carrier bearing shims

I'm rebuilding my hpd44 and am using the old bearings as setup bearings. Well I measured the old bearings and the new bearings for width and found a .02 difference between the old and new per side. When I press the new bearings on should I add shims to make up the difference from the old bearings?

using the old shims is a good place to start. Keep in mind that that 0.02" probably has to do with the fact that you're comparing a brand new, never run bearing to some broken in old bearings.

I've already got the backlash set, so with the old bearings it's shimmed correctly. For s&g I just thought I'd measure the width of both the old and new bearings, and got a difference of .02, that's what I'm concerned about now. I understand the new bearings are going to be tighter than the old ones I used as setup bearings, and that's what worries me. When I press the new bearings on I want to be sure that the BL doesn't change.

How are you measuring the bearings? You can do it with the cone and cup together. I've found that my set-up bearings are a bit narrower than new ones when I measure them with the cones and cups together. The difference is just right to add the preload that I need when I put on the final bearings.

Yeah, that's what's happening, my setup bearings are quite a bit more narrow. I don't think that without a case spreader and an act of God I'd be able to put to much preload on the carrier bearings, but I just wanted to get some input from some experienced people. Also, while I was setting the pinion bearing preload I noticed in my kit something that my axle didn't have before. It looks like an oil slinger but with an indent halfway out the diameter of it. Is it some kind of "oil keeper"? The only place it really fits is by the inner pinion bearing.