Hey guys. I’m need some help, please! I just swapped brakes and bearings on my Ford 9” housing from a mid-80s Ford Truck (it’s in my Mail Jeep). One side leaked with the old setup (and I swapped bearings and seals twice within 1000mi trying to fix it) and I assumed the spacer setup I was running from Currie Enterprises was the issue. Well, I completely swapped brakes and put new bearings and seals in without any spacers using some Ruffstuff weld on caliper brackets and K10 calipers. The same side is still leaking pretty badly.
I setup the rear end with new bearings, seals and lock rings. I used the factory Drum brake center that I cut out to make it fit with the proper axle flange backspacing so the bearing sat in the axle housing properly. Basically, the axle is setup with the exact same specifications as factory now and that one side is still leaking like crazy. Any ideas? Could it be a bent axle shaft? Or the welded on axle flange itself? What should I do?
What I do know.
1. I'm running the right amount of gear oil. 2.5-3qts. (knowing too much oil isn't forcing it's way out)
2. It's the same side that has always leaked.
3. With the jeep running and standing behind it or when I was grinding on the shaft mounting surface, there didn't seem to be any wobble in the shaft to make me think the shaft was bent.
4. This is the 3rd set of bearings, seals and bearing races I have installed to alleviate this problem. The final time is with a completely different brake setup too to eliminate the Currie Enterprises bearing spacer ring that they sell to make a Ford Explorer brake setup work for a Ford 9".
5. The Ruffstuff brackets and K10 calipers are a floating caliper setup so I would assume that is not the issue. The Ford Explorer setup was a floating setup also so the axle can move as needed.
Some photos...
This photo shows how I cut out and used the factory drum brake center to sandwich between the axle mounting flange to the axle retainer plate.
Then that piece was cleaned up and placed in between the axle housing and the bolt on 9" axle shaft retainer plate.
Final setup.
I setup the rear end with new bearings, seals and lock rings. I used the factory Drum brake center that I cut out to make it fit with the proper axle flange backspacing so the bearing sat in the axle housing properly. Basically, the axle is setup with the exact same specifications as factory now and that one side is still leaking like crazy. Any ideas? Could it be a bent axle shaft? Or the welded on axle flange itself? What should I do?
What I do know.
1. I'm running the right amount of gear oil. 2.5-3qts. (knowing too much oil isn't forcing it's way out)
2. It's the same side that has always leaked.
3. With the jeep running and standing behind it or when I was grinding on the shaft mounting surface, there didn't seem to be any wobble in the shaft to make me think the shaft was bent.
4. This is the 3rd set of bearings, seals and bearing races I have installed to alleviate this problem. The final time is with a completely different brake setup too to eliminate the Currie Enterprises bearing spacer ring that they sell to make a Ford Explorer brake setup work for a Ford 9".
5. The Ruffstuff brackets and K10 calipers are a floating caliper setup so I would assume that is not the issue. The Ford Explorer setup was a floating setup also so the axle can move as needed.
Some photos...
This photo shows how I cut out and used the factory drum brake center to sandwich between the axle mounting flange to the axle retainer plate.
Then that piece was cleaned up and placed in between the axle housing and the bolt on 9" axle shaft retainer plate.
Final setup.
, hoping