Problem with rear wheel bearing install...

picketpin

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Joined
May 11, 2017
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Location
bozone Montana
Alright, watched all the you-tubes on how to change the rear wheel bearings on a Dana 35, looks pretty straight forward. Jerry helped me with getting the correct fluids. So I tear into things, pull the wheels,brake drums, diff cover and back out the spider geat pin retaining bolt... Well, the bolt is broken in half so I fiddle with various methods of trying to get it out, I'm at a point where I epoxyed a brass rod to the stuck half and am waiting for it to dry... ony 13 more hours.. ugh..
Any one have any ideas how to get that out of there? It seems to have just a bit of thread left on it which makes it tough to get started... Spider gear pin only moves an 1/8" or so, so the pin is curretly still doing its job quite well. Appreciate any Suggestions...

james
 
Rotate the carrier 180 to were you are looking at the other side of the pin. If you have a brass rod to use as a punch. Place the brass rod on the carrier pin and hit hard. What you are trying to do is to break the screw in half. This will allow you to remove the carrier pin. You can use a easy out to remove the broken screw that holds the pin in place. I usually remove the carrier once I break carrier pin out to remove the rest of the screw. I'm not sure what your comfort level is doing this. You may want to button it up and let a shop remove it for you.
 
Rotate the carrier 180 to were you are looking at the other side of the pin. If you have a brass rod to use as a punch. Place the brass rod on the carrier pin and hit hard. What you are trying to do is to break the screw in half. This will allow you to remove the carrier pin. You can use a easy out to remove the broken screw that holds the pin in place. I usually remove the carrier once I break carrier pin out to remove the rest of the screw. I'm not sure what your comfort level is doing this. You may want to button it up and let a shop remove it for you.
I like that suggestion. I had to remove a broken Dana 35 axle shaft from a friend's TJ last month and I was praying that little bolt would come out without much problem. Fortunately it did. For those with a Dana 35, be sure to carry a 12 point 1/4" wrench which is needed to remove that little cross bolt.
 
Thanks for the replys, I did rotate 180 degrees and used a pretty soft bolt as a punch. I worked my way up to a 2lb sledge and that little pin is an sob and does not want to break in a place that will allow me to remove the carrier pin. There is no possible way to get a drill or easy-out any where near that hole, it is all just too tight on room. I'll keep at trying to finish breaking that pin, not much else I can see to do at this point. If I get it all apart I definately get the rebuild kit with new spiders and clutches..
james
 
Update..After getting it all apart the clutch pack fell out due to my jacking around and I noticed cracks in both bellview springs! Awesome, now I get to learn how to rebuild a track lok! Was not that hard with some all thread and heavy duty washers. All back together now and working well, i have a little pinion bearing noise... I'm not sure I want to tackle changing those bearings and trying to set up all back up again. What is the chance i could just change out the bearings and have the whole thing still be set up correctly? Guessing not a good chance of that.. Thanks for the help and tips!
 
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Update..After getting it all apart the clutch pack fell out due to my jacking around and I noticed cracks in both bellview springs! Awesome, now I get to learn how to rebuild a track lok! Was not that hard with some all thread and heavy duty washers. All back together now and working well, i have a little pinion bearing noise... I'm not sure I want to tackle changing those bearings and trying to set up all back up again. What is the chance i could just change out the bearings and have the whole thing still be set up correctly? Guessing not a good chance of that.. Thanks for the help and tips!

If you change out the pinion bearings inner and outer plus bearing races. It would need to be treated as a new install set up. I know some that have just replaced the pinion bearings and set it back up. I personally would treat it as a new install.
 
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