Put new tires on E150 today and noticed in and out play (although not huge)in passenger rear axle. Seal seems bad (leak into drum). No up/down or front/back play. Is this normal or what needs fixing besides simply replacing the seal? Course that is NOT 'simple'......unfortunately.
Pondering if worth replacing bearing while in there......likely will, but how about possible issues on the diff side of axle? What would create in and out play? Have not found any specs on play tolerances.
Any advice appreciated. THANKS!

 

it would help if you tell us what year your van is

at least on certain axles, the play you're seeing is just part of the design. this is because the axle shaft is held into the differential with a c-clip that holds the axle from sliding out through the side gear of the differential, and there is some slack between the end of the axle shaft and the cross shaft in the center. this slack is where your movement at the wheel comes from

assuming this applies to your axle, the only way to replace the seal is to open up the differential, remove that cross shaft, push the axle shaft in, remove the c-clip, slide the axle shaft out, and now you'll have access to your seal.

 

had this same problem on my '99. brake fluid was leaking into drum but I didn't have it fixed fast enough so the bearing also damaged the axle shaft and I had to replace that too. I would service it as soon as possible

 

Hey Josh, thanks for the reply.
My bad...thought I put it in title. It is a 93.
You did answer the play question though. I knew it was the semi-floating type with the C clip....just did not know if that would account for the play.
Can the C clip be reused or does it need to be replaced? I know the pinion shaft lock bolt needs replacing, but don't know the part number.
Anyone here have experience with the 'combined' bearing/seal replacements?
Thanks again!

 

Cappo....hmmmmm.....i am a bit confused by your reply.
You're saying brake fluid leak from wheel cylinder affected the axle bearing? Or was the axle seal leaking and rear end fluid got too low, damaging bearing and then axle?

 

sorry about the typo. yes rear end leaking from bad seal then caused damage to axle shaft

 

the c-clip is intended to be reused forever, and as you know the lock bolt is supposed to be replaced. but i will admit to having reused the lock bolt before without problems.

as for the bearing/seal stuff, i believe in stock form the bearing and seal were separate pieces, and some replacement ones are labeled "repair bearing" and move the seal outward a little so if you have a groove worn into the shaft at the seal, you're now running the seal on a new section of shaft, thus fixing the problem.
with the axle shaft removed, inspect the shaft. i used to have an 86 that was really FUBAR around the bearing, and the shaft could not be reused. look for bearing wear and seal wear on the shaft. if the bearing surface is still acceptable but the seal surface is worn, thats when the repair bearing is your answer.

as you've probably read, removing the bearing from the axle housing is best done with a slide hammer with the right adapter on it. you can buy one at harbor freight or borrow one from oreillys or autozoo.

 

the c-clip is intended to be reused forever, and as you know the lock bolt is supposed to be replaced. but i will admit to having reused the lock bolt before without problems.

as for the bearing/seal stuff, i believe in stock form the bearing and seal were separate pieces, and some replacement ones are labeled "repair bearing" and move the seal outward a little so if you have a groove worn into the shaft at the seal, you're now running the seal on a new section of shaft, thus fixing the problem.
with the axle shaft removed, inspect the shaft. i used to have an 86 that was really FUBAR around the bearing, and the shaft could not be reused. look for bearing wear and seal wear on the shaft. if the bearing surface is still acceptable but the seal surface is worn, thats when the repair bearing is your answer.

as you've probably read, removing the bearing from the axle housing is best done with a slide hammer with the right adapter on it. you can buy one at harbor freight or borrow one from oreillys or autozoo.

 

I'll preface this with I hate C-clip axles, maybe after all this you will to.

How much in and out play is hard to judge, but anything over 1/4" I would address immediately. And anything over an 1/8th I'd put on the to-do list. This is cause of the risk and wear it incurs. If that in and out play becomes high enough the C-clip can fall out, if the C-clip comes out so does your axle, including the tire and brakes and you crash. I've seen it happen too many times, one of which was my brother. And as the play becomes higher it will start to wear out to that point faster and faster making the risk higher and needing more parts when you do fix it.

When you do take it apart it's best to be prepared to replace more then most would recommend or even think about. 1) The cross pin, this is a wear surface and the reason why things start to wear fast. It's case hardened so once that wears off it wears out quickly and the more play the more it gets a hammer effect. I've seen them wear to the point that they broke. 2) The C-clips themselves, yours my be undamaged but once hammered they are so important that any damage or wear means replacement. 3) If it's a posi then the clutch packs. As the posi wears out the gap between the spiders increases creating more play in the C-clip. 4) The axle shafts, not only do they get worn out at the bearing and seal but they take a beating where they impact and wear on the cross pin. I've seen them mushroomed like the head of a chisel. Chances are if the cross pin is worn out so are the axles.

 

cappo....No worries, kinda figured.....but just wanted to check.

Hey josh or anyone else who has done these .....I simply can NOT get the #%&# pinion shaft lock bolt out. Unbelievable!! It's a only 5/16 hex but wound up rounding it even with good 6 point socket! Heat.......still no. Tried slotting it to us't e driver.....still no. Reduced to thinking about welding on a 1/2" bolt (ground to fit 'slot') but not thrilled welding inside the diff.

WHAT GIVES????????? I know Ford used Loctite bolt ...I have a new one in my sweaty hand.....but really?????
Anyone run into this and have a better solution than where I am heading???????

ARRRRGGGGHHHHH. This has turned into a nightmare.

 

BruteFord....i can honestly say i hate this axle at this point.

I appreciate all the advice from everyone. Will try to assess things carefully if I ever get this %#^&* lock bolt out!

 

8.8" pinion lock pin (D8BZ-4241-B) NOTORIOUS for shearing off. Lotsa luck getting the remains of it oughtta there when this occurs.

It's been a "weak sister" since day one, cuz it's the same pin as the 7.5" used in Fairmont/Zephyr/Mustang/Capri.

Left: Limited Slip / Right: No Limited Slip.

 

Hasn't sheared yet....underline YET!
So.....any good tricks to use? If this thing is just going to shear off anyway if I do weld a new head on it and put some torque to it.....what are my options?? Thought the PBBlaster and the heat would have done it. Did not figure the loctite was PERMANENT!

 

Bill......Looking ahead and thinking negatively, do I need to be hunting another diff assembly if I can't get pin out?????
If so, what years match? Van is 93 E150 5.0 AT OD

 

Damn that doesn't sound good, that sucker is a nightmare.

How bad is the head rounded off? If it's not that bad there are a few tricks. First I'm not sure what will fit and it may even already be metric not 5/16 but grab the absolute smallest size you can get on. Often you can get a 7mm on a 5/16, and I have a 7.5 mm and a 9/32 for stuff like this and not all sockets are alike, some 5/16 will fit tighter then others. Of course 6 point, you got that. Second grind the socket flat to get rid of the inside taper so the inside corner is sharp and will better grasp it. Third a hammer driver, one of those screwdrivers that you hit with a hammer to turn. Put on a 1/4 drive adapter and extension/wobbly so you can get the socket in there and still swing at it. Forth, turn it back and forth, it may seem weird but wiggling it (try and loosen then try and tighten a little less)even if it barely moves if at all can really help, most of all to avoid breaking it. Of course heat(carrier not bolt) and hitting the carrier and head with a ball peen hammer. I've found that setting a hammer on the bolt head then hitting it with another can help.

Anyway, just have to get creative, I've had some of these so bad that I had to cut the cross pin with a sawzall just to get the axles out so I could replace the entire carrier.

I would avoid welding on it unless your really good, very hard to get a strong enough weld there without making it worse.

Go ahead and remove the carrier bearing cap on that side if it will help you get tools in there. It won't hurt anything for it to be out for a while. If you remove both you can get the carrier out just a little with the axles still in but I'm not 100% sure if it's worth it on that axle.

An idea I've thought about but never tried is to use dry ice to cool and shrink the bolt. Maybe one of those small dry ice stick things used to freeze warts would work well.