Good call, bgilbert, but that little wedge just bites into the plastic and would probably just strip out when pressure was applied, UNLESS you have been able to back the nut off until the actual threads are trying to climb over the wedge.

95ram, are you certain that it is the nylock type nut and not the folding-tab lock-washer type ??

Were you able to loosen the nut any at all ??


My thoughts are that your spindle is ruined; and, when the bearing over-heated, it galled/welded the spindle-nut threads.


I would make certain that little locking clip HAD been removed, or that any other nut-locking device is loose, before resorting to anything drastic.

I hope it is something so simple as that, but I figure your spindle is history.

 

Had the same problem. My little wedge lock dissapeared on the passenger side and the nut turned clockwise on the axle housing and welded itself and chewing the bearing into pieces, tried to use a plasma cutter until it wouldn't get back far enough to cut it anymore. So I used a big screw driver and beat the inner axle seal off the drum and it slid right out in 2 seconds after hours of cutting and getting nowhere. After the drum was off used my plasma cutter and it came right off. I used a dremel tool with a thin cuttin wheel to clean up the fine threads, you can't even tell it was damaged.

 

I'm postive it's a nylock nut and the key is out of the way. The bearing is so shot that I'm pretty sure that everything welded it self together. I'm going to try heating it up tomorrow and see if that works. If not then I'll do what ever impulse takes over.

921stgen, Where did you put the screw driver. I tried going through the front but there isn't enough room.

 

I got it off. I end up have to torch it (very carefully) The nut welded itself to the bearing and the bearing broke apart. It looks like the race put a groove in the spindle. What are my options with this???

 

New axle housing. Or machine shop, build it back up (weld) then turn it down. This is why every truck I've ever bought, I tore apart the front and rear ends and greased the wheel bearings. I'm in the 'wheel bearing grease' camp, not the 'rely on the gear oil to lube my wheel bearings'.

 

This is the green one that I just brought home. I had planned on building it up and grinding it down.

 

There are companies that can rebuild and machine the spindle right on the truck.

This work is not cheap, but may be a bargain after considering an entire axle swap.

I am with bgilbert on the grease; I pack every bearing with Kendall Super-Blu L427, regardless of the fact that the 90-wt will sooner or later get there.

 

There was nothing left of my outter bearing and the nut was off the threads on the spindle towards the inner bearing so I was able to wiggle my drum back and forth a pretty good distance and used the screw driver and beat on the inner wheel bearing to knock out the seal out the inner part of the drum. But you solved it. I also used a dremel tool to clean up the threads, maybe yours are to far gone.

 

The threads are actually in good shape except for the one spot where the grinder slipt.

I got it all built up and ground down. The parts will be in tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

How did you machine the spindle back to trueness ??

 

Magic.

It's not like the spindle got tore up. It had a little V grooved into it. My thinking is fill that V with a bead and then grind it so it's flat with the front and the back it should be good enough. They do it on the big trucks all the time. What's the worst that will happen, I wreck another bearing???

 

And the wheel run off, cross the median, and wreck a van-load of soccer-moms.


Keep a weather-eye on it and let us know how it is doing.


Several years ago, my at-the-time business-partner used poor judgement and had a local shop replace the rear brakes on his 92 D-350, something he should have done himself.

The brainstorms used an air-gun on EVERYTHING, including the adjuster-nuts.

Two days and two-thousand miles later, hub, axle, and both wheels crawled out from the right side, coming up the interstate with some over 24,000-pounds of high-dollar cattle on the trailer.

Sparks were flying as we landed along the shoulder.

Those mechanical geniuses cost him a rear-end and both of us a wrecker bill, an emergency haul bill, and a long night.

 

not sure if the socket is the same for my 01 drw but i got my axle socket from my snapon dealer for around $30 and has a lifetime warranty. does the homemade sockets come with a warranty?

 

I highly doubt the rear wheel is going to come flying off because the spindle is slightly out of round. If anything would have caused that it would have been how bad that bearing was. I plan on keeping an eye on it. You have no idea how many BIG trucks are running around like this.

 

I got it all put back together and running. Everything fit back together good. I didn't realize how bad the hub got chewed up. Called the dealership and they wanted $220 and it was a convert to the 94+ style. They no longer make hubs for our pickups. I then remember I have a parts pickup so I pulled the rear drum/hub off of it.

I'll be heading to the lakes this weekend. I'll pull it apart and check everything when I get back.