Any special tools required for rear pinion bearing replacement?

[sideways94]

Rear pinion bearing replacement-Update

My first post here so bear with me. I need to replace the pinion seal, slinger, spacer, and pinion input bearing on my 94 4WD Ranger w/ 8.8" Ford rear axle. The intermediate support bearing was bad when I bought the car and the added play has resulted in some lateral slop at the rear of the driveline. My question is: Can the bearing race be removed without a special tool with the pinion shaft still in the case? I have gear pullers, air tools, etc. but don't know what to expect once I get in there. I've read up here concerning the preload and torque requirements but could not find anything on the bearing race replacement. Hopefully it doesn't have to to driven out from the rear or heat applied to the housing for removal.

Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

 

[engdept]

you will need a press to get the bearing off and back on. You will have to also set the preload.

 

[sideways94]

you will need a press to get the bearing off and back on. You will have to also set the preload.

Thanks, but how do I use a bearing press on the bearing for the input side (front)??? Are you saying the input bearing is a 'pressed on' while the pinion shaft is on the car? I can see the rear bearing being pressed on the shaft before assembly but have trouble picturing the bearing press. It has just started to leak a few months ago and the wobble isn't too bad yet. There weren't any telltale metal pieces when I pulled the cover so I hopefully no serious damage has been done yet. I just trying to to replace everything that can wear out (220K miles) between the front pinion bearing race and flange. Sorry but my descriptions are probably bad, I work on old Porsches mostly so the Ranger is new to me. I would like to avoid doing the Explorer axle swap if I can. I think I understand the preload instructions if I install a new bearing set and spacer.

Thanks

 

[Jason]

The bearing is pressed on the pinion shaft. You need to remove the axles and carrier to get it out. At least I am pretty darn sure of it.

 

[sideways94]

The bearing is pressed on the pinion shaft. You need to remove the axles and carrier to get it out. At least I am pretty darn sure of it.

Thanks again for the responses. I figured there was no free lunch on this one I confirmed that the front bearing race is driven out from the rear after the shaft is removed. I know better than trying to set up a R&P myself so I made an appointment with a 4x4 shop here in Sacramento for this Friday. They are going to replace all the bearings in the entire axle if necessary. They'll throw in a good pressure bleed on the clutch hydraulics also. What an idiotic design to bleed. I just don't have the time right now and have to get this fixed so my son can drive it to school next week.

Now if I can just figure out why heating, cooling, and fans all quit working at once!

 

[metalmacguyver]

Before you go and drop $$$$ on that axle, hit up the local junkyard as you are likely to find a whole axle for much less than it will cost to have your current one fixed.

 

[lil red]

you bill also need a dial indicator to check the backlash of the ring
and an inchpound dial type torque wrench to set the breakaway torque on the pinion nut after you tighten it down

 

[Jason]

you bill also need a dial indicator to check the backlash of the ring
and an inchpound dial type torque wrench to set the breakaway torque on the pinion nut after you tighten it down

A really good torque wrench too. It has to read down pretty low and the cheapies can't do that.

 

[Jason]

FYI, the pinion seals only book out at 1.7 hours roughly. It is not an expensive repair to have a shop do.

 

[sideways94]

I've used this same 4x4 shop many times before when I had a lifted XJ and trust them completely. They won't fix anything not needing repair. The problem with pulling another rear end at a salvage yard is finding the right model, gear ratio, and still not knowing if it's got internal damage or not. I really need to have all this work done by Monday and I am way behind on my own engine build on my 944 Turbo. If I can get the Ranger fixed at a shop with both (F&R) pinion bearings for $350 like they claim I'll be happy. Time is money to me also and slogging through every Pic N' Pull in town in 100 deg. heat for hours sounds pretty bad at the moment. I've already done the trans (shop rebuild), clutch, locking hubs, drivelines, brakes, and too much other stuff myself so I'm sort of burned out on the Ranger at the moment and just want this last item done right. I'm smart enough to know that most shade tree mechanics can fubar up a R&P swap very easily.

 

[sideways94]

Just an update. Looks like a full axle rebuild is in order. I was at the shop when they pulled the axles and R&P. Both axles are badly galled at the outer wheel bearings and the pinion and carrier bearings are both worn. A friend at Ford is getting me both new axles for $160. The internal hard parts are fine though including R&P. The clutch hydraulics and bleeding problem I suspected turns out to be a badly worn original pressure plate. TOB travel is fine. The PO only replaced the disc and the truck has 215K miles on it. Looks like this will be more expensive than planned. I'll do the clutch myself though. One of my concerns is if the rear axle is that worn will the same wear apply for the front if it had factory locking hubs? 4WD has always engaged well w/ locking hubs so I'm hoping for the 'some' good news at least. I have to admit, the 4.0L engine is a workhorse, still running strong at that mileage and the leakdown/compression numbers are great.

 

[MAKG]

Bearing setups front and rear are completely different. Regular front repacks will tell you when they need to be replaced.


FYI, reusing the R&P and not messing with pinion bearings is far from a full rebuild.

 

[sideways94]

Bearing setups front and rear are completely different. Regular front repacks will tell you when they need to be replaced.


FYI, reusing the R&P and not messing with pinion bearings is far from a full rebuild.

Thanks for the front axle info, makes sense. I'm not sure about the FYI comment though. The 4WD shop is replacing all the bearings in the rear end including pinion bearings as part of the rebuild. Any suggestions on a good clutch kit? I've heard LUC makes a decent kit. I see Sachs makes one also and they've also worked well on the German cars I've owned. The truck doesn't see any real serious offroad use, just ski trips and camping.

Thanks

 

[bottledgt]

if all theyre doing is replacing the bearings and not setting up a new ring and pinion, 350 is an assraping.id say 150 bucks labor max,and a whole bearing install kit is about 60 bucks

 

[sideways94]

if all theyre doing is replacing the bearings and not setting up a new ring and pinion, 350 is an assraping.id say 150 bucks labor max,and a whole bearing install kit is about 60 bucks

Not sure what the labor rates are where you live but $90/hr is pretty normal around here in NorCal. I figure 4 hours min. is book time to remove all components, check them for wear, install pinion, carrier, and axle bearings, reset R&P, seals/gaskets, refill with Redline. Assrape is a little strong but opinions are like that. You're saying you can get the same labor for $150...where? Hucklebuck Motors or something? You can't even get a mechanic out here to run codes for less than $110. I checked with Rubicon and they wanted even more for the same work. I figure with 225K miles it's good insurance even though the price might seem high to most of you. Assraping is paying a shop $2200 for a clutch job on a 944 when parts are only $600-$700 or $490 to make 4-laser cut keys on an Infiniti Q45 because some maggot stole them during a break-in and left the car in the garage.

Again, any recommendations on a reputable clutch kit?