UPDATE 3 with DETAILS of What Broke -- Replacing rear bearings on a Dodge pickup?

I'd suggest taking a deep breath and holding it for while so you stop hyperventelating. There, OK now?

Looks like the retainer lock was installed backwards, just snapped off. This would give you the score mark on ring gear. Neither of those items really concerns me other than ranting about nincompoops at the factory. I would be concerned if the bearing retainer had moved. If it was loose, you will have trashed the bearings as well as gotten abnormal wear on the ring/pinion.

Since I doubt you have any warranty coverage, it's up to you. I'd clean up the whole assembly so you can see what it looks like without the oil residue. A good wear pattern is centered in the ring gear teeth. Lots more info in lots of places, try this for starters, keep looking.

If the tooth wear looks ok, finish flushing the gear case, put in fresh oil, keep going. Perhaps drain and flush again in 30 to 60 days.

If the wear pattern shows that it has shifted over time or there is alot of backlash, time to call in an expert and have them rebuild it.

Shrug. What other choices do you have?

Ignoramus937 wrote:

OK. :)

OK, will read this.

Backlash would be, as I try to rock the main ring, a measure of how much it moves? Right?

I dunno, maybe there is a safety recall for this or something...

Adjusting these adusters, according to beekeep, is not terribly difficult. I will read some more.

The question is whether my carrier bearings are trashed.

i

Somehow, I believe what you found is unrelated to your problem, though the lock should be replaced properly. It sounds to me more like a bad axle bearing. The carrier bearings work regardless of which wheel is turning.

Do not try to adjust or replace the carrier bearings or the pinion bearings unless you are real sure it is necessary and you have the tools and knowledge to do it properly.

Don Young

After reading all this, I'm in agreement with Don on this. Do the lock replacement, replace the axle bearing, I'd do both sides while it is apart. Then I'd probably run it for a 100 miles, drain it, look it over and if all is okay, refill the rear end and be done with it.

Roy

Makes sense. Should I put in a small rare earth magnet somewhere on the bottom to collect loose steel grit?

i

If it would make feel better, go for it. Myself I wouldn't bother. I'd change the fluid more often maybe every 15K.

Roy

I agree. But check the backlass. If it is close don't ajust anything. Change out the wheel bearings and seals and see what happens.

beekeep

Isn't there one attached to the cover?

beekeep

Ignoramus937 wrote in news:nkmRg.51174$ snipped-for-privacy@fe72.usenetserver.com:

Personally, I'd first check backlash, record it, then pull the carrier, flush and check the carrier bearings, based on the grit you found in the bottom of the can. It's not difficult to reset the lash / bearing pre-load on this type of set-up, same thing as a Ford 9" as far as that goes. Check your wear pattern on the ring gear and pinion. While you have the carrier out, check the pinion bearings for feel and any backlash. See how much wiggle you have (if any) in the spiders and make sure the pins are still corretly in place. Pull the axles, replace both bearings. While you have it all apart, clean the inside of the housing really good, including the tubes. You want to get all of that grit out of there that you can before you re- install anything. All that grit sloshing around is probably what got your axle bearing(s). If one has failed, the other is not far behind, which is also why I suspect the carrier bearings are going to be damaged, and probably the pinion bearings also. If the lock has broken off, the possibility that the preload was lost early on is relatively high, which is not a good thing. Definately check for the TSB's. I would just replace all the bearings and seals while I had it apart (pinion included).

If you replace the pinion bearings you will need a in/ounce torque wrench to set the preload.

beekeep

Imo there is a bit of over reaction going on. The truck has 70K+ on it. It is not unheard of for a axle bearing to go south at that mileage. Sure the lock has to be replaced, but there didn't seem to be a glaring problem with the wear on the ring&pinion that I saw. Some of these posts have the op about rebuilding the rear end. Sorta like tearing down a engine for a broken rocker arm. Then again it is not my truck. If it were I'd do a good visible, replace the lock, flush it, do both axle bearings, fill it, run it, drain it, take another good look at it, if okay, refill and be done with it. Of course that's me, I'm not overly anal about this stuff. I'm aware that others are, that's cool.

Roy

What Roy said. Flush it well, replace the lock tab, replace the axle bearing, drive on. Don;t make a big deal out of it.

In any case, if the noise continues, I would NOT reccomend a DIY repair. So bolt it back together takes 15 minutes to flush well, 15 minutes to bolt the cover on, if it isn't right you lost 30 minutes.

the OTHER Roy

Roy wrote:

Probably not, but it can't hurt to ask.

Here's how the dealer will look at it: If you've been a _good_ customer of the local dealer, the service department might go to bat for you with the regional rep. If you did all the routine service yourself (or anyplace other than the dealer), this is where you get spend all the money you saved.

Sorry, but that's how the game is played.

-Carl

If you do install a magnet inside, be very sure it can't come loose. It could do a lot more damage than any loose grit.

Don Young