~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

I have a sound that I have tracked to the bearing assembly at the end of the axle tube. (The passenger side). I will change the bearing and oil seal Hopefully the axle shaft itself itself isn't damaged. Has anyone done this before? Do you have any tips about getting the C-clip out? Any help or advise is appreciated.

LS1s R US

iTrader: (1)

If it is a 4 chanal ya need to remove the abs sensors from the backing plate to let axle slide further in, if 3 not needed. Remove diff check plate remove 8mm bolt from carrier slide pin or block out according to what diff ya got. Push axle in and slide out c clips. then put axle straight out.Thats it if axle bearing went bad 99.9% it ruined the axle. Ya can get an axle saver from a parts store if ya don't want to sepend a butt load of money! Move the bearing on adifferant spot on hte axle. Or ya can get ya some strange or moser axles!HA! If the axle bearings are fine and the axle looks good probabley a carrier bearing, noise could transfer down tube! Good luck!

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

Great tips!!! Thanks a million.

hawaiiboysz

iTrader: (4)

You may need a slide hammer to knock out the bearing thats what I had to use also getting the seal out was a slight PITA but after working it with a seal puller in different spots mad it work itself out. But to get the axle out do like LS1 r us said he decribed it like the factory manual. good luck.

waltsfastz

iTrader: (4)

I put rear axle bearings in my 92 Z71 and It was a bitch. The bearings were tight as hell. We ended up using a 2 jaw puller and pulled off of a piece of flat stock layed over the center of the hole. Then we put a pipe clamp on the outside of the puller to hold the inside jaws on the bearing race(bearing had already been destroyed) Finally the bitch moved. However a slide hammer usually works. good luck

jerflash

to easily get the axle seals out pull the axle out almost all the way and when they are at the end of the tube right before it gets pasted the seal just push down on the axle and seal will pop right out

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

Thanks for all the tips!
P.S.- I'll let ya'll know how it went when it's done next weekend!

TRex

iTrader: (3)

You can get an axle bearing puller from Autozone that does a good job. Also, I've got a set of axles if you wind up needing one.

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

THANKS FOR THE OFFER ON AXLES! I MAY NEED TO TAKE YOU UP ON THAT.

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

I just did this exact fix on both sides. For some reason, I had repair bearings installed on both sides.....before I bought it. We pulled everything apart, swapped bearings and seals, and had it all together in 1.5 hours. Be careful with the small 8mm bolt that allows you to remove the block that will gain access to the C-clips. These like to break. Once you have the axles out, don't move a lot of stuff in the differential or the guts will fall out of place....the spider gears and shims and stuff. If this happens, you're *** out of luck. Use a slide hammer to get the bearing out..piece of cake. Use a piece of pipe or solid stock that is slightly smaller than the bearing to drive the new one in. It will stop at the machined groove on the inside of the axle housing. Finally, grease up the axle seal real good before installing it. Try to use a rubber mallet if possible because the harmonics from a metal hammer can knock the spring off the inside of the seal, and then you get to change the seal all over again. One other thing, try a magnet for the C-clips. Gets them every time. Remember to add your limited slip additive first, then the differential fluid. Don't bother with a gasket for the diff cover, just a little bit of RTV. Bam, your done. Have fun.

tuffluck

iTrader: (4)

if you're changing an axle bearing, must you get a new oil seal too?

if i were to be changing my differential bearings, i would slide the axles out and then use a crowbar to pull the differential out, and then i could take my diff. and new bearings to be pressed on, right? any other tips on doing this procedure? (hope i'm not hijacking this thread)

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

Thanks 'Hawk262! I'm feeling better about this next project! Can't wait to end the NOISE.

99camky

just got done putting axle bearing in my 99 Z-28 over the weekend. i got lucky a friend sold me 2 axle's. the axles i took out were pitted up pretty bad. also put new brakes and rotors while working back there. all noise is gone now. good luck

TheBlurLS1

iTrader: (8)

i've also got some axles i'd sell ya if the other guy's deal falls though. and i work in shipping

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

One other thing, once you get your axles out, if they look like they've seen better days, get new axles. Don't use repair bearings. The cost of them is certainly cheaper, but it is shitty maintenance. Repair bearings are a single unit with the bearing and a single-lipped seal combined. This single-lipped seal likes to LEAK a lot. By keeping the original setup, you get a separate double-lipped seal that is pressed in after the bearing and works much better. My rearend guy was pretty pissed when we found the repair bearings in my car. He couldn't figure out why someone would use those, especially after he looked over my axles real good and only found one pit. He told me I've got years before that pit would cause a problem. It is a cheap method to get the car back on the road, but hey...we all love our cars right? Treat them right. And get "National" brand seals. They are real nice and cheaper in my case than the inferior brand that I initially bought.(I think they were 4 bucks apiece) You could see a difference in thickness and quality. Just my .02!