The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Replacing rear wheel bearing 3600

Is there a tech tip for replacing the rear wheel/ axle bearing in a 3600 Eaton HO52 in a 1949?

Thanks Don

Don,

Is the Shop Manual unclear and/or insufficient?

Okay. That might get me through it. Will I need any special tools?

Thanks Don

Well I Pulled the old hub and will replace the hub and bearings both. Big job for me.

Thx

Congratulations, Don

I've read that some stovebolters are leaving the race in place and just replacing the bearings. I'll be there soon.

Not a good idea to do half a job.if there is wear on one part there will be wear on the other. When wheel bearings start to fail,They generally start pitting.that is the hard surfacing starting to deteriorate. This will be very noticeable. Second problem is the race wearing, clean the race and look at it real close. One can see uneven wear and at times feel the wear. Which is why it is important to replace bearing and race together. Now if it is obvious that there is no pitting or wear then they can be reused. Which ever way you go be sure to get the proper bearing preload when putting it all.back together. Use the info from the shop manual . Hope this helps.

Often the original brgs. are conical. The rollers are barrel shaped instead of straight rollers. The replacements are straight rollers. Obviously they cannot be mixed. The outer brg has to come out from the inside of the hub. It is harder to do then most.

George

Task complete. Once I figured out how to tear it down I was on my way. Thanks Tim for posting a link to what now seems obvious, the shop manual. After pulling the axle I found the two bearings all puddled in the bottom of the hub. So I didn’t really know what it was supposed to look like. A quick trip over to Napa and one of the counter guys pointed me in the right direction for the rest of the break down. They had the correct bearings and seals.

Taping out the races was easy but that snap ring holding the outside bearing in place was about as frustrating as doing the headliner in the cab. I did my best to “wash” the metal shavings out of the axle housing but without removing it I’m sure there is still a small amount left behind.

Nothing on the ring and pinion gears looked even slightly worn. The ring gear has 32 teeth. Someone here can probably tell me what my ratio is.

Reinstalling the hub fit like a glove. There were no gaskets on it so that’s the way I put it back together. Didn’t leak before so I used the same sealant. It took 6 quarts of gear oil to get it to the exceptable level. That’s a lot of lube.

On a scale of 1-10 this for me was an 8. I’m not a gear head so this taxed my knowledge and experience quite a bit.

Thanks for everyone’s help.
Don

Glad Tim and others could point you in the right direction!

Congratulations, Don

At least three lessons were learned:
- check out the Shop Manual (and, hope it has photos and a clear description)
- post any questions here, and try to figure out what has been posted
- give it a try - go slowly - at each step, re-read the manuals and re-view any photos

One lesson we did not suggest: see if there is a Tech Tip (here - top-menu) on the subject.

Good luck with your next adventure.

Tim, we notice you are particularly swift at posting shop manual reference links here. Can you lay out your digital process for us? Notionally it should be faster than the 5 minutes it takes me to get up from the easy chair and walk into the study to retrieve the analog version.

Allen,

I have a "truck" bookmarks folder at the top of my browser - the top entry/bookmark is Old Online Chevy Manuals (by Keith Hardy).

Even if you own a Shop Manual, if your year-manual is there, that on-line version is easier to use (and it does not get smudged when used).

I keep re-arranging the bookmarks - most used near the top.

There are also links to other resources on my website (the link is under my signature).

Also - look at the top menu - Tech Tips

Access to Information is a good start on any project/problem. Then, first-hand experience matters as much, or more - there are experienced members, here.

Finally, I try searching here (the Search function/tab - the top menu Search).