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Ford 8.8 wheel bearings - things I learned...

fuzzydog

NAXJA Forum User
Location
BC Canada
replaced the wheel bearings and seals in my 8.8 this weekend. unfortunately it didn't cure my vibration/humm so the next couple of evenings will be spent replacing the front wheel bearings.


Anyway, a couple things I learned doing the 8.8 bearings.....

1) if you have an 8.8 you better use high quality gear lube and keep the diff filled up. If your wheel bearings ever run dry you will be buying new axles because there is no inner race that gets pressed onto the axleshaft - the axleshaft IS the inner race for the bearings.

2) royal purple synthetic gear lube does not smell anywhere near as bad as regular dino gear oil. :)

3) the end of the axle tube is stepped - the bearing is slightly small diameter than the seal. So tap the bearing in until it stops. Then tap in the seal - it could go in about 1/4" until it seats up against the bearing, but I wouldn't do that. I tapped it in until it was just a bit in, which left a pocket between the seal and the bearing for gear oil to collect and lube the bearing well.

4) you do NOT need to remove the S Spring from a trac lock to remove the axle c-clips, but you do need to remove the brakes.

5) while you are in there you might want to do the parking brake shoes (disc brake) if they need it - make sure you get a kiss from NAPA before they rape you on the cost.

6) removing the bearing??? - After trying to rig a bearing puller on a threaded rod (and bending my 1/4" steel plate) I got the die grinder with a carbide cutter and cut through the outer race. that worked great. stuff a big rag down the axle tube first - you don't want particles of the wheel bearing race getting caught in your diff or the new bearing.

7) gasket maker - if you are still using anything but "The Right Stuff" black gasket maker - why? That stuff is the best!

8) after getting the new bearings in, there was still some play in the axle shaft. i thought I was screwed and needed new shafts but i talked to a Ford mechanic friend and he told me right away that the explorer shafts will have some play in them right from the get go. They are not uber tight like you may be used to with the more traditional pressed on bearings.

It's a pretty straightforward process -

jack up the axle
remove tires, calipers, rotors
open the diff cover, drain
rotate the carrier til you can remove the spider gear pin retainer bolt
remove the big pin
push axles in and the c clips basically fall right out - pull at them with a pick if needed, pull the axles out
use a pry bar and the seals pop right out
I tried a slide hammer, threaded puller (home made), and sawzall (LOL- didn't even scratch the bearing) but the only way I could get the bearings out was to cut through the race with a carbide bit on a die grinder - lots of sparks.
tap new bearings in, tap new seals in
assembly is the reverse
 
ive heard from a couple of people that the bearings in the 8.8 are junk and its the biggest down fall to the axle itself. i also was told that the axle wont last long if you do alot of mud wheeling because of the bearings. Is this true? do the bearings fail all the time?
 
I haven't heard of any problems specific to the bearings, although there is a lot on the net about explorer rear end noises that Ford is 'working on'. this seems to apply mostly to newer explorers though - like 2002 +

To a non-engineer/fabricator person like me it just seems totally bizarre to come up with the concept of the axle shaft itself being the inner race...what next? are they just going to forego bearings all together and slap a bronze bushing between the axle and housing...?

As long as the axle seal is in good shape, i can't see mudding being a problem. the bearing only supports the axle, it's the seal that would allow/prevent mud from getting in.
 
LOL! - had mine in for about 3-4 weeks and haven't really wheeled it yet at all. Still trying to track down a vibration/hum. But now my 8.8 bearings and seals are brand spanking new. check back with me in a year or so for an update :)

Seriously though I could see that if you get major amounts of mud in behind the rotor, that could fubar your seals.
 
I have been wheeling my 8.8 for over 5 years now and I have never had a problem with the wheel bearings or seals. KNOCK ON WOOD :D

An easy way to get the wheel bearings out is to knock them out from the other side. Get a piece of rod or small diameter pipe and slide it in one side and push out the other. Easy as a few swings of a BFH ;)

AARON
 
redrider said:
ive heard from a couple of people that the bearings in the 8.8 are junk and its the biggest down fall to the axle itself. i also was told that the axle wont last long if you do alot of mud wheeling because of the bearings. Is this true? do the bearings fail all the time?

Heard the same, when I swap my 8.25 for the 8.8 going to pop the extra $$$$ for the
SA-SUPER88.jpg
 
You can also use that Super 88 kit to repair a housing with ruined wheelbearing journals. It requires removal of about half the journal when you install it.
 
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