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

[Wrambler242@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I want to just add that you must make sure to really pack the bearings on these as they are external to the rear axle. No gear lube reaches them. I would splurge for the highest grade synthetic or crude based bearing grease I could find. No one ever pulls these apart to repack them. All right, someone will now say they actually do this!
 I never did understand why someone would put a bearing rihgt beside a source of rotating moving 90 weight, then isolate the same bearing from that lube!

--
Mark Price
Morgantown, WV
1969 AMC Rambler, 4.0L, EFI, T-5

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: 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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