Axle pinion gears

[gimpyrobb]

So I have been having issues with my front axle pinion gear. Just before Haspin I noticed it had some up/down play where the drive shaft bolted to the pinion flange. When I got in and looked it over, it seems as if the front bearing had "walked" out of place. I tapped it back in and was good to go till about 3 weeks ago. I was headed up to Columbus and got a loud grinding noise. I had appointments to meet so I removed the spline caps and rolled on. This week while recovering a deuce and hauling it to Kip's, I had no choice but to install the caps and drive as far forward as I could(ended up being 10ft) till forward motion stopped. After I swapped the turbo today, I pulled the front drive shaft. Now the whole pinion will move forward and backward about an inch. I have a spare center chunk to put in but want to make sure I don't screw this one up. Is there a bearing retainer/spacer other than the shims I need to look for to keep the bearings from walking out? T.I.A.

 

[tm america]

Mine did the same thing.i'm gonna start swapping mine out tomorrow. i am curious to see what failed first too.I will let you know what i find on mine .i know i got water in there and i am pretty sure the bearings just got some rust on them and failed from that..

 

[gimpyrobb]

My axle was serviced after every off-road event. I doubt that is what made mine fail. Post up some pics when you dig in!

 

[tm america]

Maybe yours yours failed due to lack of lube from being opperated when the truck was on it's side......I'm gonna post pics of all my fun have changing the front diff out.

 

[gimpyrobb]

 

[hivolts]

Did you decide if there is some adjustment in the pinion gear? I can rotate my front almost 3 inches. My rear is new and it has no play. Mine has also started grinding/vibrating so I know its on the way out. My rear did the same. Can I just rebuild the top pinion? Thanks for the help.