I had to pull the axles out to replace the axle seals. When I broke the Left hand side open, I didnt like what I saw. the bearings had been replaced at one time or another. That was not what was bothering me. The retainer ring that holds the bearings in has been almost completely destroyed. It looks as if someone hit it with a hammer and a screw driver to take it off and put it back on. The edge of the bearing is chipped. I then looked at the retainer plate. what I saw really ticked me off. It is warped beyond fixing. It looks as if someone ground the gasket surface down with a grinder. It is bulging out in several places and has a few cracks in it. no wonder the darn thing was leaking. I then took a look-see into the rear end where the axle went in. I saw a HUGE gouge running down the length of the housing inside.
I started to put two and two together and here is my theory.
Sometime in the past, the axle retainer failed, or wasnt bolted in securly. The guy who owned it is driving down the road, when the axle breaks loose and starts sliding out of the housing, ripping up the inside the whole time. I looked at the bolts that go through the backing plate and hold the retainer plate securly against the axle housing. The threads are mashed in a few spots. so I figure the plate breaks free and scraped the crap out of the bolts. I then looked at the splines on the axle. They are unmarred. So, I figure this guy goes to a junk yard or gets a brand spankin new axle and slaps it in there. he gets new bearings, but no new retainer plate or bearing retainer. He beats the crap out of the axle surface, where the seal makes contact, while putting the bearings in, but whats the difference? as long as the axle didnt fail again, he was good.
Now heres my question. What kind of person would cut such a HUGE corner as this? That plate could have failed at anytime, And it could have busted loose while I was driving it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But ten years down the road when My future kids and wife are in there with me? maybe not, maybe so. I hate to see what the inside of the engine looks like. Maybe the connecting rods are connected to the crankshaft with duct tape.
Sorry for this long winded post, but I was really upset at this new developement, and I havent even opened up the other axle yet. I will post some pics so you guys can see this horror show. :mad: :mad: :mad:
