Rear Axle Spindle R&R Help? (1 Viewer)

[CaptBeardilocks]

So one of my rear axle spindles got a bit damaged. Not enough preload I’m guessing. I can’t really feel the edge with my fingernail but …

What’s my best line of attack here? I know back the day we’d knock a few cuts in with a chisel to make sure the new bearing doesn’t spin.

Is there a better way?

 

[AgentOrange]

Is that just superficial scoring then? If that's the case and if you don't want to just replace, I would try to clean it up with a fine brillow pad and then some terry cloth, then send new races on with Loctite bearing compound if it feels just a hair too loose.

 

[CaptBeardilocks]

Rears aren’t replaceable on 80. Part of the whole housing.

It’s def a little galled. I gotta get a bearing it and see his loose it feels.

 

[Kernal]

As mentioned another option (with or without the Loctite) you could take a new bearing slide it on and see if it rocks, if it isn't tight then use the old timers trick of putting (a lot of) dings into the spindle equally around the OD where the bearing rides. I use a hardened center punch (pointed tip) and a 3lb hammer and try to spread out the dings evenly; every ding pushes up a little metal around the edge like the rim of a meteor crater, lots of dings and you have slightly increased the OD of that area of the spindle.

It takes a bit of focus as the punch has a tendency to slip off the spindle if it isn't held 90 degrees to the bore of the spindle ie: due to the curvature of the tube.

So I tap tap tap (a couple dozen times), recheck with a new bearing, tap tap tap (IME it takes dozens of small dings spread evenly around the low area of the tube) until the bearing fits very snugly. If I go too far and can't get the bearing to slip on I take a strip of Emery cloth and sand the tube/dings down a little bit and recheck, sand, recheck, etc (clean any abrasive dust off the tube of course so as not to contaminate the bearings).

FWIW

 

[Broski]

I think the Kernal's idea is sound, I would be real methodical about it though.
I would measure the circumference of the spindle divide evenly, do a layout on the spindle and I would do two dings on each line so the bearing doesn't want to rock.
I like to do things the hard way so I would most likely pull the housing so I could work on some saw horses and spin it as I go.

 

[CaptBeardilocks]

I definitely don’t have time to pull the housing right now. lol.

Any thoughts on whether it’s better to use a sharpened center punch & put 2-3 dings per line (with several evenly spaced lines around the circumference) or use a chisel to make single lines in the same locations?

The bearing currently doesn’t rock at all but isn’t super super snug either. It’s definitely not destroyed yet, I’m focused on it not getting worse.

I feel the FSM guide for preload has WAY too large a spec. I check my bearings (wiggle tire at 12/6) every 5k miles and this one never budged. Def going to setting the preload on the heavy side from now on.

 

[Broski]

You can't get a good feel for the rear bearing without pulling the rear axle.

I think it will be to hard to get the same effect with a chisel. I think the punch is the way to go.

 

[Malleus]

The problem with staking a bearing is that you absolutely have to get it seated and keep it that way, while you're staking it, or it'll be cocked when it's staked and won't run true. Then you'll have a worse problem than you had when it was just loose.

The rear bearing cone is a slip fit on the axle. The cup(s) is/are press fit into the hub. Personally, I'd Loctite 641 it in place, if I was really woried about it spinning, that way I could get it off. If you stake it, the axle is staked forever.

Grainger has it:

 

[Broski]

The problem with staking a bearing is that you absolutely have to get it seated and keep it that way, while you're staking it, or it'll be cocked when it's staked and won't run true. Then you'll have a worse problem than you had when it was just loose.

The rear bearing cone is a slip fit on the axle. The cup(s) is/are press fit into the hub. Personally, I'd Loctite 641 it in place, if I was really woried about it spinning, that way I could get it off. If you stake it, the axle is staked forever.
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View attachment 3729319

Grainger has it:
View attachment 3729320

Not striking the bearing.

 

[Malleus]

@CaptBeardilocks I know what you mean about the fitting procedure in the FSM.

It took me hours to get mine right. One side went on perfectly, the other side was too tight, no matter what I did. I finally resorted to setting it as loosely as I could stand it, using the fishscale, and driving it down the street for a bit. I checked the temperature with an IR thermometer, against the other side, and backed off even more until they both ran at the same temperature.

From memory, it takes about 10 yards for the bearings to heat up, if they're too tight. It's really surprising (well, it was to me). When they are right, they run about 100°F, give or take a few degrees, measured at the cap, on the outer circumference and the hub, just not on the disc. The temperature was fairly consistent, within a few degrees, everywhere I measured it.

 

[Malleus]

Not striking the bearing.

When I said "staking a bearing" I meant staking it in place on the shaft. Not hitting the bearing itself.