front end rebuild question

[missipboy]

i'm in the process of doing this and the trunion bearing races on one side don't fit right. when i took it apart this side was in bad shape. busted bearing and the steering arm was frozen in the bearing. i guess it heated up and expanded, because the race on the bottom will just fall out and the top race can be taken in and out by hand. is there a remedy for this?? do i need to replace the housing?

 

[Poser]

do i need to replace the housing?

That would be your best option.

 

[missipboy]

damnit. i knew you were gonna say that.

 

[Trollhole]

Can we see some pics?

Steve are you saying to replace the knuckle housing or axle housing?

How the hell could a trunion bearing get that hot?

I have seen a few steering srms that bust knuckle bearings when taking them out.

 

[missipboy]

i will post some pics in the morning. i can put both bearing races in by hand, and the one on the bottom will fall right back out, and the top race can be taken out by hand. i doesn't look out of the ordinary, but getting hot was the only explanation i could come up with. the steering arm probably did bust the bearing when i took it out, but it did look like crap. maybe the races started spinning with the bearings and wore the housing out. i really have no clue. i do, however, have a spare front housing. lucky me.

 

[ram]

May be your foot is too big?

 

[peesalot]

new housing

 

[Poser]

Steve are you saying to replace the knuckle housing or axle housing?

The axle housing bud...that is where the races seat for the knuckle bearings...



If it had been run for a while with a hammered out knuckle bearing or bearings, it could easily distort the race, and then the housing...The stress that a 33" puts on these is significantly more than what the H75-15's would have from the factory, let alone what a 36 or better subjects the bearings too...

 

[missipboy]

May be your foot is too big?

maybe once you've contributed a little more you can make comments like that.

a friend suggested taking a punch and hammering all the way around where the race sits to distort the metal and make it fit snug. there is also a glue made just for this. who thinks this would be a bad idea??

 

[missipboy]

here's the race that's burned up. can't really tell much, though. the other is the compound i was talking about. the shop foreman at the john deere dealership uses this stuff on tractors and it's made specifically for this purpose. so, i'm gonna give it a shot. i'll let you know if anythiing goes wrong. the can on the right is the activator and the other is the compound.

 

[4x4Poet]

Will using a product to "refurbish" a trunion race contribute to misalignment of the knuckle camber or castor? How to keep alignment issues in check?

 

[missipboy]

the race does not move in any direction, so i don't think it will change the alignment. as long as the compound holds i believe it will be alright. that may be a big "if", though.

oh, and the bearings and races are new, so nothing is refurbished.

 

[Poser]

This is not something that I would do, as it is your steering, and when these work loose again, and they will, when they fail, you could be going down the trail or road, and it is not just your life in the mix bud.


With that said, if you are insistent on doing this I would use a pin punch, and put about six to eight good indents/impressions into the wall area of the bearing bore in the knuckle housing to at least give the race possibly a little tension to hold it in the bore, along with the retaining compound. That is typically something that is done to try and salvage a bearing race bore on a transmission or final drive housing. I have seen it done with loose races in a wheel-bearing hub also.


Again, the best repair option for this would be a new housing. If you have one available, I would not think twice about swapping it out. There is a significant amount of leverage on those knuckle bearings in a stock application, let alone a modified (read larger tires) one.



Good luck!


-Steve

 

[4x4Poet]

...oh, and the bearings and races are new, so nothing is refurbished.

I miswrote. I should have said "refurbishing" the bore for the race and how that might affect alignment.

Poser argues that strength issues come into play with your plan, as well.