Do you need to keep front axle in to keep wheel bearing together?

[Jacob brooks]

My wheel bearing fell apart the day after I took my front end apart, I had blown the front end and removed the guts including the axles. I re assembled the truck and the next day wheel bearing is gone, so I put a new bearing & hub assembly on and less than a km down the road same thing happens...so the question is, do I need to rebuild the front end before I can drive it, or was it a faulty bearing?

 

[smithwessn]

You will destroy bearings all day long doing what you're doing. Without the front axle in place, there isn't anything to hold the inner and outer bearing races together.

 

[Jacob brooks]

Thanks, appreciate it

 

[smithwessn]

Does that use the old school U joint or is a CV axle?

 

[Jacob brooks]

So that being said, can I leave the axles in without the diff being in?

 

[Jacob brooks]

Its a u joint

 

[smithwessn]

I don't see why you couldn't use the outer most section of axle by itself. Leave the u joint and the inner section of axle out. Put the outer part through the hub and torque the axle nut. You should be OK.

 

[Jacob brooks]

As far as I could tell the only thing holding the axle in was 2 7/16 bolts inside the pumpkin

 

[smithwessn]

Wait. I thought the pumpkin guts and front axles were out of the truck?

 

[Jacob brooks]

... Yea they are. I just grasped what you said there about the outer part of the axle,sorry there 2 piece and I just need the outer piece

 

[smithwessn]

Correct. All the bearing needs is the part that pulls the inner and outer races together and supports them. You don't want the inner part of the axle in there too, because the outer part will be rotating with the wheel. That would hit the inner part which wouldn't be rotating because there's no u joint holding them together.

This is just a temp solution. Do what you can to keep dirt out of the front axle housing.

 

[Jacob brooks]

Yes it is only temporary, but I blew my water pump then my pinion bearing then because Im in experienced in this stuff bearing failures. So its really been holding up my work. But thank you you've saved me a lot of headache

 

[smithwessn]

No prob. Good luck with everything.