replacing rear axle bearings questions

[biggrass]

I am going to be replacing the rear axle bearings on my 72 next week. What type of rtv should I use inside the axle housing where the seal goes? Should I soak the new bearing in gear oil before installing? What type of grease should I put on the rubber seal so it doesnt dry out? I found the part numbers for all the bearings, seals in one of my searches here. Going to Autozone for seal and bearing puller. Wish me luck.Dave

[FlaJunkie]

Good luck...waiting to hear all of the good suggestions...I have my new axle bearings and seals sitting on the shelf nearly ready to install!

[Louich]

i usually just put some gear oil on the bearing and hammer the seal in dry, it won't dry out with oil hitting the back side of it, and just put seals in without sealant, never had a leak yet, rear ends are vented, so no pressure to hold, just liquid. most seals have a bit of a coating on the outside of them.

[grzewnicki]

watch out for the replacement bearing...I had a set that just pushed right in, they need to be snug, they were some Discount auto part China bearings, I don't recall where I got better ones from. SOmetimes you can just go to an industrial supply place like Grainger, bearings are pretty well standardized, no one builds something for a weird size bearing, they usually engineer it to an existing/common bearing size.

[CorkyE]

Originally Posted by Louich

i usually just put some gear oil on the bearing and hammer the seal in dry, it won't dry out with oil hitting the back side of it, and just put seals in without sealant, never had a leak yet, rear ends are vented, so no pressure to hold, just liquid. most seals have a bit of a coating on the outside of them.

Same here... You can really over engineer some things.

[Kamikaze]

take a look at your axles where the bearings ride on. Check the wear and make sure the axle shafts are in good shap. If the wear is excessive, get new axles. If there is a bit a roughness to the surface where the bearings are, you can move to the axle saver bearings which are thicker and shift the bearing surface inwards.

You won't need sealer for the axle seals. I like to smear a good dab of high temp disc brake bearing grease on the insides and on the seal itself to prevent a dry start.

For bearings, it's worth the extra cost to be sure you get a good brand quality and do the job once. I prefer Timken or Federal Mogul bearings but it is personal preference. Even the name brands source theirs from India and Asia...

Some people like to soak bearings in gear lube, I've done that as well as pack a little extra grease throughout the rollers.

As long as everything has some lube and doesn't start out dry, and you install them square, you will be fine.

[biggrass]

Thanks for all the good advice. I am going to use Timkin bearings. I will let everyone know how it goes. Thanks. Dave