Hey, all. I'm posting this in the "Off Topic" section, as this 8.8 axle is not under a TJ, but a Lincoln Town Car. Still, maybe advice/suggestions could be transferred over to an 8.8 (or even a Dana 35) that's being run in a TJ, so here goes...
My '03 Town Car is one of the ones that fell victim to a batch of "soft" axles. The outer axle bearings have worn grooves deep into the axle shafts, with the driver's side being the worst. I bought new Yukon 1541H axles and Standard Gear bearing/seal kits to do the repair. The passenger side axle came out without a hitch, but the driver's side will not push in far enough to allow me to remove the C-clip. This is the second time I've attempted this, but each has ended in an inability to get the axle pushed in far enough. As a result, I've had to reassemble everything with the damaged parts, and return the vehicle to its parking space (street parking) out front. I cannot have the car disabled beyond the weekend (I'm working on it in front of my garage, with its driver's side rear quarter protruding into the alley).
The driver's axle moves up and down (at the flange) a good .250", so that's a huge indicator that the groove worn into the axle is substantial. With assistance from my son, we attempted to jockey the axle into a "center" position so as to lift the groove up off of the roller bearings, all while keeping a constant pressure on pushing the axle inward. Alas, we did not succeed. I then attempted some healthy smacks with a large-ish hammer, but again, no success. At that point, I had little choice but to reassemble it and call it a day.
I've scoured YouTube, and searched forums for information and advice. One forum had no less than three members all give the same advice (for a situation exactly like mine) where they recommended loosening the carrier bearing caps, removing the carrier bearing shim from the offending side, and then sliding the entire carrier over for more clearance. That would be brilliant, if not for the fact that the carrier bearing shim is a fully enclosed loop with an axle passing through it. How in the hell are you supposed to remove it? Remember, three members suggested that to the guy with the same problem I'm having.
I briefly considered destroying the C-clip, or even the end of the axle, in an attempt to remove the axle, but quickly thought better of it. Even if I successfully removed the offending axle, what if there is something going on to where I go to install the new axle, and find that I cannot expose enough of the groove to get the new C-clip installed? I'd be properly screwed!
So, I come to you all for ideas and suggestions. What could be causing this? After buttoning it all back up, I considered that perhaps I had the axle rotated in such a manner as to line up the back (head) of one of the lug/wheel studs in such a way that it was hitting on something within the parking brake mechanism. I'll have to investigate that further. Is it possible that the spider gear that the axle is passing through has somehow moved inward (toward the cross pin), thereby not allowing the C-clip to clear it when pushed in?
For what it's worth, while I basically understand the way the diffs are set up (in the simplest of terms), I have no real experience with them. I do know that my spider gears are fairly "polished" at the contact points, but there are no sharp edges, ledges, pits, or damage of that nature. I also know that the rear end made no strange noises when traveling down the road, regardless of speed, so I'm inclined to believe that there was no problem with the spider gears. If the one spider gear has somehow moved inward, wouldn't that have created a noise?
Really hoping that @ac_ or maybe @Rob5589 can help me out with this one, as well as anyone else with any experience with the 8.8 rear end. Sorry this went on so long, but I wanted to get as much detail as I could out there, to better increase the chances of finding a solution. If I cannot resolve this on my own, I may be forced to have it hauled to a shop, which I really don't want to do.
Thanks, all.
Regards,
Squatch
My '03 Town Car is one of the ones that fell victim to a batch of "soft" axles. The outer axle bearings have worn grooves deep into the axle shafts, with the driver's side being the worst. I bought new Yukon 1541H axles and Standard Gear bearing/seal kits to do the repair. The passenger side axle came out without a hitch, but the driver's side will not push in far enough to allow me to remove the C-clip. This is the second time I've attempted this, but each has ended in an inability to get the axle pushed in far enough. As a result, I've had to reassemble everything with the damaged parts, and return the vehicle to its parking space (street parking) out front. I cannot have the car disabled beyond the weekend (I'm working on it in front of my garage, with its driver's side rear quarter protruding into the alley).
The driver's axle moves up and down (at the flange) a good .250", so that's a huge indicator that the groove worn into the axle is substantial. With assistance from my son, we attempted to jockey the axle into a "center" position so as to lift the groove up off of the roller bearings, all while keeping a constant pressure on pushing the axle inward. Alas, we did not succeed. I then attempted some healthy smacks with a large-ish hammer, but again, no success. At that point, I had little choice but to reassemble it and call it a day.
I've scoured YouTube, and searched forums for information and advice. One forum had no less than three members all give the same advice (for a situation exactly like mine) where they recommended loosening the carrier bearing caps, removing the carrier bearing shim from the offending side, and then sliding the entire carrier over for more clearance. That would be brilliant, if not for the fact that the carrier bearing shim is a fully enclosed loop with an axle passing through it. How in the hell are you supposed to remove it? Remember, three members suggested that to the guy with the same problem I'm having.
I briefly considered destroying the C-clip, or even the end of the axle, in an attempt to remove the axle, but quickly thought better of it. Even if I successfully removed the offending axle, what if there is something going on to where I go to install the new axle, and find that I cannot expose enough of the groove to get the new C-clip installed? I'd be properly screwed!
So, I come to you all for ideas and suggestions. What could be causing this? After buttoning it all back up, I considered that perhaps I had the axle rotated in such a manner as to line up the back (head) of one of the lug/wheel studs in such a way that it was hitting on something within the parking brake mechanism. I'll have to investigate that further. Is it possible that the spider gear that the axle is passing through has somehow moved inward (toward the cross pin), thereby not allowing the C-clip to clear it when pushed in?
For what it's worth, while I basically understand the way the diffs are set up (in the simplest of terms), I have no real experience with them. I do know that my spider gears are fairly "polished" at the contact points, but there are no sharp edges, ledges, pits, or damage of that nature. I also know that the rear end made no strange noises when traveling down the road, regardless of speed, so I'm inclined to believe that there was no problem with the spider gears. If the one spider gear has somehow moved inward, wouldn't that have created a noise?
Really hoping that @ac_ or maybe @Rob5589 can help me out with this one, as well as anyone else with any experience with the 8.8 rear end. Sorry this went on so long, but I wanted to get as much detail as I could out there, to better increase the chances of finding a solution. If I cannot resolve this on my own, I may be forced to have it hauled to a shop, which I really don't want to do.
Thanks, all.
Regards,
Squatch
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