So when they checked the wheel bearings during the 'service' (I use that term loosley to describe what they did), would they have possibly overtightened them or not secured them properly. If so, is it likely I could have gone 600klm (about 360 miles).

 

[quote=gearloose1;9835026]One circumstance that can cause this is if the axle was deep in water, so deep that water ingested into the diff (it is normally hot, so if you go into a deep cold stream, it sucks water in).

Water gets inside the diff, it takes quite a bit...

Had been through some water but nothing serious. Have been since and will now have a brether fitted to both diffs as a precaution. Thanks

 

I feel for you on the costs in australia. In the usa the superduty trucks are plentiful enough that I could have found a few complete used axle assemblys in the $400-$600 range. Tell us about that cold air intake I see. Also is the 2004 engine a 7.3 diesel?

 

Cold air intake is a Safari Snorkel. It is a 7.3 diesel. Yeah we get ripped off big time for parts out here. For example I had to replace the high pressure hose on my power steering pump. Ford Australia wanted $640 for the part, yet in USA I could normally buy for $50?? Problem was with Brazilian built right hand drive F250 the hose runs from left hand side of truck to right hand side, where the brake booster is located. Love my truck but hate the company that built it and wants to rip me off big time.

 

If the newer rear end bearing system is the same as the older trucks there is all kinds of things that can happen to an inexperienced mech. The hub and bearings are placed onto the shaft of the rear end. Than a nut has to be spun on to preload the bearings, there are two nuts and there is an inner and outer nut. The inner nut has a pin sticking out of it that pin will go into a hole in a 'lock' washer that goes on in between the two nuts. It takes some time to line up the pin with one of the holes in the washer and it must go in a hole perfectly! There is also a tang on the washer that fits in a slot in the axle. So this washer has hols for a pin on the inside nut and a tang that possitions it on the axle. This washer is what holds the nuts from spinning off the axle. Once the preload on the bearings is set and the washer is on with the pin from the first nut in one of the holes in the washer the second outside nut can be spun on and lock the washer and other nut all together.

So no matter what the mechanic set the preload at on the bearings as long as he had the two nuts and washer together correctly the hub and wheel shouldn't have come off the truck. If he over tightened the bearings yes they could heat up even to the point where it would melt the seal, spew oil, fry the bearings, smoke, maybe fire, and the end result could be similar to what happened to you. But it would have had to been set pretty damn tight. Too loose it most likelly wouldn't have done anything like what happened to you. If just the preload was loose the bearing would have just wobbled and beat itself to death after many many miles. If both nuts were left loose the hub and wheel would have just came off and you would have seen a wheel on a stick bouncing down the highway.

I am unsure what the torque exactly is for rear end bearings anymore. I just go by resistance feeling when I am setting preload. The torque for the preload isn't very much at all though.

However I believe the preload setting didn't have a whole lot to do with what happened to you. Sure that drivers side may have been set a little tight making it first to go. But I believe from everything I read and see that there was no fluid put in the rear end after service. 360 miles would not be enough time to loose all the fluid threw a bad seal or destroy an over torqued bearing if there was any fluid. That is unless the bearing was super over torqued in which case like I mentioned there would have been fluid, smoke, and possibly fire. If the axle seal went out and there was fluid in the rear end your wheel should be covered in oily grease on the inside.

Can we get pics of the rear end axle stub where this wheel was? If there was oil in the rear end the other bearings and gears shouldn't look to bad. If there was in fact no oil added after service every bearing in the rear end will be blued and probably pitted to hell. The gears as well will be all blue, purple, goldish. Every seal will be completely shot, a complete loss. Entire rear end including housing will have to be replaced.

 

I am afraid that without hard evidence, e.g. a video / actual capture of how much immersion happened, that is my primary suspect.

If the breather hose is plugged, it is not impossible for water to be sucked in from the axles.

"Nothing serious" is not something that I can reliably judge.