97catintenn

Sunday just before I arrived at home, I heard a strange grinding sound coming from the differentail or the wheel bearings.

I have since took apart the manual locking hub (Dana 60) and replaced the bad wheel bearings.

Now I cannot get the small snap ring back on the axle. I believe this is due to the fact that looking in the differentail (cover off), you can see that this side axle sticks in it's gear more than the other side. At least an 1/8 of inch maybe more.

Then I traced the axle toward the wheel and just after the u-joint, I can tell that the plate (this is a round plate that the axle goes thru) is not flush either. It also sticks out the (again at least 1/8 of an inch maybe more).

I need the axle to move back out away from the diff. so I will have enough room to install my spring, inner clutch ring, and axle shaft sleeve ring.

Then I will have the axle sticking out far enough past the axle shaft sleeve ring so that I can install my snap ring and move on.

How do I get the axle to move back out?

91 Dodge 3/4 ton 4*4 cummins diesel

here are the peices that need to be installed before the snap ring.




ps, I'm prolly in the wrong section for this, if I am, I am sorry. I just need to get it back together in the next couple of hours, so to me, it is an emergency.




This picture shows my pry bar. It is able to get under that plate, on the other side, it was like that plate was recessed to the point I could not get under it.



And here is my axle sticking too far into the diff.


On the driver side axle, it looks to be recessed again.

jrs_dodge_diesel

Pry bar. I ran into a similar problem puttin Warns on my old F150. Axle shaft did not stick out far enough. Spent a half hour tryin to figure it out. I had my budddy put a crow bar in the U-joint behind the wheel and pried on it. Didn't take to much force to pry it. It got me the clearance I needed to put the inner snap ring in.

G1625S

yup---a lot of times you can pry outward on the axle shaft u-joint with your fingers to move the axle--it kinda free floats in there. An extra set of hands can be a big help, especially if you don't have snap ring pliers

97catintenn

Thanks guys, maybe I wasn't using enough force.

I posted some pics, if interested.

97catintenn

The pry bar is not working. Partly because I can effectively apply force to the u-joints. I just can't find something to pry off once I get in behind the joint.

Looking at this picture, would this be holding me back? Is there some trick as to getting that plate flush again?

andyr354

Stick you bar inbetween an ear of the shaft and the axle C. Pry the shaft outwards to get the clip on. Might need a budy to help and hold it there for ya.

By the looks of the pic you were trying to pry it the wrong way. In that pic put the bar inbetween that lower ujoint ear and the end of the axle tube.

BTW that is a D60 alxe not a 44.

97catintenn

Yah, in the pic I placed my pry bar there as an arrow for picture, but then decided to just draw some arrows on the pic.

See where the pry bar is, there is a gap big enough for the bar to bite onto. It shouldn't be like that. That whole ring needs to be moved toward the wheel.

After doing some searching I think that what I have is a bad needle bearing in there.

So right now, I'm trying to take it apart to check the bearing.

I got the splash guard off, but the spindle still doesn't want to move.

wv smoker

Sure you got the correct wheel bearing and the hub is seated far enough back? Never had that much problem changing bearings, I usually thread a bolt in the axle shaft and pull out on it and that is all it takes? May be a peice of broken bearing in there?

97catintenn

Man, I don't know what the problem is. The wheel bearings I removed where still in one peice. The inner one, just didnt spin smoothly, but I didn't notice it being broken.

97catintenn

One thing I should have mentioned in my first post, was that the snap ring was not in its groove. So it's not like the axle just now slid back to far. apperently, it had been that way for a while now.

97catintenn

Freakin spindle wont come off, so I cant check to see if anything in there is holding me back.

wv smoker

Don't know what to tell you if it was like that before,could be any number of things to cause it. Sounds like the whole hub assembly is not going back far enough, but looking at the axle clearance inside the differential don't know what would cause that? Sometimes the bearing races are not seated all the way to the machined surface of the hub and will cause the assembly to not go back far enough, I would disassemble all of it and check or compare with the correct parts and see if something was not right when you got the truck? Where is the outer wire ring that goes in the outside groove of the hub? Was it missing or not mentioned or pictured? Sound like some half- fast mechanic has been in there before you? Whatever the problem is, you shouldn't have to use a pry bar to install the snap ring!

andyr354

The spindle fits quite tight. You can get a slide hammer to thread onto the end of it (a friend of mine has one of these) or hit it with a non marring hammer (polly deadblow works sometimes) but you still might damage the threads if not carefull.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...ont/index.html
The above link may be able to help you some.

97catintenn

wv, if the outer wire ring your referring to looks kinda like a large snap ring (without the holes for the pliers) then, YES, I have that.

I'm using a regular hammer to dislodge the spindle. To keep from damaging the spindle, I'm using a 2*4, placing it up againest the spindle and then hitting the wood with the hammer.

Still no luck. I may need to borrow your buddy's slide hammer, Andy. I went to the site, and found a diagram showing the internals inside the spindle, so the site was helpful. Now I know what im looking for, if I ever get in there.



I also tested the assembly without the hub on the spindle. The axle still doesn't come out far enough. So that rules out the proper seating of the bearings and the hub not being back far enough.

As for my plans, I done with it tonight, but in the morning, I'll return with my hammer and block of wood and try to talk some sense into that stubborn spindle.

97catintenn

Alright, after beating it senseless with my hammer, I finally decided to try a 3 jaw gear puller.

I installed the nut and locknut on the spindle and hooked up the puller to them and started cranking away.

Finally the spindle popped off.

I pulled the spindle off with the needle bearings still inside and then a large rubber washer and a smaller came with it.

These two had been installed wrong. The big one goes on first and then the smaller one, and then the spindle will allow the axle to slide into it more, so that I could then attach my snap ring.

I'm still not all together yet though. That big wire ring (about 4 inches) is being a pain now. What's the trick to getting it to slip into the groove?