Getting the bearings off the carrier..

[bharris68]

So I'm working over a pair of Dana 44's from a 1976 Wagoneer that had the Quadra-Track case. I got the carrier out and have been trying to get the bearings off the carrier - granted, they've been on there for.. oh wait.. *math* 30 YEARS or so!!!

I finally wound up using a bearing puller to bust up the outer cone of the bearing and got it down to the inner portion still stuck on the carrier. Then I took a dremel and cut notches near to the bone on opposite sides. I tossed it in the freezer for a day to make the steel contract, then pulled it out and hit the inner bearing cone with a propane torch - after getting that warm I tapped it with a cold chisel and a mallet - popped apart and left me with my carrier and the shims. :clappy:

So that was successful, but am I doing that the hard way?? Is there a proper tool for this kind of thing?? Or at 30 years are all bets just off?



Thanks for any input you all have got - I appreciate it!

Brett.

 

[JayH]

I usually take a cutoff wheel on a die grinder to the inner race. Get it close enough and it just pops.

 

[KarlVP]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/Randys_Carrier_Bearing_Puller_Review/

available at Randy's Ring and Pinion.

 

[Grommit327]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/Randys_Carrier_Bearing_Puller_Review/

available at Randy's Ring and Pinion.

X2

Clamshell pullers...the only way to go if you are doing diffs once in a while. Mine has done about 8 and was definately a worthwhile investment

 

[NotMatt]

I usually take a cutoff wheel on a die grinder to the inner race. Get it close enough and it just pops.

This is the way I do it as well. Just cut the old bearing off. Make yourself a set of "setup" bearings (make sure they're the same brand as what you're going to use when you press the final bearings on) by grinding just a smell out of the ID of the bearing race. Don't worry about some $300 clamshell puller. I've done numerous D44's with this setup and haven't had one fail yet.

 

[Cascade_Crawler]

This is the way I do it as well. Just cut the old bearing off. Make yourself a set of "setup" bearings (make sure they're the same brand as what you're going to use when you press the final bearings on) by grinding just a smell out of the ID of the bearing race. Don't worry about some $300 clamshell puller. I've done numerous D44's with this setup and haven't had one fail yet.

if you buy your bearings from randys you can also get pre-made setup bearings.

 

[TreeClimber]

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-ARB/articles/Randys_Carrier_Bearing_Puller_Review/

available at Randy's Ring and Pinion.

Available in TreeClimbers' Tool Box.

 

[bharris68]

Very nice - I suspected that someone had figured out a good way to overcome this problem. No, I don't do this kind of work professionally so I likely won't be investing in that kind of gear. Does anyone around here rent these?

 

[JayH]

This is the way I do it as well. Just cut the old bearing off. Make yourself a set of "setup" bearings (make sure they're the same brand as what you're going to use when you press the final bearings on) by grinding just a smell out of the ID of the bearing race. Don't worry about some $300 clamshell puller. I've done numerous D44's with this setup and haven't had one fail yet.

I've heard that there are sometimes variations in dimensions between lots so I try to get bearings from the same lot when wallowing out setup bearings.