Rear axle bearing replacement notes
12-08-2014, 02:30 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Rear axle bearing replacement notes
Just replaced the rear axle bearings on my 02 F150 with 8.8 axle. I used several different guides on the internet to get it done. Here are some notes that might make it easier for people who are doing this in the future:
- When pulling the c-clips out of the rear end to remove the axle shafts, it doesn't matter what way the clips are oriented, as they can be easily rotated around or pushed down.
- REPLACE the center retaining pin and bolt after you remove the axle shafts so everything stays in alignment. It would be a real pain to realign the spider gears if you somehow get things out of alignment.
- I rented a slide hammer from Advance Auto Parts to remove the bearing and seals. Comes with a lot of attachments - I simply used the mid-sized bearing hook, threaded onto the hammer portion with the main nut used as a jam nut. In my case, the bearings came out very easily with 5-6 whacks of the slide hammer. I literally had both sides out in 30 seconds. Maybe I got lucky - most people report great difficulty in getting them out even with a slide hammer. I was fully prepared to make some relief cuts with a Dremel but obviously didn't have to do that.
- Put your new bearings in the freezer the night before the install. This shrinks the metal slightly and makes them easier to install. I always do this with pressed bearings.
- Use the old bearing as a die and a block of wood to install the new bearings. Works like a charm.
- The capacity of the 8.8 is technically 2.75qts, but many people report having to put more than 3 in to get it to the proper fill level. I put in almost exactly 2.75 before it started to come out of the fill hole.
Hopefully this helps some people.
- When pulling the c-clips out of the rear end to remove the axle shafts, it doesn't matter what way the clips are oriented, as they can be easily rotated around or pushed down.
- REPLACE the center retaining pin and bolt after you remove the axle shafts so everything stays in alignment. It would be a real pain to realign the spider gears if you somehow get things out of alignment.
- I rented a slide hammer from Advance Auto Parts to remove the bearing and seals. Comes with a lot of attachments - I simply used the mid-sized bearing hook, threaded onto the hammer portion with the main nut used as a jam nut. In my case, the bearings came out very easily with 5-6 whacks of the slide hammer. I literally had both sides out in 30 seconds. Maybe I got lucky - most people report great difficulty in getting them out even with a slide hammer. I was fully prepared to make some relief cuts with a Dremel but obviously didn't have to do that.
- Put your new bearings in the freezer the night before the install. This shrinks the metal slightly and makes them easier to install. I always do this with pressed bearings.
- Use the old bearing as a die and a block of wood to install the new bearings. Works like a charm.
- The capacity of the 8.8 is technically 2.75qts, but many people report having to put more than 3 in to get it to the proper fill level. I put in almost exactly 2.75 before it started to come out of the fill hole.
Hopefully this helps some people.
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twoskinsoneman (12-08-2014)
12-08-2014, 08:55 PM
#2
Just replaced the rear axle bearings on my 02 F150 with 8.8 axle. I used several different guides on the internet to get it done. Here are some notes that might make it easier for people who are doing this in the future:
- When pulling the c-clips out of the rear end to remove the axle shafts, it doesn't matter what way the clips are oriented, as they can be easily rotated around or pushed down.
- REPLACE the center retaining pin and bolt after you remove the axle shafts so everything stays in alignment. It would be a real pain to realign the spider gears if you somehow get things out of alignment.
- I rented a slide hammer from Advance Auto Parts to remove the bearing and seals. Comes with a lot of attachments - I simply used the mid-sized bearing hook, threaded onto the hammer portion with the main nut used as a jam nut. In my case, the bearings came out very easily with 5-6 whacks of the slide hammer. I literally had both sides out in 30 seconds. Maybe I got lucky - most people report great difficulty in getting them out even with a slide hammer. I was fully prepared to make some relief cuts with a Dremel but obviously didn't have to do that.
- Put your new bearings in the freezer the night before the install. This shrinks the metal slightly and makes them easier to install. I always do this with pressed bearings.
- Use the old bearing as a die and a block of wood to install the new bearings. Works like a charm.
- The capacity of the 8.8 is technically 2.75qts, but many people report having to put more than 3 in to get it to the proper fill level. I put in almost exactly 2.75 before it started to come out of the fill hole.
Hopefully this helps some people.
- When pulling the c-clips out of the rear end to remove the axle shafts, it doesn't matter what way the clips are oriented, as they can be easily rotated around or pushed down.
- REPLACE the center retaining pin and bolt after you remove the axle shafts so everything stays in alignment. It would be a real pain to realign the spider gears if you somehow get things out of alignment.
- I rented a slide hammer from Advance Auto Parts to remove the bearing and seals. Comes with a lot of attachments - I simply used the mid-sized bearing hook, threaded onto the hammer portion with the main nut used as a jam nut. In my case, the bearings came out very easily with 5-6 whacks of the slide hammer. I literally had both sides out in 30 seconds. Maybe I got lucky - most people report great difficulty in getting them out even with a slide hammer. I was fully prepared to make some relief cuts with a Dremel but obviously didn't have to do that.
- Put your new bearings in the freezer the night before the install. This shrinks the metal slightly and makes them easier to install. I always do this with pressed bearings.
- Use the old bearing as a die and a block of wood to install the new bearings. Works like a charm.
- The capacity of the 8.8 is technically 2.75qts, but many people report having to put more than 3 in to get it to the proper fill level. I put in almost exactly 2.75 before it started to come out of the fill hole.
Hopefully this helps some people.