P71 rear axle bearing

OK, it's a civilian model not a P71, but same thing.

I drove my in laws crown vic on Friday night and noticed (it was hard not too!!) that the brakes were to put it kindly, shot. So I promised to come and look at them today. I asked when the pads were last changed (2 years ago) and how old the fluid was (never changed -10-11 years!!!). Great thinks I, all I'll need to do is flush the fluid, it's obviously shot.

If only..

Start at the back and notice dampness no I think the caliper is leaking, so when I start to strip things down it gets worse bad. This is what I think has happened. Some time, probably years ago, someone drove with the park brake on, that overheated the drum in hat, both shoes were down to bare metal, although I did find some friction material in the bottom. that cooked the bearing seal so crap could get in and destroy the bearing. Grabbing the axle flange you can move it up down 1/8 - 1/4 ". Obviously before fixing the brakes we need a new bearing and seal, I just hope the shaft is still good.

So what's the process of swapping the bearing? I assume I pull the diff cover, remove the C clip, pop out the axle shaft. Then I could get a bearing puller, pull out the old bearing, push in the new one and reassemble?

IS it that?

I think he might have to take this to a garage as I don't have time, we can't do it all today and I have to work during the week.

Comments?

In-Laws car? Are you ready for the life time warranty issues? Not exactly a simple job, you don't have time, could be a bit of a mess to get it all properly done? Put it on a hook and have your trusted mechanic take care of it. More money of course, but not your money.

Update, I've measured the free play at the axle ends. The Bad' side is 13-15 thou, the 'Good' side is 8-10 thou.

cwh, it doesn't always work that way!

What are peoples opinions on acceptable free play of the axle shafts? the above figures are at the edge of the hub measured with a dial gauge.

Might look for a complete second hand axle

there a good chance that you'll have to replace the shaft itself. If the bearing is bad and has been for a bit, it eats the axle. You can sometimes get away with what is called a repair bearing, but not always.

Updates, well I've found that prior to a 1/1/03 build date there is an known issue with the hardness of the axle shafts. So what we're going to do is get a new axle shaft bearing and seal. You can get a kit relativly cheaply through Amazon, the fact that this one has lasted 100+k miles shows it has a realtivly easy life.

So for today, the car had to be mobile so we threw a new set of rotors and pads and bled the whole system (remember the fluid is factory fresh!! only 10 years old). So at least the car is drivable and has rear brakes again (they were totaly non functional). Hopefully I can get on a friends hoist next weekend and get it fixed correctly.

I would hesitate to use the repair bearings if you want a long term repair. They move the rollers out to a fresh chunk of axle, but that leaves very little room for a seal, so they tend to leak, in the short term if used lots, and eventually with all of them.

They are a very crude design, and I'm not picking on Ford here- GM invented them. Pull the axles and check the surface where the bearings ride. Any wear more than typical discoloration, bite the bullet and buy a new axle, bearing and seal. (Or two) No significant wear on the axle, pop seals in it, make sure the vent on the diff isn't blocked, and go.

yeah, get new axles.. the bearing rides directly on the shaft, and it is constantly wearing a groove into it. those repair bearings might be good enough for a shady used car lot looking to fix it long enough to get the car off the lot, but i would never use them.

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. The intention is to get a kit of a new axle, bearing and seal. YOu can get them from a variaty of sources for around $100 for the lot.

I probibly have to do the same repair in my expedishion. I had the rear tires off a couple weeks back and it is leaking out the seals.

On my P71, I had to replace the pass axle seal, bearing, and axle itself 3 times. Finally I just swapped in a whole damn rear end. About a year later, that one toasted the seal, bearing, and axle. It's been about a year since that repair, hopefully I don't run into it again. Did a 4 wheel alignment check with our new Hunter machine to make sure everything was square, all checked out OK. Hope I don't have to do that crap again.

Check all that out when you do it. Make sure you clean out the whole diff housing and get all the metal shavings out of there.

My P71 ate an axle bearing (though without a parking brake-on failure) and I replaced the whole axle. It was fairly easy (c-clips, just pop the diff cover) and cheap.

OK, anyone use one of these instead of a slide hammer to remove the old bearing?

http://www.harborfreight.com/rear-axle-bearing-puller-set-66380.html

Just buy a slide hammer. Try used tool stores and pawn shops.

You use that bearing puller kit WITH a slide hammer, not excluding it.

Those of you who have changed azxle shafts, what suppliers ahve you used and or recomend?

I bought mine from NAPA, forgot the brand. Be careful though! The ABS rings changed and varied so make sure you got the exact same axle as what you took out. Wrong ring = permanent kickback pedal.

Bringing this back from the dead. We put it back together with the new brakes but the old axle and bearings knowing we'd need to replace the axle shaft, but at least it's been drivable.

The FIL has bought a pair of Dorman axle shafts, but we're not convinced. On the bench, sliding the outer bearing into position and measuring the run out of the bearing with a dial gage attached to the flange and reading on the outer bearing surface we get 5 thou run out. That’s better than the 15 thou pass side and 30 thou drivers side free play with what’s on the car, but that seems to be a lot for new parts. I believe the Ford spec is 3 thou so technically it’s out of spec before being fitted.

Thoughts? It’s good enough or return them?

thx

Return the Dormans, they are far more trouble than they are worth. As you saw, out-of-spec right out of the box.

Javelin wrote: Return the Dormans, they are far more trouble than they are worth. As you saw, out-of-spec right out of the box.

Suggested brand?

I hate to say it, but Ford dealership...