Removing Dana 35 Axle Bearings?

I got the seals out without any problem, but even with a slide hammer I can't get the damn bearing out. I've tried on one side and managed to pull the bearings out of the race, but the race is still in there. Between getting aggravated and it getting dark I quite for the day. While I was cooking dinner it occurred to me that maybe a light touch with a cold chisel would at least seperate the race on the side that I've been fighting with.

Any suggestions would help. The other side is still untouched; who knows, maybe it'll just slide right out, but I'm not betting on it.

HELP!!!

Well your doing it the right way, slide hammer and a bunch of curse words! It will give up, keep hammering.

Worst case scenario, dremel w/a cutting wheel or a sawzall. Score two lines about a 1/8 inch apart. Remove the center, and then with one whack from the slide, it should come out. (Make sure not to score the tube where the seal sits! It is however ok to lightly score (if done by accident) under where the bearing sits, but try extremely hard not to!

If you do accidently score where the seal sits, your axle housing is trash, unless you can find the "axle repair" seal version made for just such mistakes.

I have done it with mine, my bosses, and my cousins XJ. never had a problem. But I am sure someone will quote this and bash what I have done and somehow in a similar experience have a different outcome. All I can say then either I am very luck having done this to (3) 8.8 rears, and (2) D-35s w/ no leaks, or I am just better at what I do. irate1:

I've done two recently - one worked neatly with a slide hammer, and one came out with some solid finger pressure.

If you have access to a paintball CO2 tank and a valve for it, you can chill down the outer race using liquid CO2 (either use a syphon tank to draw liquid off the bottom; or if you aren't getting liquid, turn the tank upside down...) and that should shrink the race enough to make it easier to remove. Have the slide hammer set up and in place (jaw puller,) chill the race, and knock it out. Or, chill it very well and take it out with your (GLOVED!) hand. Get it as cold as you can manage, and focus as much of the cooling as possible on the race itself and not the housing.

Allow the housing to return to ambient temperature before installing the new bearing, and coat the outside of the outer race with never-seez so it doesn't become a big problem again.

never thought of this, darn!:worship:
Yea, what he said! Don't try the cutting thing until all other efforts are exhausted.

gajeepxj said:

never thought of this, darn!:worship:
Yea, what he said! Don't try the cutting thing until all other efforts are exhausted.

Click to expand...

Helps sometimes to be a paintballer, y'know?

Always bear in mind that, while Man may be a tool-using hominid, you will always have your very best tool with you. It's between your ears.

The world would be a lot better off if more people would learn to use their heads for something other than shoulder ballast or an ear spacer...

gajeepxj said:

If you do accidently score where the seal sits, your axle housing is trash, unless you can find the "axle repair" seal version made for just such mistakes.

Click to expand...

I think he's dealing with a c-clip D35 as his profile says 1994, and he's talking about a slide hammer. Even if he scores the tube where the seal sits just use a little silicon when installing the new seal. On a non-clip D35, you do need to be really careful cutting off the pressed-on bearing race.

Thanks for all of the help. I'm still working on them. I didn't get started until almost dark today, so I didn't get much done, I've resorted to cutting on the passenger side bearing, but the driver's side bearing is moving little by little, but very little.

I took a look at the axles this morning and discovered a groove on the one that's on the driver's side that isn't supposed to be there, so I had to head over to Randy's Ring and Pinion to pick up a pair of axles. I decided to go ahead and replace both of them.

I just hope that there's not a limit to the amount of colorful expatives that I can use while I get these damn things out!

By the way, this one is the 2001 that I have. The 1994 is my play toy and it's got a Dana 44 in the back. But the 2001 is my daily driver as well as the one that I take on long trips, so it'll never go as far as the older one. Plus the 1994 is a 2 door, so I can cut the hell out of the fender with less trouble