Ah, you've now become a victim of the conundrum that is high strength steel alloys used for axles.First of all I'm new to the site. Thanks for the help ahead of time.
I noticed today some gear oil leaking around my rear passenger axle. So I thought i would go ahead and replace the rear axle outter seal and bearing. I couldn't get the axles pushed in far enough to get the C clip out. I thought it may have had something to do with the auburn locker on it. I finally had to beat it in pretty hard to get the axle in far enough to remove the C clip and then beat it back out to remove the axle. On every i got it out i think i know the problem i was having with not being able to get it out. Apparently the bearing went out and rubbed a big grove in it. Now I've got to replace the axle. It has 30 spline alloy USA axles and a auburn locker in it.
Am I correct thinking that that big grove shouldn't be there?
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The problem as you've seen is the higher strength steel alloys like 4340 and similar is they are through hardening alloys and not good for case hardening like 1541H and similar. Through hardening alloys are hard to heat treat to have a high hardness at the outer surface that a bearing can ride on without becoming too brittle and shattering under load. 1541H is a good case hardening material and you can bring the case (outer layer of harder material) up to a very high hardness so they can act as a bearing race while leaving the core at a softer more ductile level that isn't brittle.
I've played this game designing a u-joint cross out of 300M and it's hard to get the surface hard and keep a ductile core in place.
The issue is the buying public doesn't understand that almost no one wheels hard enough to take out 1541H axles and they have to have 4340 because it just sounds better. Now you see why it isn't. That and Alloy USA can't design much without borrowing ideas.