Half-shaft (rear axle) rebuild - Oops?

[tig]

I decided to rebuild a set of half-shafts. Was following the instructions in the FAQ and Bentley. I tried to keep the CV joint together as I cleaned it, but oops... the bearings came out.





How bad is it that the bearings won't end up in their original spots?

[Kyle in NO]

As long at they are not damaged, it won't matter.

[Mike W.]

You actually got that mystery circlip I've heard about but never seen, out? How?

[Blue Shadow]

Only issue with having the bearing apart for a good cleaning is putting it back together. It will go two ways but only has proper range one way. So if the bearing won't rotate enough, rebuild it again, before you put it all back together with the grease and such.

[ldsbeaker]

Yes. DEFINITELY check before you seal it all up. ugh.

[slammin_e28]

I usually take all that apart Anyway to clean it and regrease.....

[tig]

You actually got that mystery circlip I've heard about but never seen, out? How?

I just used a little pick tool. I first tried a circlip tool I had but couldn't get it. This worked super easy:



I've pulled the other axle apart. This one's boots had clearly failed first. On one end the grease was basically dry sludge and there's clear marring on the bearings. I think these are probably fine though, right?

[NINA85]

Thanks for the post and the high quality photos. I am in need of rebuilding the half shafts and it's nice to see what they look like on the inside.

[tig]

The kits I bought (Lobro) have the big end of the boots permanently attached. Rod's instructions/Bentley say use adhesive to seal those. http://www.mye28.com/tech/rods_pages/id20.html But with these kits there's no way to do that... ?

Rod also says to put Aircraft #3 on the caps; which I did:


Got one done... sort of:


One end is REALLY tight.

It was so tight, that I decided I MUST have put it together backwards (as others above note that there are two ways the inner race can go in. In one the joint has limited range. Rotate the inner race one ball notch and it will move more freely). So I said Fu*k and pulled that end apart again.

Putting it back together, rotating the inner-race a slot made it so that it was really obvious that it was wrong. So I had it right the first time, but it's just not right.

I don't understand how this can be unless the bearing holder is bent or something: It will tilt smoothly through about 200 degrees (it feels pretty much like the other end which moves pretty freely). The other 160 degrees it is binding; it has full range of motion but is tight. I'm tempted to put it in Maytag just to see what happens.

[Coldswede]

Flex the stiff end several times, give a good work out. I had one do this once. I am not sure exactly what happens but after a few dozen wiggles it loosened up. Maybe the grease needs to get evenly distributed inside or something.

[tig]

Flex the stiff end several times, give a good work out. I had one do this once. I am not sure exactly what happens but after a few dozen wiggles it loosened up. Maybe the grease needs to get evenly distributed inside or something.

Yea, I put a dowel in through one of the bolt holes to give me some leverage and was able to get it moving. It's still tighter than the other three ends, but it definitely is looser after some movement. Thanks for the tip.

The other 2 ends went on with far less drama...once you do two ends, #3 and 4 become a LOT easier. I is now a pro.



You'll note I painted the cylinders; details matter, right?

[Blue Shadow]

did you seal both ends of the boot with silicone sealant as directed by Rod's Automobile pages. Sure there isn't much to get sealant into on the big end but a coat there will prevent the mess he got for not doing it.