Dana 35 to ZJ rear disc problem

[big66440]

I swapped in the rear disc brake set up on my 89 non c clip Dana 35 and for some reason the passenger side wheel bearing keeps going bad. This is the 3rd time I've had to replace the bearing since I did the swap and noticed the outer seal always seems to push itself through the retainer plate that's required to keep the seal in place. I'm thinking of making a special "spacer" to hold more of the seal to see if that will actually work, has anyone else had or heard of this issue before? thanks.  

[Pete M]

that's a new one by me  

[grumpiebill]

I swapped in the rear disc brake set up on my 89 non c clip Dana 35 and for some reason the passenger side wheel bearing keeps going bad. This is the 3rd time I've had to replace the bearing since I did the swap and noticed the outer seal always seems to push itself through the retainer plate that's required to keep the seal in place. I'm thinking of making a special "spacer" to hold more of the seal to see if that will actually work, has anyone else had or heard of this issue before? thanks.  

When you did the brake swap did you tear both sides down at the same time? What are the odds the axles got swapped side to side?

Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

[big66440]

I did one side at a time,,, they’re different lengths so I doubt anyone else was able to swap them either.

[AZJeff]

The seal is a functional part of retaining the wheel bearing and axle shaft against outward axial loads.  As such, it has a much more robust metal reinforcment inside it.  

 

When you say the seal "pushes itself through the retainer", I assume you are referring only to the rubber part, and not any of the metal reinforcement.  Am I correct, or is the steel reinforcement inside the seal also getting distorted and pushed out through the retainer?

[big66440]

The metal part of the seal itself is getting pushed out as well, thank you for clarifying that. I have looked everywhere I could to verify if the outer seal is also support for the bearing. I always suspected that retaining plate did not hold enough of the seal for its purpose and was allowing the bearing to “let go”. I was wondering if adding a small amount of quick steel to make the I.D of the retainer smaller thus allowing it to support the seal better would fix my problem. 

[AZJeff]

9 hours ago, big66440 said:

The metal part of the seal itself is getting pushed out as well, thank you for clarifying that. I have looked everywhere I could to verify if the outer seal is also support for the bearing. I always suspected that retaining plate did not hold enough of the seal for its purpose and was allowing the bearing to “let go”. I was wondering if adding a small amount of quick steel to make the I.D of the retainer smaller thus allowing it to support the seal better would fix my problem. 

NO.  You do NOT want to use an epoxy compound to keep your axle shaft from migrating outwards.   The fact that the seal is moving out means the bearing is ALSO moving out, since the seal holds the bearing in position (with the aid of the retaining plate pushing on the seal.)

 

I have to wonder if you have the correct seal and/or if you have the correct retaining plate in your axle.   The retaining plate should cover MOST of the seal, since it must press on the steel insert inside the seal that functions as an outer bearing/axle retainer.   You might start by comparing the retaining plate dimensions (especially in the inside diameter) between the two sides of your vehicle.

 

The condition you are describing where the seal "walks" outward is happening because the bearing is pushing outward on the seal (it will do this when loaded axially on turns).   The fact that it actually moves enough to extrude past the retainer is a serious issue that could result in major axle damage.

 

You need to get this issue figured out and corrected permanently.

[big66440]

I used genuine Mopar 5083678AA retainer plates on both sides, I used Nickintime films youtube video as a reference for the swap as well. The retainer plates hold the same amount of seal on both sides and where re-drilled for the correct bolt pattern on my D35 axle flange exactly the same way, I just can’t figure out why only the driver side  keeps going out though.

[AZJeff]

Dumb and horrible thought---something is wrong with the axle housing?

[big66440]

I'm starting to believe there might be, is there a way to check it?

[omega_rugal]

10 hours ago, AZJeff said:

Dumb and horrible thought---something is wrong with the axle housing?

 

i was going to say the same... is it bent?

[AZJeff]

The first thing I would do is to pull BOTH axle shafts, and start measuring tube diameters, bearing recess depths, and the like.  The idea is to look for any dimension between the two sides that is more than about 0.010 inches different.  (If the axle housing is the culprit, it's likely the offending dimension will be MUCH greater in variation than this between the two sides.

 

Another thing to consider is if the axle housing FLANGES are flat and perpendicular to the axle housing bore.   That is needed to insure the axle retainer is applying a uniform force to retain the seal/bearing/axle shaft into the axle housing.

[big66440]

I pulled both axles out and went over everything carefully, I found out both backing plates were not centered correctly when I re-drilled the bolt holes for the axle flanges which I'm pretty sure was what allowed the seals to pop out. After replacing the bearings I found out my Dana 35 is mortally wounded, it makes a horrendous clunking sound on deceleration so a replacement DANA 44 is on it's way and I'll be doing a swap soon. I wish I could have came to a conclusion as to what caused all these problems to help out some one else but it was not possible.

[AZJeff]

If you are putting in a Dana 44, you will need the spacer ring to hold the seal in the correct position in the axle housing (just like on the D35).   The trick is.....the axle tube ID where the seal goes is actually SMALLER on a D44 than it is on a D35.   (Ask me how I know).

 

That means the D35 rings are too large in diameter to fit a D44 housing. I had to have my D35 spacer rings turned down on a lathe on their OD to fit the D44 housing.

 

YMMV.....

[big66440]

Thanks for the heads up AZJeff, I ‘m lucky there’s a machine shop right down the street from where I live. Are you using ZJ rear discs also?

[AZJeff]

6 hours ago, big66440 said:

Thanks for the heads up AZJeff, I ‘m lucky there’s a machine shop right down the street from where I live. Are you using ZJ rear discs also?

Yes, I am.  I put them on my XJ when I had it, and loved the improvement.  

 

My MJ rear drum brakes were totally shot, along with axle leaks, so I figured it was time to do the upgrade while fixing the axle leaks as well.