Front axle overhaulin' questions!

[Doc]

I've just tonight delved into the area of front axle service!

First question: When removing my drivers side brake caliper it was apparent that the pads are not retracting. I had to hammer it off. (brass hammers are wonderfull!) How do I get the pads to fully retract so I can re-install later on?

2. Ok, I've got the hub and disk off. I've hammered out the races (because my new bearings come with new races), how do I put the NEW races BACK in the hub without significant damage? They are in the freezer right now, but will using the brass punch/hammer on them damage the edges? Or does it matter much?

C. Any tips before I jump into the birfs tomorrow or Friday?

 

[Rookie2]

Responses:

Question 1: Didn't have that problem, but you should be able to retract the pistons by putting a small flat plate or object over the pistons and pressing with a C-clamp, pry tool or anything you can get a little leverage with. They should retract fairly easily. Keep and eye on the brake fluid as they retract.

Question 2: The races are somewhat of a bear to get in and out. I went the freezer route and a then a BF'n rubber mallet. One other poster has used the freezer route plus some heat (torch) on the axle housing, and apparently they will just fall in. I'm not that confident in my torching skills. The race material is tuff as nails, but don't scar them up.

Question 3: For me the hard part was getting the cone washers to pop out and the races in and out. The rest went pretty much as planned.


Rookie2

 

[Doc]

What about pre-heating the whole she-bang in the oven at 500 degrees? (I dont' have a torch) or would that ruin the oven? I've gotten most of the grease out, but I'm sure there's some left in there someplace.

 

[Riley]

Don't worry about damaging the races if you are using brass drifts, the brass is very soft and won't damage the races. I wouldn't heat in the oven.

 

[Rookie2]

Whoops, my bad. Your talking about wheel bearing races. I used the BF'n rubber mallet for the trunion bearing races.

Heating them up in an oven may help for the hub/disc assembly. Unfortunately for the trunion bearing races, you'd have to remove the whole front axle and have an oven big enough to fit it in .

For the wheel bearing races, I had to used a BF'n steel spike to get them seated all the way. The brass drift was to garbled up for this... after pounding on the flange studs to get the cone washers out.


Rookie2

 

[snowcruiser]

My races went in nice and straight with a piece of wood. A brass drift is better but improvising works. The fit is not that tight so I would not bother with the temperature tricks. good luck

 

[GXO]

use your old races to pound on the new ones with your brass hammer and a drift as it goes into the hub assembly.

You can whack em all you want, then use the protruding edge and a brass drift to remove the old ones, leaving the new on in perfect position.

The brass hammer will not mess up the races...they are hard stuff.

 

[Rookie2]

[quote author=snowcruiser link=board=2;threadid=17778;start=msg172254#msg172254 date=1086834776]
The fit is not that tight so I would not bother with the temperature tricks. good luck
[/quote]

Mine were beyond a tight fit.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

You're working way too hard on the races. Take an old race and cut through it with an angle grinder/cutting wheel. Start the new race into it's home with the brass drift. Once the edge is below the level of the hub body lip, use the old race as a tool to drive the new race firmly into the bottom of its seat. This technique works great, with no heating or thawing involved and doesn't hurt the new race. The purpose of the slot in the race is so that you can remove it easily after driving in the new race.

Are you doing the complete knuckle and replacing the knuckle bearings?

 

[Rookie2]

[quote author=DanKunz link=board=2;threadid=17778;start=msg172255#msg172255 date=1086834995]
use your old races to pound on the new ones with your brass hammer and a drift as it goes into the hub assembly.

[/quote]

You guys had it too easy. I tried this trick too. Driving one was a task. Driving two... impossible. But it's definitely worth a try.

 

[Doc]

Yep, the whole deal. I'm weaping oil/grease out on the back side of the knuckle, so it's definatley time.

Oh, um- I wasn't paying attention when the oil seal by the wheel bearings came out- does the yellow side face the wheel or the engine?

 

[Rookie2]

The flat metal side (yellow side) of the seal goes away from the area you are "sealing".

Yes.. cutting the old race and using it to drive the new ones would be the way to go.


Rookie2

Edit: Let me make sure I've given you good direction here. Since the flat metal side of the seal goes away from the area you are trying to seal, for the axle seal it would be towards the wheel side. For the wheel bearing/hub seal, the flat metal side would be towards the axle. Make since??

 

[Doc]

I don't believe I have a hub seal?

Going from the wheel to where I stopped, I have the grease cap, the snap ring, a flat large washer, the outer bearing, inner bearing, oil seal.

Am I missing a part?

 

[Beowulf]

You might be missing the inner wheel bearing dust seal. Is the above mentioned "oil seal" the diff gear oil seal that goes inside the axle tube? If yes, then you are missing the dust seal.

Where did you buy the rebuild kit?

-B-

 

[Big_Moose]

Doc

- Use a steel drift to install the bearing races. After you have evenly started the race make sure you drive the race in evenly, and it is completely "seated" / pressed in as far as it will go. You will definitely notice a different sound when the race is fully installed / in place.

You mention that the knuckle is weeping grease out the back, so I assume you have already removed the spindle, cleaned the birfield, installed new axle seal, and kingpin bearings?

Joe

 

[Jomama]

Did this procedure over memorial day....

CUT A SLOT IN YOUR OLD RACE's


And evenly beat the hell out of it with a BFH!

Works freaking awsome!!!

 

[IdahoDoug]

The old race idea works well, slot or no slot. But you guys are forgetting THE most important bit of info on this. Which is - be SURE you're orienting the old race such that you can pound it back out. Obviously, if you put it in backwards, there will be no lip available for you to pound it back out. I cannot imagine how difficult to remove it would be under these circumstances.

Basically, orient the tapered side the same as the new one you're putting in.

 

[Safado]

In moments of confusion, always turn back to the FSM. The problem is that the good hearted people of this forum often use names and terminology that might not be familiar to you in the beginning. IE, the HUB SEAL is the oil seal on the hub. Look at the pages I sent you or your own FSM, more that likely your kit came with two seals. The one circled in red is the "hub seal", the one in yellow is the "diff gear oil seal". You'll get to that one once you pull the spindle and expose the birfield and axle shaft...that's the one that has failed and has caused the diff oil to mix with your grease. The Dust Seal is actually metal, but does have a paper gasket that may have come with your pack as well...it just depends on what Dan sold ya.

Good luck, and return to the good book often.

 

[Doc]

You mention that the knuckle is weeping grease out the back, so I assume you have already removed the spindle, cleaned the birfield, installed new axle seal, and kingpin bearings?

Joe

I'm doing the wheel bearing first. I'll get to the seals and birf's next.

I bought the front kit from c-Dan. So I'm pretty sure I have everything- I think the confusion is in the 'official' names.

I wish the part numbers on the baggies from C-dan matched the part numbers in the FSM, it'd make things soooooo much easier.

 

[Jomama]

When I cut a slot in the races, there is no chance of it getting stuck when used to press the new ones in.... Make sure the NEW ones are in the correct orientation, but I flipped the cut races around, so I had a bigger lip to pound on. The cut eliminates the tension that holds it in, at least for me it did.. Slid out with gravity after...