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first time pulling axles...9.5 14 bolt. Tips please!

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Big6ft6

1/2 ton status
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Location
Madison, WI
My truck is on jackstands with the diff cover off of my 9.5 14 bolt with gov-lock. I'm about to take out the little retaining bolt that holds the big metal pin in place so I can get at the c-clips. I'm nervous. What should I "beware" of? What are common mistakes?

I've heard the spider gears can "fall out". Everyone says be careful so they don't fall out, but nobody says exactly how to "be careful" .

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated...trying to avoid my bad habit of turning one problem into two problems!! Thanks!!

Nate
 
Pull the pin,push the axles in and take out the c-clip,no big deal,and if the spiders fall out ,they are easy to put back in and alighn with each other,may take a time or two,but not a big deal
 
First time I did it I broke the bolt holding the cross shaft in. (10 bolt). I used an air hammer to bust the rest of the bolt up. Took a week of working after my day job to get it out. After that, it was a piece of cake. :waytogo:
 
So I pulled out my first axle, went super smooth and easy:D. But then I had to get the seal out....geez...that thing was a bugger. I got it out and then noticed a scratch in the seal surface of the axle tube...I'm afraid I might have done it with my prybar while I was prying the seal out. Now I'm fraking out, the scratch is deep enough to catch your fingernail in.

Will this impact that sealing with the new seal? When I install the new seal should I do anything with the scratch..like put a tab of silicone or something in that area? I'll try to post a pic.

412139928.jpg
 
Also, would appreciate feedback on how to know if my axles were damaged by the old seal? I don't feel or see a groove...would that be what I should look for? Here is a pic.
412139930.jpg
 
I would just dab some silicone on your scratch.

It's hard to tell on the seal surface but it looks alright.
 
From the picture I'm not seeing any major problems. Seal surface looks okay, and as blazinuk said, a little silicone should buy some piece of mind. The fit of the seal is likely tight enough to prevent any issue, but I know a lot of people that smear a layer of RTV around the metal mating surface on the seal for extra protection.

When it came to installing the shafts, I just put a finger on the gears as I pushed the shaft in to install the c-clip. If your arms are too short, get a buddy. Mine has a gov-lock too and I've pulled the shafts out a couple times and reinstalled with no problem.
 
Thanks paratrooper, glad to know that others have put some sealer on the seal surface before installing the seal..., as far as re-inserting axles, can the spider gears even fall out with these big blocks of metal inside the Gov-Lock? (See red arrow)
412140331.jpg
 
They probably won't as long as you don't get crazy rough with it, but as it has been noted, it's easy enough to put them back in or hold them in place with your hand.
 
The big pin in the middle is the pinion shaft. The gears on it are the pinion gears. The ones on the axleshaft ends are side gears.

I had mine apart (with gov-lock) and the center block didn't come out as I recall. Only time the side/pinion gears move that would be an issue is once the pinion shaft is removed and you rotate the axles or carrier. Easy to put back together. There are no small parts to worry about. Once I get the c-clips off/axles out I like to put the pinion shaft back in place, at least just to keep everything from "falling apart" just in case. :)

When you put it back together, tighten the pinion shaft retaining pin to spec. It doesn't need to be in there super tight, and don't force it. Doesn't seem common on the 9.5" diffs, but if that pin breaks, the head comes out and it's normally a real bear to get the rest of it out. And since you can't disassemble with that piece in there...
 
Dyeager535...Thanks...great tips!! When I get home I'm putting that pinion shaft back in! And I will be careful with that retaining pin...that is the kind of the "Oh $h!t" mistake I want to avoid!
 
Looks like you've got it figured out, but I just wanted to say hi. I come through Madison every couple months or so, and I like to meet up with CK5 members. There are also a bunch of members down in that area if you ever need help with anything.
 
Campfire, thanks a bunch! That would be awesome. Next time you're coming through feel free to PM me. After this axle is buttoned-up my next task is to pull the passenger head where I expect to find a burnt exhaust valve. I've never gotten into an engine before and will take any advice/help I can get to be sure I don't screw up.
 
Big6ft6 said:
Campfire, thanks a bunch! That would be awesome. Next time you're coming through feel free to PM me. After this axle is buttoned-up my next task is to pull the passenger head where I expect to find a burnt exhaust valve. I've never gotten into an engine before and will take any advice/help I can get to be sure I don't screw up.
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You're in the right place.

Timing is interesting. I'm heading to Madison today, should be there in a few hours. :thinking:
 
So I finished installing the seals over the weekend. Here are some tips for future first-time seal-replacers some from me and some offered by other CK5 posters above:
  1. get a magnet, one of those for reaching behind things to pick up dropped bolts/nuts (few bucks at hardware store) it work really well for getting the c-clips out. Put the magnet as close the c-clip as you can, then use a screw driver to gently rotate the c-clip as soon as it gets to the right position it will pop out on to the magnet
  2. When prying out the old seals, if you're using a screw-drive or pry bar, pry in such a way that the tip of the prying utensil is pointed towards the top of the axle housing. This way if you scratch the seal surface, the scratch will be at the top of the housing where it will be less likely to leak instead of at the bottom where it will be below the fluid once your axle is re-filled.
  3. put the pinion shaft back in the carrier when you're axles are out, it is easy to do and will give you peace of mind that the spiders won't fall out (from what I can tell with the gov-lock I don't think the spiders can fall out, but I did it anyway, peace of mind is worth it.)
  4. don't over-tighten the little pinion shaft pin/bolt, they apparently break pretty easy and then you have a big project on your hands.
 
Yep, thanks Ethan, it did go quite smoothly, other than scratching the seal surfaces on BOTH ends of my axle housing...grrr. I put new brake shoes and wheel cylinders on each side and scrubbed the drums really well.
Only time will tell if the leaking is stopped, but things look clean and shiny for now:D. I will be really frustrated if after some time I pull the brakes apart and they are again coated in oil. While it is a fairly straight forward job, since I only get about 1 hr of free time per weekend, any job is a pain.
 
Big6ft6 said:
Yep, thanks Ethan, it did go quite smoothly, other than scratching the seal surfaces on BOTH ends of my axle housing...grrr. I put new brake shoes and wheel cylinders on each side and scrubbed the drums really well.
Only time will tell if the leaking is stopped, but things look clean and shiny for now:D. I will be really frustrated if after some time I pull the brakes apart and they are again coated in oil. While it is a fairly straight forward job, since I only get about 1 hr of free time per weekend, any job is a pain.
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I hear ya about problems recurring. On my rig I cheated this problem. I had a leaking pinion seal on my 10-bolt, and I determined that it would be more fun to swap in a good full-float axle than it would be to tear the axle apart to get to the pinion. So I avoided the problem rather than tackle it. I then put new seals in the axle and promptly found one of them leaking (within 10 miles). :doah: So I replaced that seal twice.

The reason I chose the 14bff axle is that it is a whole bunch easier to service. I just didn't like having to tear apart the axle to fix a seal. Although I still have that issue with the front, I'm now able to easily work on the rear.

I'm sure it was the hard way to solve the problem, but it did make for a fun project. And it should be easier next time, if the truck manages to outlast this set of seals & bearings. :thumb:


Here's hoping your seals hold. :popcorn:
 
I had faith in you Big6. Nothing like the feeling of doing things yourself. :waytogo:
 
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