Wheel bearing issues

[Lonewolf]

When I built my rear axle,( Wagoneer 44) I installed new bearings when installing the new shafts. That lasted for about three years and earlier this summer I found the driver side had in and out play. I pulled the shaft and found that the bearing was bad I replaced It and did another trip to Rubicon and a few other trails and decided I probably needed to replace the other side and the brakes as well. When I pulled the passenger side. The bearing was completely blown out with a ton of play and the driver side was for lack of a better term. Was bent and misshaped.
Any idea what could’ve caused this before I throw it all back together I’m going to replace the flange bolts along with the a new axle retainer plate

 

[Gilaguy23]

First question would be what brand bearings were they?

 

[Lonewolf]

They were timken

 

[pc1p]

The bearings I pulled out of the rear JK44 I just built looked the same (also Timken)...

 

[hear]

Drums or disc brakes?

 

[mrblaine]

Drums or disc brakes?

Is there a disc conversion for the Waggy 44?

 

[Lonewolf]

It’s a stock drum set up

 

[hear]

Is there a disc conversion for the Waggy 44?

IDK, I just wanted to be sure the correct retainer plate was being used.

 

[mrblaine]

IDK, I just wanted to be sure the correct retainer plate was being used.

Before we figure that out, we need to know if it is even possible first, no?

 

[hear]

Before we figure that out, we need to know if it is even possible first, no?

Sigh, I suppose. But by my asking what he has, that would inform whether or not the plate pictured was correct, no?

 

[Lonewolf]

I'm using the regular retainer plate for the waggy axle. I did not replace it when I did the bearing change. I think I pressed it flat and put it back together. I can't find any other issues with anything, so my plan is to use new retaining bolts , I ordered a 3/16 retainer plate and new bearing and seals unless you guys can come up with something else that may need to be looked at?

 

[mrblaine]

Sigh, I suppose. But by my asking what he has, that would inform whether or not the plate pictured was correct, no?

We knew what he had when he mentioned it was a Waggy 44. I assumed it was similar to the Ford 9" rear ends where the disc brake bearing offset is different than the drum brake offset so when you do a swap from drum to discs, you need new shafts and that is not a detail that gets left out when discussing bearing issues. Of course, I could be totally wrong and he's the sort of goober who would do just that.

Lest we forget though, if it was a disc conversion and the drum brake plates were inadvertently used in place of the correct disc brake retainers, it would not last 3 years. The leak would be near instantaneous, very obvious and immediately dealt with.

 

[Lonewolf]

We knew what he had when he mentioned it was a Waggy 44. I assumed it was similar to the Ford 9" rear ends where the disc brake bearing offset is different than the drum brake offset so when you do a swap from drum to discs, you need new shafts and that is not a detail that gets left out when discussing bearing issues. Of course, I could be totally wrong and he's the sort of goober who would do just that.

Lest we forget though, if it was a disc conversion and the drum brake plates were inadvertently used in place of the correct disc brake retainers, it would not last 3 years. The leak would be near instantaneous, very obvious and immediately dealt with.

I'm not a complete goober, the shafts are for drum brakes. Im clearly a goober in the fact that I can't keep wheel bearings alive and have no clear clue on what I'm doing wrong

 

[lumberjacklloyd]

To be clear, you had what kind of end play before you took everything apart?

 

[Lonewolf]

To be clear, you had what kind of end play before you took everything apart?

It was about a quarter inch of play

 

[lumberjacklloyd]

It was about a quarter inch of play

And there was little to no perceivable play when installed?

 

[mrblaine]

It was about a quarter inch of play

The quarter of an inch developed rapidly unless you saw a leak and ignored it for a long time. That much movement allows the seal to move out of the housing end bore and lose the sealing. That is the same amount of end play that happens when someone uses drum brake retainers on a disc brake axle. The leak is immediate and very obvious.

I don't know what the blown up bearing looked like, but the one above has no obvious issues related to how it was assembled. They are obviously aftermarket axle shafts so I'd ponder if something is amiss there. Barring anything obvious, install it back in the housing and see if there is still end play. I've seen a few oddball situations where the race had to be shimmed out to stop the play.

 

[Lonewolf]

The quarter of an inch developed rapidly unless you saw a leak and ignored it for a long time. That much movement allows the seal to move out of the housing end bore and lose the sealing. That is the same amount of end play that happens when someone uses drum brake retainers on a disc brake axle. The leak is immediate and very obvious.

I don't know what the blown up bearing looked like, but the one above has no obvious issues related to how it was assembled. They are obviously aftermarket axle shafts so I'd ponder if something is amiss there. Barring anything obvious, install it back in the housing and see if there is still end play. I've seen a few oddball situations where the race had to be shimmed out to stop the play.

There was no leak , I heard a rotational noise while backing into the garage so I jacked everything up and the only thing I found was the movement in the axle shaft ends. I honestly didnt measure it but there was movement and I was under the impression that there wasnt suppossed to be any at all. When i pulled the shaft I thought the bearing was bad as there was a ton of movement in it and the the lower ring was seperated from the bearing. Is that normanl on the bearings? Maybe the slight bit of play is a normal occurance?

 

[mrblaine]

There was no leak , I heard a rotational noise while backing into the garage so I jacked everything up and the only thing I found was the movement in the axle shaft ends. I honestly didnt measure it but there was movement and I was under the impression that there wasnt suppossed to be any at all. When i pulled the shaft I thought the bearing was bad as there was a ton of movement in it and the the lower ring was seperated from the bearing. Is that normanl on the bearings? Maybe the slight bit of play is a normal occurance?

View attachment 653277

The bow in the retainer points to it having the appropriate amount of preload on the bearing. That top ring being loose is nothing. The shoulder registers it back into the thin edge of the race when it is installed in the housing end. I'd get it back into the housing and get a more accurate idea of how much end play it has. I never see zero after some miles, but more than a 32nd or so would be concerning.