear end. I don’t have to worry about the width of my garage then lol

 

[Johnnyb]

That’s good enough for me! Since the seals and bearings have to be press fit and I don’t have a press, any suggestions on where to take them?

Most professional auto parts stores will have a bearing press. I use Napa locally, just take the axles in they'll knock the old bearings off and press the new ones on.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[garberz]

I’d but new axles if the existing axles that need bearings, are original. It’s only a couple $ more. You never know when those 45 year old axles are gonna snap.

Mark.