
04-02-04
Rear Axle — Removable Carrier Type
04-02-04
IN-VEHICLE ADJUSTMENTS AND REPAIRS
REAR AXLE SHAFT, WHEEL
BEARING AND OIL SEAL
REPLACEMENT
The rear axle shafts, wheel bear-
ings,
and oil seal can be replaced
without removing the differential as-
sembly from the axle housing.
REMOVAL OF
AXLE SHAFT
Synthetic wheel bearing seals are
used in production only. Removal and
insertion of rear axle shafts must be
performed with caution. The entire
length of the shaft (including spline)
up to the seal journal must pass
through the seal without cutting of the
seal element during axle removal or
installation will result in early seal fai-
lure.
Leather seals only will be used as
service replacement for synthetic
wheel bearing seals.
1.
Remove the wheel cover, wheel
and tire from the brake drum.
2.
Remove the nuts that secure the
brake drum to the axle shaft flange,
then remove the drum from flange.
3.
Working through the hole pro-
vided in each axle shaft flange, re-
move the nuts that secure the wheel
bearing retainer plate. Then pull the
axle shaft assembly out of the axle
housing (Fig. 4). The brake backing
plate must not be dislodged. Install
one nut to hold the plate in place after
the axle shaft is removed.
Too/-4235-C
E1032-D
FIG. 4—Removing Axle Shaft
REMOVAL OF REAR
WHEEL BEARING AND
SEAL
Synthetic seals must not be cleaned,
soaked or washed in cleaning solvents.
Removal of the wheel bearings from
the axle shaft makes them unfit for
further use.
1.
On all models except Ford, Mer-
cury or Meteor, if the rear wheel
bearing is to be replaced, loosen the
inner retainer ring by nicking it deeply
with a cold chisel in several places
(Fig. 5). It will then slide off easily.
E 1731-A
FIG. 5—Removing Rear Wheel
Bearing Retainer Ring
On Ford, Mercury and Meteor mo-
dels,
it is necessary to first drill a 1/4
inch hole not more than 5/16 inch
deep in the retainer ring surface bef-
ore using the cold chisel.
2.
Remove the bearing from the
axle shaft with the tool shown in Fig.
6 or Fig. 7.
3.
Whenever a rear axle shaft is re-
placed, the oil seal must be replaced.
Remove the seal with Tool 1175-AB
and a slide hammer (Fig. 8). If new
leather-type wheel bearing service
seals are to be installed, soak new oil
seals in SAE 10 oil for 1/2 hour
before installing.
INSTALLATION OF REAR
WHEEL BEARING AND
SEAL
1.
Inspect the machined surface of
the axle shaft and the axle housing for
rough spots or other irregularities
which would affect the sealing action
of the oil seal. Check the axle shaft
splines for burrs, wear or twist. Care-
fully remove any burrs or rough spots.
Replace worn or damaged parts.
2.
Lightly coat wheel bearing bores
with axle lubricant.
3.
Place the retainer plate on the
axle shaft, and press the new wheel
bearing on the shaft with the tool
shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 9. Do not at-
tempt to press on both the bearing
and the inner retainer ring at the same
time.
4.
Using the bearing installation
tool (Tool 4621-A or 4234-4), press
the bearing inner retainer ring on the
shaft until the retainer seats firmly
against the bearing. On Ford, Mercu-
ry, or Meteor models, before assem-
bling the retainer onto the axle shaft,
the shaft journal and the inside di-
ameter of the retainer should be wiped
clean with a dry cloth. These parts
must not be degreased or lubricated.
5. Rear wheel oil seals with synthe-
tic sealing elements have been incor-
porated in production only. However,
leather seals only will be used as re-
placements for the synthetic sealing
elements. Install the new oil seal with
the tools shown in Figs. 10 and 12. Be
sure the new seal has been soaked in
SAE 10 oil for 1/2 hour before in-
stalling it. Wipe a small amount of oil
resistant sealer on the outer edge of
the seal before it is installed. Do not
put sealer on the sealing lip.
INSTALLATION OF
AXLE SHAFT
1.
Carefully slide the axle shaft into
the housing so that the rough forging
of the shaft will not damage the oil
seal. Start the axle splines into the
side gear, and push the shaft in until
the bearing bottoms in the housing.
2.
Install the bearing retainer plate
and the nuts that secure it. Torque the
nuts to specifications.
3.
Install the brake drum and the
drum attaching (Tinnerman) nuts.
4.
Install the wheel and tire on the
drum. Install the wheel cover.
DRIVE PINION OIL SEAL
REPLACEMENT
COLLAPSIBLE SPACER
Synthetic seals must not be cleaned,
soaked or washed in cleaning solvent.
The drive pinion oil seal can be re-
placed without removing the differen-
tial carrier assembly from the axle
housing.
1.
Raise the vehicle and install
safety stands. Remove both rear wheels
and brake drums.
2.
Make scribe marks on the drive
shaft end yoke and the axle U-joint
flange to insure proper position of the
drive shaft at assembly (Fig. 11). Dis-
connect the drive shaft from the axle
U-joint flange. Be careful to avoid
dropping the loose universal joint
bearing cups. Hold the cups on the
spider with tape. Mark the cups so
that they will be in their original posi-
tion in relation to the flange when
they are assembled. Remove the drive
shaft from the transmission extension
housing. Install an oil seal replacer
tool in the transmission extension
housing to prevent transmission fluidprocarmanuals.com

04-02-08
Rear Axle — Removable Carrier Type
04-02-08
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
CARRIER ASSEMBLY
REMOVAL
1.
Raise the vehicle on a hoist and
remove the two rear wheels and tires.
2.
Remove the two brake drums (3
Tinnerman nuts at each drum) from
the axle shaft flange studs. If diffi-
culty is experienced in removing the
drums, remove the brake adjuster
knockout slug or rubber plug (if so
equipped) and back off the brake
shoes.
3.
Working through the hole pro-
vided in each axle shaft flange, re-
move the nuts that secure the rear
wheel bearing retainer plate. Pull each
axle shaft assembly out of the axle
housing using axle shaft remover,
Tool 4235-C. (Fig. 4). Care must be
exercised to prevent damage to the
production-type synthetic oil seal, if so
equipped. Any roughing or cutting of
the seal element during removal or in-
stallation can result in early seal fail-
ure.
Install a nut on one of the brake
backing plate attaching bolts to hold
the plate to the axle housing after the
shaft has been removed. Whenever a
rear axle shaft is replaced, the wheel
bearing oil seals must be replaced.
Remove the seals with tool 1175AB.
4.
Make scribe marks on the drive
shaft end yoke and the axle U-joint
flange to insure proper position at as-
sembly. Disconnect the drive shaft at
the rear axle U-joint. Hold the cups
on the spider with tape. Mark the
cups so that they will be in their orig-
inal position relative to the flange
when they are assembled. Remove the
drive shaft from the transmission ex-
tension housing. Install an oil seal re-
placer tool in the housing to prevent
transmission leakage. Refer to the
transmission group for the appropriate
tool.
5.
Clean area around carrier to
housing surfaced with a wire brush and
wipe clean, to prevent dirt entry into
the housing. Place a drain pan under
the carrier and housing, remove the
carrier attaching nuts, and drain the
axle.
Remove the carrier assembly
from the axle housing.
INSTALLATION
Synthetic production-type wheel
bearing seals must not be cleaned,
soaked or washed in cleaning solvent.
1.
Clean the axle housing and
shafts using kerosene and swabs. To
avoid contamination of the grease in
the sealed ball bearings, do not allow
any quantity of solvent directly on the
wheel bearings. Clean the mating sur-
faces of the axle housing and carrier.
2.
Position the differential carrier
on the studs in the axle housing using
a new gasket between carrier and
housing. Install the carrier-to-housing
attaching nuts, and torque them to
specifications.
3.
Remove the oil seal replacer tool
from the transmission extension hous-
ing. Position the drive shaft so that
the front U-joint slip yoke splines to
the transmission output shaft.
4.
Connect the drive shaft to the
axle U-joint flange, aligning the scribe
marks made on the drive shaft end
yoke and the axle U-joint flange dur-
ing the removal procedure. Install the
U-bolts and nuts and torque to speci-
fications.
5.
If the synthetic, production-type
wheel bearing seals were replaced with
service-type leather seals, soak the
new rear wheel bearing oil seals in
SAE 10 oil for 1/2 hour before instal-
lation. Wipe a small amount of an oil
resistant sealer on the outer edge of
each seal before it is installed. Do not
put any of the sealer on the sealing
lip.
Install the oil seals in the ends of
the rear axle housing with one of the
tools shown in Figs. 10 and 12.
Tool
T65F-1177.A
E 1571-A
FIG. 12—Rear Axle Shaft Bearing
Seal Installation
6. Install the two axle shaft assem-
blies in the axle housing. Care must
be exercised to prevent damage to the
oil seals. The shorter shaft goes into
the left side of the housing.
Carefully slide the axle shaft into
the housing so that the rough forging
of the shaft will not damage the oil
seal. Start the axle splines into the
differential side gear, and push the
shaft in until the bearing bottoms in
the housing.
7.
Install the bearing retainers on
the attaching bolts on the axle housing
flanges. Install the nuts on the bolts
and torque to specifications.
8. If the rear brake shoes were
backed off, adjust the brakes as out-
lined in Part 2-1 and install rubber
plugs in the adjuster slots.
9. Install the two rear brake drums
and the drum Tinnerman nuts.
10.
Install the rear wheels and tires.
11.
Fill the rear axle with specified
lubricant.
AXLE HOUSING (COIL
SPRING SUSPENSION)
REMOVAL
1.
Remove the carrier assembly
from the axle housing as outlined in
Differential Carrier Removal and In-
stallation.
2.
Position safety stands under the
frame rear members, and support the
axle housing with either a floor jack
or hoist.
3.
Disengage the brake line from
the clips that retain the line to the
axle housing.
4.
Disconnect the vent tube from
the rear axle housing.
5.
Remove the brake backing plate
assemblies from the axle housing, and
support them with wire. Do not dis-
connect the brake line.
6. Disconnect the lower studs of the
two rear shock absorbers from the
mounting brackets on the axle housing
(Fig. 13 and 14).
7.
Remove the attaching nut and
washer, and disconnect the track bar
from the mounting stud on the axle
housing bracket.
8. Lower the axle housing until the
coil springs are released. Lift out the
coil springs and insulators.
9. Remove the nuts, washers and
pivot bolts that connect the suspension
lower arms to the axle housing. Dis-
connect both arms from the axle
housing.
10.
Disconnect the upper suspen-
sion arm from the axle housing by re-
moving the pivot bolt, nut, lock wash-
er and the two eccentric washers (Fig.
13 and 14).
11.
Lower the axle housing and re-
move it from under the vehicle.
INSTALLATION
1.
Transfer the track bar mounting
stud from the old to the new housing.procarmanuals.com

04-02-11
Rear Axle — Removable Carrier Type
04-02-11
If the axle housing is new, install a
new vent. The hose attaching portion
must face toward the front of the ve-
hicle.
2.
If leather-type wheel bearing ser-
vice seals are to be installed, soak the
new rear wheel bearing oil seals in
SAE 10 oil for 1/2 hour before instal-
lation. Wipe a small amount of an oil
resistant sealer on the outer edge of
each seal before it is installed. Do not
put any of the sealer on the sealing
lip.
Install the oil seals in the ends of
the axle housing with one of the tools
shown in Fig. 10 and 12.
3.
Position the replacement axle
housing under the vehicle, and raise
the axle with a hoist or floor jack.
Connect the suspension lower arms to
their mounting brackets on the axle
housing with pivot bolts and nuts. Do
not tighten the bolts and nuts at this
point.
4.
Position the suspension upper
arm in its mounting bracket on the
axle housing, and install the adjusting
bolt, eccentric washers, lock washer
and nut. Leave the bolt and nut loose
at this point.
5.
Position the brake lines to the
axle housing, and secure with the re-
taining clips.
6. Install the brake backing plates
on the axle housing flanges.
7.
Connect the track bar to the
mounting stud, install the washer and
attaching nut, and torque to specifica-
tions.
8. Position the rear coil springs and
insulators in the pockets provided.
9. Connect the lower studs of the
two rear shock absorbers to the
mounting brackets on the axle hous-
ing. Install the attaching nuts, and
torque to specifications.
10.
Connect the vent tube to the
vent on the housing. If axle housing is
new, install a new vent.
11.
Clean the mating surfaces of
the axle housing and differential car-
rier. Position the carrier on the
mounting studs on the housing using a
new gasket between carrier and hous-
ing. Install the copper washers and the
carrier-to-housing attaching nuts, and
torque to specifications.
12.
Make sure that both the front
and rear pivot bolts of the upper and
the two lower arms are loose, and
then raise the axle assembly to con-
trolled curb height (Fig. 15). Hold the
axle at controlled curb height by plac-
ing blocks or pieces of steel pipe be-
tween the axle housing and the bumper
rear screw on the side rail. (See speci-
fications for dimensions.)
FRAME
TIGHTEN ARM
ATTACHING BOLTS
AT 5-45/64 INCH
HEIGHT POSITION
5-45/64 INCH
HEIGHT FOR
INSTALLATION
OF ARMS
E 1600-B
FIG. 75 -Axle Normal Curb
Height and Controlled Height
for Arm Installation
13.
With the axle at controlled curb
height, torque the suspension upper
and lower arm front pivot bolts and
nuts to specifications. Torque the
lower arm-to-axle housing pivot bolts
and nuts to specifications.
14.
Remove the oil seal replacer
tool from the transmission extension
housing. Position the drive shaft so
that the front U-joint slip yoke splines
to the transmission output shaft.
15.
Connect the drive shaft to the
U-joint flange, aligning the scribe
marks made on the drive shaft end
yoke and the axle U-joint flange dur-
ing the removal procedure. Install the
U-bolts and nuts and torque to speci-
fications.
16.
Carefully slide the two axle
shaft assemblies in the axle housing.
The shorter shaft goes into the left
side of the housing. Use care in slid-
ing the axle shafts into the housing so
that the rough forging of the shaft will
not damage the oil seal. Start the axle
splines into the differential side gear,
and push the shaft in until the rear
wheel bearing bottoms in the housing.
17.
Install the rear wheel bearing
retainers on the attaching bolts on the
axle housing flanges. Install the nuts
on the bolts and torque to specifica-
tions.
18.
If the rear brake shoes were
backed off, adjust the brakes as out-
lined in Part 2-1, and install rubber
plugs in the adjuster slots.
19.
Install the two rear brake
drums and the drum attaching (Tin-
nerman) nuts.
20.
Install the rear wheels and tires.
21.
Fill the rear axle to the bottom
of the filler plug hole located in either
the carrier casting or housing cover
with specified lubricant. Be sure that
the axle is in operating position.
22.
Road test the vehicle to be sure
that pinion and driveshaft angles are
correct. Any shudder during heavy ac-
celeration, or deceleration may require
a pinion and driveshaft angle re-
adjustment as detailed in Driveshaft
and Pinion Angle Adjustment, Group
3,
Part 3-2.
AXLE HOUSING (LEAF
SPRING SUSPENSION)
REMOVAL
1.
Raise the vehicle and support it
with safety stands under the rear
frame member.
2.
Drain the lubricant from the
axle.
3.
Make scribe marks on the drive
shaft end yoke and the axle U-joint
flange to insure proper position of the
drive shaft at assembly. Disconnect
the drive shaft at the drive pinion
flange.
4.
Disconnect the lower end of the
shock absorbers.
5.
Remove the wheels, brake drums
and both axle shafts as outlined in
Section 2.
6. Remove vent hose front vent
tube (Corbin clamp) and remove vent
tube from brake tube junction and
axle housing.
7.
Remove the hydraulic brake T-
fitting from the axle housing. Do not
open the hydraulic brake system lines.
Remove the hydraulic brake line from
its retaining clip on the axle housing.
8. Remove both axle shaft oil seals
with the tool shown in Fig. 8.
9. Remove both brake backing
plates from the axle housing and sus-
pend them above the housing with
mechanic's wire. The hydraulic brake
lines and the parking brake cables are
still attached to the brake backing
plates.
10.
Support the rear axle housing
on a jack, and then remove the spring
clip nuts. Remove the spring clip
plates (Fig. 16).
11.
Lower the axle housing and re-
move it from under the vehicle.
12.
If the axle housing is being re-
placed, transfer all the differential and
pinion parts to the new housing. See
Section 4, Major Repair Operation*.
INSTALLATION
1.
Raise the axle housing into posi-
tion so that the spring clip plates can
be installed. On a Montego or Fair-
lane,
position the spring upper insula-
tors and retainers between the axle
housing and springs and install theprocarmanuals.com

04-03-02
Rear Axles — Integral Carrier Type
04-03-02
RING GEAR
4209
DRIVE PINION
BEARINGS
4630
4621
FLANGE-4676
E1905A
FIG. 7—Typical Rear Axle Assembly
IN-VEHICLE ADJUSTMENT
AND
REPAIR
REAR AXLE SHAFT, WHEEL
BEARING
AND OIL
SEAL
REPLACEMENT
Synthetic wheel bearing seals
are
used
for
production purposes only.
>Tool-T60K-4234-A
or 4235-D
Tool-T50T-W0-A
or 8-/66
* El904A
FIG. 2—Removing Axle Shaft
E 1731-A
FIG. 3—Removing Rear Wheel
Bearing Retainer Ring
Removal
and
insertion
of
rear axle
shafts must
be
performed with
cau-
tion.
The
entire length
of the
shaft
(in-
cluding spline)
up to the
seal journal
must pass through
the
seal without
contact.
Any
roughing
or
cutting
of
the seal element during axle removal
or installation will result
in
early seal
failure. Leather seals only will
be
used
as service replacements
for
synthetic
wheel bearing seals.
The rear axle shafts, wheel bear-
ings,
and oil
seal
can be
replaced
without removing
the
differential
as-
sembly from
the
axle housing.
Re-
moval
of the
wheel bearings from
the
axle shafts make them unfit
for fur-
ther
use.
E1421-B
FIG. 4—Removing and Installing Rear Wheel Bearing—
Montego—Cougarprocarmanuals.com

04-03-04
Rear Axles — Integral Carrier Type
04-03-04
1.
Remove the wheel cover, wheel
and tire from the brake drum.
2.
Remove the Tinnerman nuts that
secure the brake drum to the axle
housing flange, and then remove the
drum from the flange.
3.
Working through the hole pro-
vided in each axle shaft flange, re-
move the nuts that secure the wheel
bearing retainer plate. Then pull the
axle shaft assembly out of the axle
housing (Fig. 2). The brake backing
plate must, not be dislodged. Install
one nut to hold the plate in place after
the axle shaft is removed.
4.
If the rear wheel bearing is to be
replaced, loosen the inner retainer
ring by nicking it deeply with a cold
chisel in several places (Fig. 3). It will
then slide off easily.
5.
Remove the bearing from the
axle shaft with the tool shown in Fig.
4 or 5. If the push-puller operation
shown in Fig. 5 is used, be sure that
the puller arms contact the flat sur-
face of the axle shaft flange rather
than the bolt heads. Also with this
method, be careful not to damage or
burr the oil seal journal as the bearing
breaks loose.
6. Whenever a rear axle shaft is re-
placed the oil seal must be replaced.
Remove the seal with the tools shown
in Fig. 8. Soak new oil seals in SAE
10 oil for 1/2 hour before installing.
7.
Inspect the machined surfaces of
the axle shaft and the axle housing for
rough spots or other irregularities
which would affect the sealing action
of the oil seal. Check the axle shaft
splines for burrs, wear or damage.
Carefully remove any burrs or rough
spots.
Replace worn or damaged
parts.
8. Lightly coat wheel bearing bores
with axle lubricant.
9. Place the retainer plate on the
axle shaft, and press the new wheel
bearing on the shaft with the tool
shown in Fig. 4 or 5. The bearing
should seat firmly against the shaft
shoulder. Do not attempt to press on
both the bearing and the inner retain-
er ring at the same time.
10.
Using the bearing installation
tool, press the bearing inner retainer
ring on the shaft until the retainer
seats firmly against the bearing.
11.
Wipe all lubricant from the in-
side of the axle housing in the area of
the oil seal before installing the new
seal.
12.
Wipe a small amount of oil res-
istant sealer on the outer edge of the
seal before it is installed. Do not put
sealer on the sealing lip.
13.
Rear wheel oil seals with syn-
thetic sealing elements have been in-
corporated in production. However,
only leather seals will be used as re-
placements for the synthetic sealing
element seals. Install the new oil seal
with the tools shown in Fig. 8. Instal-
lation without use of the proper tool
will distort the seal and cause leakage.
Be sure the new seal has been soaked
in SAE 10 oil for 1/2 hour.
14.
Carefully slide the axle shaft
into the housing so that the rough
forging of the shaft will not damage
the oil seal. Start the axle splines into
the side gear, and push the shaft in
until the bearing bottoms in the housing.
15.
Install the bearing retainer plate
on the mounting bolts at the axle
housing, and install the attaching nuts.
Torque the nuts to specifications.
16.
Install the brake drum and the
drum retaining nuts.
17.
Install the wheel and tire on the
drum, and install the wheel cover.
REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT
OF DRIVE PINION OIL SEAL
Synthetic seals must not be cleaned,
soaked or washed in cleaning solvent.
Replacement of the pinion oil seal
involves removal and installation of
only the pinion shaft nut and the uni-
versal joint flange. However, this op-
eration disturbs the pinion bearing
preload, and this preload must be
carefully reset when assembling.
1.
Raise the vehicle and install safe-
ty stands. Remove the rear wheels and
brake drums.
2.
Make scribe marks on the drive
shaft end yoke and the axle U-joint
flange to insure proper position of the
drive shaft at assembly (Fig. 14). Dis-
connect the drive shaft from the axle
U-joint flange. Be careful to avoid
dropping the loose universal joint
bearing cups. Hold the cups on the
spider with tape. Mark the cups so
that they will be in their original posi-
tion in relation to the flange when
they are assembled. Remove the drive
shaft from the transmission extension
housing. Install an oil seal replacer
tool in the transmission extension
housing to prevent transmission leak-
age.
Refer to the transmission group
for the appropriate tool.
3.
Install an in-lb torque wrench on
the pinion nut Fig. 6. Record the tor-
que required to maintain rotation of
the pinion shaft through several revo-
lutions. \
4.
While holding the flange with the
tool shown in Fig. 9, remove the inte-
gral pinion nut and washer.
5.
Clean the pinion bearing retainer
around the oil seal. Place a drain pan
under the seal, or raise the front of
the vehicle higher than the rear.
KJ
E
I582-A
Tool - 1175-AB
and T50T-100-A
^___ or
J
775-
AE
Torque Wrench
^ mm i e
icot
A
E 1681-A
FIG. 6—Checking Pinion FiG 7_Removing
pjnjon
Sea,
Bearing Preload
,Tool-T58L-101-A or U75-AE
Tool-T50T-100-A
REMOVAL
Tool-60K-1177-B
or 1177-BorC
INSTALLATION E1214-D
FIG. 8—Removing and Installing Axle Shaft Sealprocarmanuals.com