The rear end in my T is supposed to have been rebuilt. The guy who did it passed at least 10 years ago. Okay, I pulled the rear axle apart, and the dread babbit thrust washers were alive and living in there. Surprising they looked brand new. So what I cannot figure out is how can the babbit thrust bearings be in good shape, and all of the dowel pins all but worn away. Ring, pinion, spider gears all in excellent shape. No play at all in the drive shaft.n
Question? how do you determine if the roller bearing sleeves are reusable? The roller bearings all mike out in spec, and the sleeves look okay, how does one determine go - no go?
Cages need to be tight. Hold the roller bearing by its ends and try twisting it. If the cage is tight, it won't twist.
A lot of times you can see the wear on the sleeves. If you can't, measure the sleeves where the bearings haven't been rolling on them, and then measure where they have. That should tell you how much wear there is.
He could have rebuilt the rear axle with new babbitt thrust washers. They were available from JC Whitney and Sears as recently as the 1970's. I have some brand new ones that came from Western Auto.
It sounds like he installed new thrust washers but didn't replace the pins. Why? Who cares. Toss the babbitt thrust washers and buy some brass ones. Thank your lucky stars they didn't fail while you were coming down a long hill, or going up one!
In any case there is no reason to wonder "why", just fix it so you can go driving again!
Replace the pins and the brass thrust bearings!
I bet the reason the babbit shows no wear is that the washers were rotating against the axle housing instead of the sliding surface being between the babbit and washers.
I would defiantly put new pins in place to
1. have the babbit wear instead of the housing,
and 2. make sure the washers stay in place. (Without pins -in some cases- the washers can drop down and make a grove in the axle.)
Bronze, please. Brass is a sorry bearing material
Woops typing too fast and not thinking about materials.
I should know better!
Brass is for radiators and men that are not afraid!