Rear Hub Problems, Again!

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

Yesterday June 29th on my way to Ky Speedway my Passenger side rear Axle/Hub almost came off the truck, it is a 1996 14 Bolt Full Floater with 373 Gears and the G80 Limited Slip that I have had problems with before concerning the Seals that goes into the Hubs (both sides), I replace this Hub (Passenger Side) about 2 years ago and have not had any problems until yesterday, my question is can I replace this whole rear end with a later model with rear disc brakes? THANK YOU for all replies, Keith

 

[3500GMC]

Problem with seals as in leaking?

Usually a repair sleeve will fix a chronic leaker. The problem 'usually' is the axle stub itself... And it's usually the passenger side for some reason...

http://www.thetruckstop.us/forum/showthread.php?32137-14-bolt-full-float-rear-axle-repair-sleeves

 

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

Problem found, outer bearing race came loose in the hub and allowed the axle/hub assembly to shift outward until the axle pulled out of the spider gear hence no forward motion and the hub retaining nut caught it from coming completely off the axle housing before any catastrophic damage happened to the truck or me.

 

[Joey D]

Yes you can swap to a newer 14bff out of a newer truck, I have one in my 98.

 

[3500GMC]

Problem found, outer bearing race came loose in the hub and allowed the axle/hub assembly to shift outward until the axle pulled out of the spider gear hence no forward motion and the hub retaining nut caught it from coming completely off the axle housing before any catastrophic damage happened to the truck or me.

So the clip failed maybe?

 

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

So the clip failed maybe?

No! The retaining clip and Axle nut were still there and tight. With the Dealer replacement hub being shorter, when I did my eyeball measurements my eyeball was off by about .150 and the retaining nut was actually at the end of it's threads so it was tighten the way it should have been according to my repair manual but you could not see that it was not fully pressed against the bearing so I am having a thicker spacer made to compensate for my eyeball shortness.

 

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

Yes you can swap to a newer 14bff out of a newer truck, I have one in my 98.

How much did yours cost and does it have Disc Brakes?

 

[millsroger]

I think the change to disc can be a bolt on. Place called pirate4x4 had a link to the conversion. Another post said if yours is the big brake version there is no improvement to disc. Possibly due to ABS

 

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

Pirate 4X4, I will check them out, Thanks!

 

[bison]

No! The retaining clip and Axle nut were still there and tight. With the Dealer replacement hub being shorter, when I did my eyeball measurements my eyeball was off by about .150 and the retaining nut was actually at the end of it's threads so it was tighten the way it should have been according to my repair manual but you could not see that it was not fully pressed against the bearing so I am having a thicker spacer made to compensate for my eyeball shortness.

The outer bearing race is held in place with a snapring inside the hub,..was/is it there and in place?

 

[MAGNUM SERVICES]

The outer bearing race is held in place with a snapring inside the hub,..was/is it there and in place?

I don't know, I have owned this truck since 2000 and have replaced the brakes a few times (trailer towing and living on a hill) and the drums once but I don't ever recall seeing an inner snap ring inside the hub before

 

[jrsavoie]

Does anybody have a part number for the inner snap rings? The snap rings on mine appear to have been abused. instead of being hooked or even square, they taper in toward the center, so the pliers tend to slide off. I didn't have time to get them off but I have a few ideas that will take more time than what I had at the moment.

Originally I thought I needed some special pliers or was just being ignorant or something. But on closer inspection - magnifying glass - I saw why the pliers of all types kept sliding off.

Us old folks pushing walkers tend to have problems seeing the finer things without assistance too. The golden years are grand in every way. And I'm only on the silver years if that.