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Help with axle removal K5

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PaulZ

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When I bought my K5 a year ago the guy mentioned something about the axles..

I have a vibration I suspect is a rear wheel bearing so I've just pulled the cover to find this locker, posi or whatever it is. What is it? How do I get to the C clip to remove the axle? Would the axles still be a standard item? Thanks.

Picture not showing, link works

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj558/pwzell/0316171103_zpsxo5ue3hc.jpg
0316171103_zpsxo5ue3hc.jpg
 
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factory gov-loc AKA gov-boom

just above on the right side is the cross shaft lock bolt almost dead across from the top bolt for the carrier bearing cap. pull it in 1 piece if your lucky . there known to be broken in the case .

then remove the clips like normal and put the pin back in to hold gears in place .

fyi they don't look like stock gears . check the ratio when your in there.
 
Thanks! I pulled the lock bolt and pin, there is still some of that crap in the way before the axle will slide in, looks like a big hunk the pin goes through. One spider has fallen out, the other is trapped in there at the moment.

Shit, I hate 90w on my back...
 
OK, got the spiders back in and the axles out. Thanks again! Oh, the gears are 4:56
 
Looks like just seal wear I was looking at. Are those axle saver bearings OK for minor off road use?
 
stock bearing and seal setup .

I removed a set of saver bearings from 1 cause they sucked .

new axles or jb weld then sand smoth with fine grit sand paper .
 
The brake looks dry, so it can't be leaking much. Hard to tell the wear from a picture. Just feel it with your fingernail. Check the bearing out before you pull the seal. If it's OK, it might be better than the aftermarket replacement you'll get.

Describe this vibration. Does it happen under coast, throttle, speed dependent, etc. What makes you think wheel bearing instead of U-joints or pinion bearing?
 
I had vibration and a growl from the rear end, turned out to be a worn pinion bearing. My suspicions were confirmed by pinion seal leakage and a loose pinion. Bad axle bearings seldom cause vibration, you usually get noise that increases with wheel speed.
 
Sorry, bad photo of the axle. That axle just has a minor line of corrosion you can just make out. The other axle however had a couple of larger patches of corrosion almost the width of the bearing rollers. So I put in two axle saver bearings just to get it back together and not blocking my driveway. The old bearings looked fine. I'll probably get some new axles and bearings so I'm ready next time. I haven't had it on the highway yet but judging by the condition of the old bearings I don't thing it will solve the vibration problem. I had looked at this chart online
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=62469&stc=1&d=1349789292
that indicated wheel bearings at the speed I most notice it. Ford website, should have known lol.
I was anxious to have a peek inside the diff anyway since it did appear to have low gears and also climbs the muddy dirt road to my cabin very well. Would that gov lock have been original in my '83? I don't do any serious off roading so it should be OK.

Anyway when I had it all bolted up I was spinning the drive shaft by hand and noticed the u-joint cups are loose in the rear yoke! The clamps are tight so something is amiss and I'm not sure how to fix that other than try some different clamps. I can slide the joint back and forth just a hair, there are circlips on thes inside of the cups that limit the travel. Could be the vibration, I'll be popping the shaft out today for a better look. Also I had it out once before and the pinion nut was loose, hopefully it has not hurt anything. Looks like someone put in these gears.

0316171546_zpsvn5pgawx.jpg
 
PaulZ said:
Anyway when I had it all bolted up I was spinning the drive shaft by hand and noticed the u-joint cups are loose in the rear yoke! The clamps are tight so something is amiss and I'm not sure how to fix that other than try some different clamps. I can slide the joint back and forth just a hair, there are circlips on thes inside of the cups that limit the travel. Could be the vibration, I'll be popping the shaft out today for a better look. Also I had it out once before and the pinion nut was loose, hopefully it has not hurt anything.
Click to expand...

It can't run smooth with a messed up U-joint, so no point swapping other parts until that's fixed. Sine it's a 10-bolt rear, it should take a standard 1330 U-joint, but it's possible somebody swapped the yoke or the driveshaft with one from a 12-bolt truck. In that case you would need some kind of 1330-1310 adapter U-joint or swap parts back to stock.

EDIT: It's also possible the U-joint is just really wasted. What you need is a set of calipers to make careful measurements. You can't really tell the difference between U-joint series with a ruler or such. Inspect the yoke and straps carefully for damage.

If the pinion nut is loose, you might get away with tightening it and staking it there. You need to hit enough torque to snug it up, but not enough to further compress the crush sleeve (i.e. search). However, there's a chance you'll need a new bearing or new crush sleeve, which means some set-up work that's pretty involved.
 
A GM 10 bolt uses a 3R u-joint. A 1330 is a Ford deal most often. I have a set of ten bolt axles that may be good from one of the many I've grenaded. I will get out to the hanger and look at them and see if they are any good. They probably are or I wouldn't have kept them. You can have them for the shipping.
 
Thanks AV8TER, let me know. I pulled the drive shaft today, can't detect any movement in the joints themselves. The tailshaft bushing in the T case must be worn, I could wiggle the front yoke up and down some. How involved is that? Also the pinion yoke is still loose. I tightened it as much as I could with a breaker bar on the ground but I can still move it back and forth on the spines, the nut following the yoke. I have a 3/4 drive 4ft. torque wrench but I'll need to get the tuck up on a lift and hold the yoke somehow to use it.
 
PaulZ said:
Thanks AV8TER, let me know. I pulled the drive shaft today, can't detect any movement in the joints themselves. The tailshaft bushing in the T case must be worn, I could wiggle the front yoke up and down some. How involved is that? Also the pinion yoke is still loose. I tightened it as much as I could with a breaker bar on the ground but I can still move it back and forth on the spines, the nut following the yoke. I have a 3/4 drive 4ft. torque wrench but I'll need to get the tuck up on a lift and hold the yoke somehow to use it.
Click to expand...

STOP ! ! ! unless you know how to setup gears you might have just over crushed the crush sleeve. read up on this before you run the axle again .

and if the yoke goes in/out and the nut is tight then something is WRONG in the axle setup .
 
It doesn't move in and out, it rotates on the splines, just a hair, and the nut moves with it. Sorry, that wasn't clear. I did set up an 8" Ford ring and pinion a couple years ago, on the bench. Can I get the front pinion bearing out of this one in the truck, replace the crush sleeve and get it back together?
 
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PaulZ said:
It doesn't move in and out, it rotates on the splines, just a hair, and the nut moves with it. Sorry, that wasn't clear. I did set up an 8" Ford ring and pinion a couple years ago, on the bench. Can I get the front pinion bearing out of this one in the truck, replace the crush sleeve and get it back together?
Click to expand...
If the nut is moving with the pinion yoke, then it's not slipping on the splines. You're likely feeling the play between the pinion gear and ring gear.
 
I got under there to take a video only to notice that yes you are correct, the pinion is turning with the yoke/nut. I could have sworn it wasn't..so for now I think I'm good. The axle bearings helped the vibration problem, oddly. Thought I had a pretty smooth ride until I took my wife's newish car for a spin yesterday. I don't suppose my old Blazer will ever feel that nice, but her car can't climb hills. :)

Thanks guys for all the advice.
 
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