Usually us up here in California don't run with the hubs locked in, but up where Big Ragu lives and above, they are getting pounded with record snow!

 

Think I found the culprit. Only this is on the passenger side. Was wondering why I could not slide the hub and rotor off. Something was hanging up. Tapped around the inside of the rotor with a rubber mallet, and finally it gave. What was left on the spindle was the hub seal and the inner bearing, which was froze up on the spindle. Tons of grease, so I do not know how this happened.

Had to sand the spindle with emery cloth in bunches just so I could slip the hub back on.

 

Sometimes strange things happen with mechanical stuff.

 

It is a good idea to lock them in and run around the block a couple times a year if you don't use them much.

 

So, Ragu,

I gots questons.

What type of grease you using ? That stuff is mighty black lookin.

The bearing surfaces look burned in the picture you posted. How about a better close up ? If the surfaces of those rollers aren't shiny chrome looking, and by the looks of the picture you posted, they aren't, it's time to replace the bearings and races in the hub. Those bearings should look chrome on each surface, and not black in any way. Clean them in mineral spirits, and take a nice closeup.

Both sides are experiencing the same issue of being "spun" on the spindle. Time to review your torque sequence, type of grease, and install new bearing sets (depending on the condition of the bearing surfaces)

Those bearings look burned, which indicates lack of (or poor quality) grease, or they've been over-tightened.

They should look like this without any "black chrome" surfacing

 

TMan, thanks for being a quick responder the other day, by the way. I'll mention it to all at the end of this reply, after I reply to your bearing inquiry, TMan.
Those bearings on passenger side were seized on the spindle. After I took the spindle off, I had to carefully chisel the bearing off. I had to tape sand the spindle to accept the diameter of the new bearing. Yes, new Timken Bearings were a part of the plan in this whole scheme, and came with the kit I ordered from 4wdfactory.com.
This time, I was careful with the torque value sequence of steps to set the bearings and achieve the free play, and I also invested in those pricey Stage 8 spindle nut lock system. I think last time I followed the FSM on the torque, I had installed the calipers and pads, which gives false rotational on the hub spin feel a ma jig. As far as grease, O'rileys high speed bearing grease, high temp, made for high speed bearings.
The bearings I put on there back in 2012 were Nationals. Like I mentioned, this time Timkens. In fact, Timkens on the King Pin Bearings, also.
So, my panic dilemma was gear oil leaking out of the axle on the drivers side after I spent like 12 hours doing that side, replacing everything. When I raised the passenger side, I noticed gear oil dripping out. I wondered if I ruined the seal pushing the axle back in after doing the U Joints. It made sense, that it could be residual gear oil, that had oozed out after pulling the axle out and having it out for around 8 hours. I did what you told me, T, and after I finished the passenger side I took it for a 45 minute drive, and drove the last 1/2 mile home with the hubs locked, while still in two wheel drive. Got home, and saw the knuckles were wet, and doused them both with degreaser cleaner. Drove it into the garage, and still see it weeping gear oil. Slow weep, but still there. How long should I allow this before I determine that I ruined the seal?
Truck drives so nice now, steering wise. So very tight, no drift whatsoever, and no more pop noises. But, I gotta say, it still has a slight whine when I press on the brakes, coming from drivers side. Intermittent; sometimes it does it, sometimes no. Definitely not the loud howl I was starting to get. Now, that one, I feel is from a bad, wobbly rotor. Has to be. But the weirded scrape noises and axle noises are gone.
I have another noise coming on, which I'll start a new tread on.
So, if you would, tell me I'm gonna be ok with that gear oil leak...hate to tear into that thing again, and then open up the diff to put new seals in!!! Out of my league on that one!! Sceered. Yes I am. Not prideful at all when it comes to differential guts

 

Any chance you had the pumpkin severely over-serviced? In that case, who knows how much oil could be in those tubes, probably a lot! As long as you're ginger with them, the inner seals should take more than a few axle removal/ install events. Are the seals new or oem aka 25 years old?

 

Ragu,

in your post above, you mention nothing about changing the races in the hub. Did you remove the old races and install new ones in the hubs ? This is critical when changing out new bearings. Why ?

Different manufacturers utilize different angles of the bearing rollers and race surfaces. I found this out the hard way when I bought my 92. The P.O. changed out the bearings without changing the races. he went from OEM to an aftermarket brand. The angle or pitch of the bearings, as well as the backspacing were different than the OEM. It completely decimated the new bearings. This is why I'm asking.

I texted you it will take time for you to determine if you have an inner seal issue, but as in usual fashion, you're not being patient enough to figure it out. you need to allow the time necessary to purge the excess gear oil out of the tube, otherwise you're going to be chasing this ghost before realizing you're taking it all apart for naught.

If you want to speed up the process, take your floor jack, and raise the opposite side of the truck so the axle pitches towards the tube which is leaking. this will force most of the gear oil in the tube out. Let it sit overnight.

Wake up, grab a coffee, take a wizz, pet the dogs, kiss the wife, turn on the news, and after you're all nice and relaxed, go out to the garage and look and see how much oil you have in the pan.

if there's only a minmal amount, then drop the truck down and brake clean the tube end to make it all dry again, and take the wife for a nice long drive, stopping for breakfast, getting her that long overdue anniversary ring, stop at the florist and pick up some roses, stop at petsmart and get the dogs some chewy bones, and on the way back fill the truck up with fuel, topping it off really high so that the seal on the tank leaks diesel in your garage when you get back home. Take several hours to several days to do this trip to dry out the tube...

Inspect the tube. Oil should be mostly gone... or not if you screwed up, which again, you would have to had been very rough putting the axle back in to accomplish.


BTW,

The bearing mismatch in my truck ? Pictured below. THey put new bearings in with OEM races, and you can see that they are mismatched, and don't work properly. Matched bearing sets are the only way to go, including the pita of changing the races.

 

They really aren't that bad. kind of a PITA just to replace a seal though.
When I did the 44s in my jeep I bought empty housings on ebay. Now that's fun starting from scratch.

 

The kit I bought had everything, and I swapped out races with the bearings. I didn't mismatch the races that came with the bearings either, that is why I did one side at a time. The truth hurts, TMan. Yes, I am impatient, and probably this developed from me running crews out in the field and cracking the whip to meet project managers budgets. I'll work on that. Thnx so much for the tip on propping the truck on one side overnight.
PapeCat, the inner seals, to the best of my knowledge, are original. I inserted that axle in so very slowly, there was a slight nudge I had to give, to get the splines to match up. Sorta like when doing the rear D70 axles. Nudge them and slight spin to get splines to match up. I have a Mag Hytec diff cover, and they have that magnetized dip stick to check levels. I keep my gear oil in between the two marks on the dip stick.
Mark, I'm gonna follow T's tips, and hopefully it'll all turn out ok w/ no need to get into the diff.

 

Yeah I wouldn't get in a hurry to take anything apart now. Like Nick and NJT said the seals are pretty tough.

 

I get to do mine in about three weeks. I ordered a stub axle yesterday.

 

Mark, print out BC847's axle U Joint tread and Maybe's King Pin tread. The instructions are great and overlap each other on some items, such as axle seals and such.
Knowing you you could probably do all this stuff blindfolded, unlike me, it looks like I did it blindfolded!

 

I just have a long history of taking things apart and putting them back together. I have read through both threads and am ready when I get all the parts rounded up.