Re: [Amc-list] axle pulling time ...was Droning American

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 10 Mar 2007, Jay wrote:

> jacked up one side at a time. With the left wheel off the ground, I put it
> in drive with the engine running and there was a strange sound coming from
> that wheel and the wheel was wobbling back and forth. I stopped the wheel
> and turned of the engine, then jacked the right side up. No particular noise
> with the same test as on the left side. The wheel didn't wobble or make any
> strange noises.

Woah, you have a really bad wheel bearing. If it's bad enough to
wobble driving it could be fatal -- I was in two (2) different
vehicles in which one axle came out at speed -- neither were
AMCs, BTW, nor was I the mechanic. Usually the wheel stops the
wheel and tire from leaving the scene but three-wheeled cars
don't run right!

Axles are fairly easy to pull. With the tire on the car, on
the ground, parking brake on, take the axle nut off.

Strip all the brake parts off, disconnect the brake line.

Take the four bolts out that hold the backing plate on.

In theory, you now pull the axle out. The hub and backing plate
will be trapped on the axle.

In practice it will be reluctant to leave it's comfy home.
A slide-hammer would work, likely hurt bearings but that's a
don't-care if you're changing them. YOu probably don't own one
-- instead, use a brake drum, backwards!, and three lug nuts on
2 or 3 turns. Push it up against the hub, SLAM! it out. That's
usually enough force, a dozen times, to get it out.

One side will have steel shims -- don't wreck them! Install
them as you found them. (In theory you need to re-shim, measure
end play and adjust end play, etc, but unless you change axles
don't bother.)

With a file or something permanent, mark both the axle and
hub LEFT and RIGHT. I do this on the outer axle end (where the
nut goes). You want to reinstall the hub on the axle it came
from! I use two filemarks for left, three for right, whatever.
Magic marker will wear off!

Take the klunky greasy thing to a machine shop and ahve them
press off the hub and bearings. They can also press on new
bearings at the same time. You will take the hubs home and
install them yourself.

Don't forget to replace the grease/oil seals inside the axle
tube end, too, it's easy and inexpensive. There's an outer
grease seal too, so make it all new.




Reassembly is easy. Keep the bearings spotlessly clean! Pack them
with top-quality grease! Pack some in the axle tube end. Insert
the axle all the way, pack the end flush with grease, install
the seal and backing plate. All this is easy with the hub
not installed.

Reassemble the brakes, and install the hub. You can bonk it on
with a piece of wood and a small hammer, but you'll be pounding
on the bearings inside the carrier, Not Good, go gentle. Put
the big nut on one-hand-on-wrench tight (not very).

To tighten the hub you will need a big-a** socket. It's the
only 3/4-drive tool I own, a 18" breaker bar, 12" extention,
and the socket, whateveritis, 1-3/8 or whatever.

Put the tire on the car, at least two lugnuts tight. Drop the
car to the ground, parkin brake on. Set up a jackstand to hold
the 12" extention and socket sticking straight out from the
axle. Tighten the nut tight.

The axle nut wants to be 250 foot pounds. With the jackstand
supporting the extention, you can apply force to the breaker
bar without rounding off the nut.

I weigh 150 lbs. With the ball of my foot on the very end of
the breaker bar, parallel to the ground, that generates 225 lbs.
Do the equiv whatever you weigh (250? 12" point on the breaker
bar).

Turn to the next flat to align the cotter key hole. Done!



> BTW, my driveshaft still bounces around, but not as much.

With the car up on jack stands, grab the installed driveshaft
at one end and SHAKE IT HARD. If you can move it something
is wrong. It absolutely should not move except to rotate, and
slide into the rear of the trans as the rear axle moves up and
down. That's it.

With a bad trans bushing there will probably be some side to
side play at that end, but identify it as such, and not a bad
U-joint, etc.
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