[Treehick]

So...got the rear driveshaft installed, exhaust pipe is clear of the transmission pan (I think) and got both front axle shafts out. How I was stopping - only God knows. The inner brake pads disintegrated when I hammered them from the nearly frozen calipers.

But - not the reason I came here. Dropped the axle shafts off to the driveline shop to get the u-joints replaced for $20/ea and found out that my F350 U-joints "SPL553X" were in fact - too small! That my axle shafts require 1550's or SPL70-4X which is found in F450's and F550's.

This is quite concerning because I haven't attempted reassembly of anything and am now wondering, as I've purchased everything F350 on RockAuto - if I should've been purchasing everything as F450 or F550.

Question is - A 4x4 F350 cab and chassis with payload capacity of 5900 lbs - what all components would have been upgraded, other than the u-joints. I'll find out when I start reassembly - but thought I'd reach out here first.

 

[Treehick]

Turns out that my u-joints are actually SP(?)L170-4. Can't seem to find what those are typically stock in.

 

[Treehick]

I have 2 different axle shafts! They came out and they are going back in. Not going to worry about it right now...

 

[Treehick]

Decided to start on rear brakes - thought since I had more time, I could potentially actually get them back together, but that was too hopeful.

Is it true that you don't pack the bearings with grease? That they are lubed with axle gear oil? I find that hard to believe.. (2 youtube videos)

The inner bearing and seal on the driver's side track back to a RWD dually. But I have a 4wd cab and chassis dually. Can anyone explain this? Can a rear hub be swapped? Would it be safe to order the bearings and hubs for both sides, or should I tear down the passenger to confirm the bearings and inner seal?

Is there a place I can reference cab and chassis part references? I wonder if that's why..

And what are the clips for, with the the brake hardware?

 

[bobofthenorth]

Can't answer all your questions but yes, diff oil is what lubes those bearings. I like to drive the vehicle on a hillside after changing bearings - tip it each way to ensure the bearings are full. I have no idea what those little clips are for but I wouldn't sweat it. If I had a nickel for every random unknown useless part that has come packaged in a parts shipment I'd buy me a 6.7.

 

[Treehick]

Thank you for your response @bobofthenorth ! I found one of those clips in my old rotor, lodged in the heat sink vanes. But, I figured it had just fallen from the innards of the old parking brake assembly and weren't supposed to be in the vanes.

Also - should I lube the gears in any way, or top the diff off, before driving? The closest decent hill is a few miles away. Would it hurt to pack the bearings - after all, would grease really hurt anything since it's a closed system?

 

[Treehick]

Vehicle information. Maybe this can clarify things?

 

[bobofthenorth]

I can't imagine why grease would hurt anything but I'm just some goof on the interweb and I'll be long gone if your bearings puke. I do know that some busnuts pack the front wheel bearings on their buses rather than running them in oil baths as they were designed. Their logic is that grease packed bearings withstand long idle periods better than oil-lubed bearings.

 

[Treehick]

I can't imagine why grease would hurt anything but I'm just some goof on the interweb and I'll be long gone if your bearings puke. I do know that some busnuts pack the front wheel bearings on their buses rather than running them in oil baths as they were designed. Their logic is that grease packed bearings withstand long idle periods better than oil-lubed bearings.

Haha - well, I would hate it if you left because you gave your opinion on a forum of thousands of other people that can give the same or different advice. Anyone that doesn't cross-reference or take any advice on their own shoulders should probably take their stuff to a mechanic where they have the guarantee or warranty in writing...

With bus nuts - if the wheel is idle, than it doesn't need lube.. Unless they think that the vibration of the bus running would wear on the bearings? Anyhow - I'm good with fluid lubrication - just didn't know about the initial lubing.

I do appreciate any beneficial help, and even some sarcastic help - depending on if my questions are answered or not, haha.

 

[klhansen]

This is from the '02 Ford Service Manual (latest I have handy), but the axles are the same for later trucks.

CAUTION: Lightly coat the spindle and pack each rear wheel bearing with Premium Long-Life Grease XG-1-C or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.

The thought here is that the grease provides initial lubrication to the bearings until axle lube gets to them. The normal level of lube in the axle is typically below the level of the bottom of the axle tubes, and if you didn't prelube the bearings, they'd be dry for quite a while in normal operation (short of getting the truck on a giant slant to both sides).

Bottom line: Pack the bearings with grease.

 

[Treehick]

This is from the '02 Ford Service Manual (latest I have handy), but the axles are the same for later trucks.

CAUTION: Lightly coat the spindle and pack each rear wheel bearing with Premium Long-Life Grease XG-1-C or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESA-M1C75-B.

The thought here is that the grease provides initial lubrication to the bearings until axle lube gets to them. The normal level of lube in the axle is typically below the level of the bottom of the axle tubes, and if you didn't prelube the bearings, they'd be dry for quite a while in normal operation (short of getting the truck on a giant slant to both sides).

Bottom line: Pack the bearings with grease.

Makes sense to me. Thank you!

 

[Treehick]

And I went ahead and purchased the inner bearing and seal for a RWD truck to match what I'm pulling out. I'm not worried about replacing the races because I probably don't even need to replace the bearings.

However, I do need to replace the seals because they were gone and the entire inside of the drum was gummy. So - I'll just do both. Thankfully the spindle looked nice, clean, and smooth.

I saturated it with spray silicone grease while I wait for the parts to arrive, but will clean the spindle off, let dry, and apply some long-life grease before reinstalling everything.

 

[Treehick]

Clips are to hold the pins in. Here's a great write up: Parking Brake Backing Plate Installation - WITH PICTURES - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

[Big Horn]

And I went ahead and purchased the inner bearing and seal for a RWD truck to match what I'm pulling out. I'm not worried about replacing the races because I probably don't even need to replace the bearings.

However, I do need to replace the seals because they were gone and the entire inside of the drum was gummy. So - I'll just do both. Thankfully the spindle looked nice, clean, and smooth.

I saturated it with spray silicone grease while I wait for the parts to arrive, but will clean the spindle off, let dry, and apply some long-life grease before reinstalling everything.

I may have misunderstood the above, but if you are replacing bearings and not the races that may be a mistake. I was always told to replace them as a set and when pulling bearings from an axle to always keep them with the wheels and parts from the side they came off of so as not to mismatch bearings and races.

 

[Treehick]

I may have misunderstood the above, but if you are replacing bearings and not the races that may be a mistake. I was always told to replace them as a set and when pulling bearings from an axle to always keep them with the wheels and parts from the side they came off of so as not to mismatch bearings and races.

I'll replace the race if there are any nicks or grooves. I probably didn't need to replace the bearings but since I used the inner bearing to get the inner seal out, I'll definitely need to replace it.

 

[Treehick]

Passenger side wasn't as bad, but still bad.

 

[Big Horn]

Those rotors look really worn in the picture from what I can see, but gets fuzzy when I zoom in. Is the back side grooved? Here’s a pic of the new ones I installed a couple years ago:

 

[Treehick]

I'm not sure if they're grooved, but the inside surface is only a 1/16th thick.

I have new rotors for the back. New calipers, lines, parking brake, hardware. Everything but the bearing races or the parking brake cable. I didn't know the length, but figured I could change that after I get back on the road.

 

[Treehick]

Those rotors look really worn in the picture from what I can see, but gets fuzzy when I zoom in. Is the back side grooved? Here’s a pic of the new ones I installed a couple years ago

If you click on my link up above somewhere, the link should show my updated photos that you can zoom in.

Your rotors look really nice. I don't recall mine having the conical look to them, but maybe they changed from 02 to 06? My new ones match the old shape, so hopefully I'm good..

 

[Treehick]

Slowly but surely. I'm super glad that my work table is solid and my working height!

Dang brake clips - no idea how to put them on the pad and then in the caliper. Researching again...

Not shown - new lines are hooked up to the new calipers to limit moisture in the lines.

My parts pile is growing smaller!