Technical Axle retainer ring failure while driving, axles slide out

Anyone ever heard of the retainer rings failing under normal driving conditions in a ford 9" (small bearing) and the axles sliding out of housing?

3 days ago I was driving along around 35 miles an hour and my back end starts to fishtail, before I knew it my rear end is dragging on the ground and my axles are all but completely out of the tubes, these were brand new from currie with bearing, plate and retainer ring already installed. Only had about 200 miles on the new axles, it's a Ford 9" with a 3.50 posi behind a 68 camaro, after removing the axles completely the plates were still in place with the bearing and rings inside, shop I got towed to reinstalled old axles (luckily I kept them) and I made it home after an $700 differential tear down/rebuild and inspection. This seems insane for complete failure under normal driving conditions, and I am second guessing my choice for a 9" rear. Anyone with experience on this??

 

Have you talked to Currie yet?

 

Sounds like their press fit tolerances need some revaluation...

 

Sort of sounds like there could have been an error in machining the space where the retainer ring is pressed on. Can't say I've heard of BOTH coming out, that's a new one. Do some measuring with a micrometer BEFORE you make contact with Currie. It seems like there has been a rash of complaints about Currie recently. Good luck.
I am Butch/56sedendelivery.

 

Yeah spoke with my sales rep and the mechanic did as well, I have to mail them back for inspection before they will do anything, I have them packed up and will be sending them out tomorrow AM. I can't find anybody who has seen this happen including the mechanic in his 30+ years with a new set of axles/rings so I was reaching out online to see if this has happened to anyone else as I can't be the only one with this issue in 50+ years of these types axles in service.

 

That was my guess (machining error), and I would think both sides might be more likely than just one as I ***ume they were made by the same person on same machine so maybe a tolerance was off or something with the machine itself

 

The machinist blew it and didn't check sizes.
The press operator blew it and didn't notice how little force it took.
Maybe the bearing manufacturer blew it and they took for granted it was good.


I've not ever heard of axles sliding out of those bearings.
I've seen bearings hang onto those axles when the bearing gets hung in the housing, - tremendous force applied between the axle flange and housing.

 

I have replaced thousands of those over the years on stock axles and have never had one come off. The axles had to be under sized. I would mic them before I sent them back.

 

Wasn't there a thread within the last month or so about cheesy stamped bearing retaining rings on Ford axles? Could this have been the issue?

 

Axle shafts looks like 1.380/1.381 and rings both 1.375, using a cheap harbor freight digital micrometer but 5/1000's seems pretty close for handling any lateral force with a heavy car, you wouldn't know factory tolerances would you, Im looking now but can't find them.

 

I couldn't find a measurement in my factory manual, simply says to 'inspect for damage'....

 

Do you have a 1.000 standard to check calibration on that HF micrometer?
Better have FIRM numbers before sending back (for defense).

Must have been the night shift!

 

This just happened to me on my way to Nashville last month. My tire kept the axle from sliding all the way out as it hit the fender.
I did the temp fix with a cheap bearing from Autozone to get home then I ordered Strange bearings from Summit and re did both axles last week. I told the shop that pressed them on to check the clearances on my 31 spline axles to the bearings and they said it was all good.
We shall see,

 

On race cars we always spot tigged the ring in two places. Come time to replace, just grind it out and do it again. Never a problem.

 

Welcome the HAMB.

 

Guy at work told me the same thing about welding as he used to build race cars, but I've also been told it shouldn't be necessary. I might get it done on my next set just to be safe, any problems with clearances between ring and axle seal with the bead in there, not sure how much clearance there is to start with?

 

Is pressing the retainers on the way it's always been done? I did bearings on 8" axles years ago and I think I heated the rings and dropped them on and let them shrink. I'm still running that rear end. I'll admit my memory isn't what it used to be, too.

Gary

 

Yes, mic them, photograph, and get a witness, as something might just disappear in the post....

I only ever did one rear end and the whole idea unnerved me a little, but I had to get the rings cherry red and then drive them on with a hefty tube slide hammer affair. It was not easy, but they will not come off.

 

We used sealed bearings with the o-ring around the outside. No seal in the housing on the shaft.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msr-9508b/reviews

 

Back in about 1970 my brother had a stock 1966 Bronco with a 9" rear. The left rear axle slid out of the bearing while driving down the road and the wheel and axle ended up in the woods. About two years later the same axle slid out again as he was turning into a gas station. This time he was able to stop before it came completely out. I think he put new bearings on both times. The same rear was later used in mud racing up through the mid eighties. It was converted to Mark Williams 35 spline axles and a spool along the way. I still have the rear, although the housing is bent from all the abuse of mud racing.

 

A kid back in high school had a '60 Studebaker Lark and he was hot dogging in the parking lot one day and the axle slid right out! I don't know what rear end they had in them, but we sure let him be embarr***ed until the wrecker came and picked it up.

 

Dumb Q of the day...... If the retaining ring is holding the bearing from coming out of the housing, then it's an axle "under", or a bearing "over'' Correct? Sounds like miss-matched parts, and when the bearing was "slid" instead of pressed on, NO red flags went up? Never encountered this scenario, but can see it happening......
Not Good........

 

I've never seen it, but it's easy to see how the laws of physic and inertia could get skewed.

 

^^^^^^ My Thoughts........ What else could it be?

 

I've always used Strange axles and let them install new bearings. I don't think I'll be making any changes anytime in the near future.

 

Dis you use a micrometer, or a vernier caliper? Typically a micrometer will only measure either ID or OD. A vernier caliper will measure both, but is usually a less accurate device.

I think you're ***uming that the bearing is what retains the axle. The retaining ring traps the bearing between itself and a shoulder on the wheel end of the axle. The retaining ring is on the differential side of the axle bearing. The retaining ring fits A LOT tighter than the bearing, and is what actually holds the axle in place. In the image below, the retaining ring is above the bearing.....

 

I would NOT spot weld the retainers to the axles; if you have ANY problem whatsoever with the axles, you've just killed the warranty. JMO. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Usually, no warranty on race stuff, plus ***urance nothing is going to come apart.

Street rod stuff, maybe ok.

 

I've seen them come out in stock car racing but they are subject to a lot more side force than normal use, especially on the left side. We pressed the retainer on cold and dry with a 20 ton jack in an axle press and used 2 retainers on each axle and never had any failures. It seems very strange that both would come loose at the same time. I suspect they got some bad retainer rings. Either oversized or a material that stretches too easily.

Some teams welded them but I always worried about changing the temper as axles tended to break anyway. Some would heat the rings to remove them but I was taught to cut into them with a chisel in 3 locations that would cause them to stretch enough to crack. I don't know about heating the rings to install them. Maybe to 200 degrees in oil wouldn't change the temper.

 

But the thing is; someone pressed the rings on and unless these were the only two he has ever done in his entire life, he should have known something was wrong (or if he did know; tell somebody about it).