I just reinstalled both rear axles and there's about 1/4" of play, in and out, on both sides. Normal? No gear oil in it yet. Also, when I spin the 3rd member driveshaft yolk, the axles don't turn. I ***ume there needs to be wheels on the ground with weight on them for the rearend to function properly. Correct? Thanks in advance, you guys!
I'm pretty sure the wheels should turn when you rotate the yoke. Something's amiss. It sounds to me like you don't have the axles all the way seated. What did you replace?
Axle bearings/seals, all rubber in leaf springs, bushings, basically a rear suspension refurbishment. I noticed before I tore it down when it was jacked up, rotating the yoke didn't turn the wheels at that time either. However, I did have it running last year and could drive it up and down the street so...….
OK, this is above my pay grade. I can rotate the driveshaft on my Merc with the wheels jacked off the floor and they rotate. What axle are you dealing with, Ford 9"? Dana 44?
I just dealt with a similar issue. When mine was rebuilt the axle hub didn’t meat up with the drum hub even when the drum bottomed on the backing plate. My yoke turned the axles on jack stands, but the bearing race width was not correct. We ground one side of the race down a bit and put some washers on the other side to compensate. I hope this helps.
I've got it all together now and the left side is fairly tight and there's less than 1/8" in and out play on the right side. Maybe the machine shop didn't press the axle bearing on far enough? Either way I'll just live with it. IIRC, I had the same issue with my OT '93 Mustang. Left it alone and drove it that way for years! Thanks for your insight, though!
Evintho where did you get your axle bearings? I purchased mine from Rock Auto, but they were definitely wrong. I'm wiling to change things if a different bearing works better. Thanks in advance.
Dennis Carpenter has what you need. Comes with the spacer too. https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/en/cars/transmission/differential-amp-rear-axle/8a-1225-a-rear-axle-bearing
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