Axle bearing howto?

[BenKenobi]

A while back I posted about a few issues I was having with the car.. One of them being (supposedly) wheel bearings... Apparently it's the "left rear axle bearing" according to the mechanic i took it to for diagnosis.

Is this something fairly easy to DIY, or do I need some obscure tools and/or machine press to do it?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[RideNslidE]

if your car is 4-lug it would most likley be cheaper to get a used hub and bearing from another 240 usually 20-40 bucks. the only obscure tool youll need is an axle socket which is a 36mm i belive if you need me to confirm i can. you can rent the kit from autoparts stores with the big sockets too.

[BenKenobi]

Yeah I thought about that originally ... but it's not the wheel bearing apparently...

Rock Auto refers to it as "Axle Differential Bearing"

I made an attempt to remove the spindle nut and the cotter pin was rusted in there, couldn't even get past that point. In retrospect I probably could have drilled it out. Everything in there is pretty badly rusted. Maybe a good soak in some pb blaster or wd40?

[BenKenobi]

Ok, paint me a n00b ... Apparently there's a difference between an "axle bearing" and an "axle differential bearing" ... Went to AutoZone to pick up the "axle differential bearing" and their computer said they don't carry it, even after someone on the phone told me they did (probably when i referred to it as an axle bearing) ...

So I got the "axle bearing" and it looks nothing like the pic above. Its part number is 206FF manufactured by Timken ... I'm not sure where this goes, as the FSM doesn't mention anything that I've found yet. I'ma keep looking though.

*edit* Ok, I managed to find where that part is referenced on RockAuto in regards to my car... It shows it as "Driveshaft Center Support Bearing" .. Which would not be what I'm looking for I'm assuming. Guess I'll be returning that one." */edit*

[vancouverbc]

there is a tutorial on rear wheel bearing. look up wheel bearing in tutorials

zerothread/253879

[BenKenobi]

It's not the wheel bearing. To settle the confusion, it's the "axle differential bearing" .. See diagram:



In the diagram it's referred to as a "side bearing" ...

[vancouverbc]

zerothread/217546

the above tutorial relates to taking differential apart. i dont know if that is relevant. the fsm is showing how to replace side bearings but it is better if you can take some pictures etc. I think they said left and right bearings are different btw.

[BenKenobi]

It might be good enough for my use... It certainly would take me as far as I need to go (getting the diff out to get the bearings off the sides... Might as well do both while I'm at it, eh?)

My email notification said you asked about the diagram, it's on page 498 of "1989.pdf" ...

Thanks!

[RideNslidE]

im almost positive it would be cheaper to find another diff i got my j30 diff for 50 bucks which is a vlsd... and it drops into the 240 with very little work.

[BenKenobi]

Funny you mention that... I was actually considering finding another s13 diff at a junkyard ...

As I never plan to race or drift, I think a like-for-like swap will do me better. (Less work involved, the better)

*edit* ... unless, of course, you can't swap EVERYTHING... like the casing... If I have to take it apart anyways, you may be onto something.
Modified by BenKenobi at 6:52 AM 3/19/2009

[BenKenobi]

So I wound up looking at the 96 J30 at the junkyard... It looked like it had ABS and I've read that involves taking the driveshaft too, and I didn't feel like doing that today, so I went to the 91 240 they had there and worked the diff out of it ... Next weekend I'll be replacing the one in my car.

I did have a bit of trouble with the axles coming off. there's apparently a piece that sticks out into the flange that won't let it just slide up and away. Wound up having to lower the jack holding the diff, which left the part dangling by the axles and just working it back and forth until it came loose. (Go easy on me, I was very impatient at that point )

Obviously that's not going to work for reinstallation. How do I go about working those axles back on while raising the diff up? Removing them isn't an option at this point because the spindle/nut on the end of mine are rusted solid and I'd rather not have to work on that as well... It seems like they'll pivot pretty far but not far enough to clear the flange. -shrugs-

Thanks to everyone for the advice!

[RideNslidE]

noooooo the j30 works fine for everyone i know with the stock drive shaft, and my feelings are the car accelerates smoother out of corners but oh well. the axles don't have to be removed, just when your half way up or so with the diff slide those pieces in the cups and jack the diff the rest of the way up it takes some time just make sure you don't drop it. also try to be easy on the back mounting bolts they can break.

[BenKenobi]

Oh man I'm such an idiot. Turns out it IS the wheel bearings ... I misunderstood the mechanic when I went to look for "axle bearings" and somehow my brain turned it into "axle differential bearing" when I saw that on rockauto.com ..

I didn't know "axle bearing" was another name for "wheel bearing" ...

Oh well now I know ... I've got the wheel bearing, a 12-ton shop press, and I think I'm ready to go ... The FSM mentions using drifts to press out the hub and press the new bearing on. As much as I want to use the right tool for the job, I cannot find these things. I suppose an appropriately sized socket or pipe would do the trick?

*edit* Turns out the axle nut socket is a decent fit. We'll find out tomorrow if it's decent enough.
Modified by BenKenobi at 8:02 AM 5/16/2009