D44 bearing race loose?!

I am swapping a d44 from an 87 XJ into my 97. When I went to replace the outer bearing races, I found that they are loose and you can actually spin them by hand in the tube. Were the bearings on 87's slightly larger than other d44's? Or have the bearings seized at some point and spun the races? Anyone else have this problem before? If so, are there any good solutions?

I had a similar issue with my D35. Friend/ASE Master Technician said that the races can be losenend up if the rearend gets run hot a few times. As long as the new races go in snuggly I wouldn't worry.

He said I should feel fortunate they came out that easy. He has always (15 years in industry) had a bear of a time getting races out of axles.

BTW on the new D35 bearings I installed, the races were integral to the bearing (NAPA parts) and they aren't giving me any trouble. YMMV.

Good luck

On my Isuzu 44 I was suprised my old races came out by hand. The new Set 10s I put in fit the same way. So far so good.

You don't need much of a press fit. Almost all the rear 44's I work on slip right out by hand.