...yes....

 

way to go, Lex... Told you, you needed a cheater bar and that, that impact wasnt enough. Didnt read "all" the threads ,but did you go with the crush sleeve or the sleeve eliminator kit? Mt axles' still sit'n against the boat, wait'n on eliminator kit to be installed..lol

 

Sometimes the best tool in the garage is the big piece of cheater pipe, I use them often. This is a great information thread and if I every find myself in your shoes (lordy I hope not) it is going to be my first re-read.

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

I hope this thread helps someone out.

I only have 70 or so miles on the diff so far. The last owner put the cheapest tires possible on the front and they make a lot of noise, so its hard for me to be sure if its all holding together as it should and what noises are what.

Plus the spun bearings were making such an incredible racket for so long that I have no reference for what the truck should sound like.

I'll pop the cover in a a couple hundred miles and see if the glue worked.

Ill keep yall posted.

 

Woooo hooo, I am a ninja editing baddass!!

It's done, Lex!

Stewart

 

Many thanks to Stewart for inserting the newly revised post (7 posts now) and reformatting everything.

I rewrote it all so it would read more like instructions and less like a work in progress.

I will edit the section on preloading the pinion bearing as well soon as well and include some additional photos.

Thanks Stewart. I really appreciate your support.

 

No worries! You did an excellent job with the pictures and write-up. Glad I could help.

Stewart

 

Any updates?

 

Yes there are updates actually. I need to find the time to post pics....

 

That doesn't sound good :-0

 

You got it...it wasn't good.

Honestly, I'm not sure what went wrong because I don't have the experience to say for sure. I of course have a few theories. After about 200 miles one or more of the bearings started howling like a banshee. Why? I don't know. I suspect that preload on the carrier bearings was too high, but since there is no way to measure it, I cant say for sure. In order to get a good contact pattern I used the exact same thickness shims as was found on the gear set originally. This really makes no sense because the shims had spun around behind the races enough to cut grooves into the housing, which means I should have needed THICKER shims to make up the difference. Could it be that the installer didn't press the new bearings in far enough? I don't know. I wish I did.

I can tell you this....after a few hundred miles the bearing adhesive was still holding just fine. In fact it was tough to get the glued-in carrier bearing races out of the housing...that's how strong the glue bonded.

Another theory could be that the centerline of the diff wasn't 100% perpendicular to the pinion anymore....because of the wear in the case. Or perhaps I didn't get the preload correct on the pinion gears after all? Maybe the inexpensive beam-style torque wrench was inadequate?

I don't know and frankly it kills me. I wish I had someone to give me some guidance. If only to learn from my mistakes. This entire thread started out with me asking for help as opposed to posting instructions on how to do the swap. Of course my circumstances were not standard because my axle had spun the carrier bearings.

So....I gave up on the axle all together. I just couldn't justify spending any more time on this....

But the fun doesn't end there.

The two independent junker-guys I know who sell axles for $350 (with no warranty whatsoever) didn't have what I needed despite 3 months of repeated calls from me to them in the hope that some new inventory would come in. No LSD units available.

So, I ended up buying a used axle, as per the advice of some on this forum, from a large local junk yard for $800 with a 30 day warranty (going rate in this area from junk yards is $700-950+). I popped the cover on the used axle, checked the gears, tested for play in the ring gear....it checked out at 15 thousands across a bunch of teeth (this is the MAX allowed) and even though the axle looked like it had been sitting for eons (it had green algae on the damn outside of it) I installed it with my original parking brake shoes (what a PIA in the a$$ those drum brake springs are). Within 2 miles it was screaming like crazy and the pinion oil seal was leaking. I popped the oil seal and it was slathered with copper gasket maker...apparently it had given the last owner some trouble as well. BAD SIGN. Overheated case? Spun pinion bearing races? I wasn't interested in finding out. I took it out and returned it.

At this point I couldn't risk any more wasted time so I bought a completely remanufactured axle and installed it.

There's only so many times a man can pull and install axles in his driveway before he starts talking to himself in public places...

Drama over, wallet empty, truck has a good-as-new rear axle with a 3-year, unlimited-mile warranty. Even came with new parking-brake shoes installed.

 

So I used a laser temperature sensor on the remaned axle today (20F) and got the following temps after a 28 miles highway drive.

-Axle housing right at most forward pinion bearing: 90F
-Bottom of Axle housing sorta behind and below the drain plug 110F
-U-joint 147F

I was surprised by the temp of the u-joint....

Lex

 

I'm sorry to hear you had to replace it again (twice). I followed this thread from it's start.....that being said I don't care who you are this part will make you laugh out loud because it's so true! Your neighbors probably think you have lost your freaking mind already.

Still a great valuable thread for FTE'rs to come.

 

Thanks Sammie.

Well, they already are familiar with my crazy endeavors....the truck being one of many.

I wish that some experts would comment on the instructions I posted. Even though the viability of my original axle was dubious, I think that my instructions are still relevant for someone doing a simple bearing swap.

 

Lex2002, Howdy;

Just went through the w-h-o-l-e thread. You be da-man.
Even though you were for awhile, you made
it to the finish line. I appreciate your stick-to-it attitude.
I've got a open rear in my truck (04 F250, 6.0L, SC, 4X4),

It's my plan to "up grade" to a Detroit Locker for mine so
that I can maintain traction when I get to the gravel Forest
roads here in SW N.M.. What you have shown is what I have
been looking for.
Much thanks for the time and energy you applied to make this post.
Truly , much appreciated.

hank