MTFCA Forum

I have been servicing and upgrading my T for an upcoming special event. Yesterday I was going to remove the passenger side outer axle bearing for re-packing and installation of new modern seals. The bearing would not come out of the housing. It would turn in place and pull out a bit but I never got it out. I suspect that the outer bearing shell is worn and there is a ledge that the rollers catch on. I have other tasks to perform so to keep moving forward, I removed the grease cup and replaced it with a zerk and pumped the bearing full. The modern outer seal went on easily so I am set for now.
It occured to me later that perhaps I could have cut a soup can apart and down the side to make a "funnel" that would slip in around the bearing to guide the rollers past whatever they are bumping into.
Am I on the right track here? Any suggestions?

Mike

That technique would certainly be worth a try - Stevens Tools made a nifty bearing puller for such a task but even with it, one needs to use caution !

Its typical for wear to occur on the top side of the sleeve. The more wear, the deeper the lip created. That has to be what is hanging you up.
your can idea or a feeler gauge on the top side of the bearing outta work as you turn & pull the bearing. In extreme cases, push the bearing in & grind the raised lip on the sleeve.

36mike wrote: ↑

Wed May 07, 2025 1:49 pm

Am I on the right track here? Any suggestions?

Mike

Yes, you're on the right track. Keep in mind that with the sleeve most likely worn, the axle is now not operating on the centerline of the housing. This means that the axle will be forced against the upper edge of the seal, while being allowed to possibly gap at the bottom... allowing grease to exit. I've been through that mess...

As John says, when the bearings wear the sleeves, there is often a raised lip created on the edge of the sleeve adjacent to the bearing wear surface. If that is causing the hangup, adding a soup can sleeve will only make matters worse by reducing any clearance available. As suggested, push the bearing inwards and have at it on the raised ridge with a die grinder. The sleeve will need replacing, so any grindings can be cleaned up when fitting the replacement sleeve.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Hi Mike,
I'm thinking if there is a worn area in the bearing sleeve sufficient enough to hang up the bearing then it is worn enough that it needs replaced.
Have you ever had this bearing out before? How much play is in the bearing? Is leakage the reason for adding a modern seal? Some times inner
seals hold the sleeve from going in all the way & guys have ground the sleeve to get clearance & the bearing cage may have fallen behind the
sleeve? Try looping a small wire around a bearing pin & turning the axle with the other wheel in high gear to rotate the axle & see if that helps?
If leakage is the issue a new inner seal maybe in order. Good luck.
Craig

I had leakage but I think it was due to oil migration from the engine. The diff was way over full. I drained off the excess and removed as much of the thinned out remaining oil, as I could. I topped off with 90W. The u-joint ball is now pumped full of gun grease and I will look at the 4th main in the near future.
The rear axle is a Ruckstell that I built about 30 years ago so it was put together with the best of my stuff at that time. Considering its use, it probably does not have 500 miles on it.
I don't want to risk harm to my new seals so I will tackle the bearing, then sleeve removal again and if I am unsuccessful I will put an original seal on until I can take a deeper dive into the situation.
The car has an appointment at a special event so I have some time constraints that might cause me to take temporary measures for now.
As a side note, the engine oil that found its way to the differential was 10W. This car was given to me in 1966 by a family friend. He bought it at a farm auction in 1953, from the original owner. The owner told him that he had always used 10W oil in the car. When I got it running, and realized how nice the engine was, I decided not to mess with success and have continued to use 10W oil.
Thanks for all the help.

Mike

I think that's a great techniques..would certainly be worth a try