im going to put new bearings on my rear axle shafts, but don't quite understand how to set it up. im looking at a picture on broncograveyard and it's saying that it goes(from hub torwards differential) - retainer plate, gasket, bearing, and then that sleeve thing(haha), and then the axle seal. if that's correct, how does the bearing get lubricated with the seal in the order it's stating? i'll post pictures of what happened tommorow, along with a few other ?s to pictures. but, the retaining plates im finding on broncograveyard look nothing like what i have, and i'm starting to get worried

 

Simple, the bearing is sealed on both sides, and was factory lubed for life.

 

mine goes retainer plt, seal/race/bearing is a one piece assembly, then the retainer (better have a press to install this) on a 1978 F150. 4wd Timken set 20, there are a couple different styles of bearings.

 

^ what he said.

 

Thay've used both styles over the years. My 74 F100 has the sealed ball bearings with inboard seals, while my 80 F150 has the tapered roller bearings and outboard seals. I don't think the tapered roller bearings came along until the mid 70's.

 

im thinking im going to have to tear out the drivers side and see how my trucks set up...they have to make it hard, instead of just one type, it seems like theres 2 or more for everything..."pmo"

 

alright i just tore out the "outter race" of the bearing out of the axle tube. according to the specs on autozones site about the 3 different bearings it could be, it appears i have the "hd" one. are these interchangeable though? if i were to rebuild both axle shafts with the "lighter duty" bearings, would they still fit the same in the axle tube?

 

what is the year model and 4wd or 2wd of your truck, if its the truck in the avatar (78 4x4 short bed) you probably have the same as mine, I also have 78 F150 4x4 short bed, see my post above, even bought my bearings at auto zone. There website is a bit vague they list 3 bearings and none of them have the seal or the retainer with them. I got mine from the counter and they gave me timken set 20 comes with seal, bearing, race, and retainer. If you have your axle out look at the bearing and it will be easy to tell, they list 3 bearings - 2 have a ball bearing and 1 has the tapered roller bearing, but if you have the tapered roller its stupid to not change the seal with the bearing, and you have to drill and pop the retainer to get it off.

 

Here's a picture of everything you should have, keep in mind that the race is on the bearing, when you pull your axle out the race will stay in the axle tube.

 

thanks for those pictures man. this is what happened to me-driving 60mph and my pass. axle/drum/tire passed me..not good! haha. so, im trying to figure out what i need-and im not an expert with what certain parts are called. there was a 'ring' (maybe the race?) stuck in the axle tube after it all came out. i got that out, its got a number A-20 on it. there was a "donut" looking peice ( one from your picture, left side) and the seal was still in there, it appeared to be fitted around that (ring). and something still pressed onto the axle shaft.



could you explain any of these things to me? at some point, i thought i read that the seal was also pressed onto the shaft, but when i took the seal out, it just pulled out of the axle shaft...im confused as hell if you cant tell haha. and it is a 78 f150 4x4.

 

what you are holding in your hand is the bearing. A Set 20.
the 'donut' is actually the bearing retainer and holds the bearing on the axle and needs to be pressed on. the old one is removed by taking a 1/2 drill bit and drilling through it, but not into the axle shaft, and then taking a cold chisel and smack the retainer across the hole you just drilled. Wear safety glasses as the retainer will fly apart. Keep the women and children out of the area
Then the seal, bearing, and retainer all go onto the axle and the retainer needs to be pressed on.
Bang, you are done.

Now, make sure you inspect that shaft for any other damage since it took a trip down the road on it's own. I am a little concerned about how that happened so make sure you inspect the axle housing too.

 

I spit an drivers side axle on a left hand turn uphill @ 55mph once. If I wasn't heading uphill instead of down I would have been in real trouble! The pull-out on my right saved my but*....

I would install the "HD" bearings because they will last longer and carry a heavier load....

 

well i was in an accident a few weeks ago and the other guy tboned me right into the pass. rear tire. i think that had something to do with it failing. thanks for all the help!! i think ive finally got a good understanding of how this is supposed to look now. one more ? though-does it go retainer plate, seal,bearing,retainer all "stacked" right on top of the other? and then retainer plate(^-bolts onto axle tube) got a little "egged" shaped from the weight of the truck riding on it. i havent been able to find another one on the parts websites that look like mine? ne ideas?? thanks a lot guys!

 

yes you have the order right, since you had a failure I would take the axle to your local napa and have them check it out, that retainer (donut) is what keeps the axle from sliding out in the first place. It has only .002 clearance to it, you can't get it on with a hammer, and I never had any sucess with the axle in the freezer and the bearing on the wood stove.

 

For your retainer plt its probably alright just make sure theres no burs or anything that would hurt the oil seal.