8.8 axle, bearing, and seal R&R

[85crownHPP]

werd

I did slather some gear oil on the inside of the seal, but only after i had stuck about a foot of the axle in and thought "wait a minute!"
It didn't feel like I raked it too hard, I'm gonna have a look later today...

[85crownHPP]

I forgot to mention the rag after rag of sparkly gear oil I wiped out of that end of the axle housing... I shined my penlight in there and it looked like most of it was gathered at that end. I hope I got it all out!
I didn't see any sparkles in the oil in the middle, so hopefully they didn't spread.

[FatNasty]

Great write-up Pete. Wow, that axle was pretty pitted. I rebuilt a rear while it was out of the car so the pumpkin opening was facing up and the c clip fell into that crack that goes back behind the pinion gear, took hours with a telescoping magnet to fish them out.

[porschpow]

This is a great write up. So what You are saying is that for each axle half, there is only one bearing? What exactly do you need for this job??

[porschpow]

The one on the right doesn't look bad. It is the one on the left that look pitted/rusted, etc

[sly]

there's one bearing on the carrier and one bearing on the axle (outer end). You pretty much just need a slide hammer to pull the bearing out after getting the axle out. Then a large socket to match the outer edge of the bearing to tap it into place (be careful about the bearing being lined up right so nothing is damaged). then tap on the seal and slot the axle in (new axle if the old one is pitted/scored).

[porschpow]

How do you change the bearings on the inside???

[85crownHPP]

Each axle shaft has an inner and outer bearing - usually the outer is the first to go. The inner bearings are quite a bit more involved to do, you have to remove the differential guts, and honesty I'm not sure what else from there, I've never done it!

[porschpow]

I kinda figured a smuch!!!! Ok so basically what I need is:

Axle shafts (if needed)
Outer bearings (2)
and the rubber seal, right?

and when would you rule out using the same axle, like how bad is bad?

[Brown_Muscle]

If you pull the axle out, look at the surface where the bearing rides, if it's grooved, pitted, or worn down you want to replace it. Mine had a small valley formed from where the axle was riding. A good axle will not have a variance there, it should be smooth, use your finger to feel it. I don't have a picture on this computer, but i can post one later if you wish, although it's kind of hard to see.

Also, try to get a used OEM axle (or new if you can find one) Apparently the aftermarket replacement axles are garbage.

[85crownHPP]

You will also want some gear oil, and either a cover gasket or some silicone to make one with. Some folks just use silicone, I like to use a gasket smeared with silicon on both sides. Also you'll want a good gasket scraper to clean off the old gasket/silicone with.

[porschpow]

Yeah, that'll be awesome if I can see pics of a bad or good axle, just for reference. If you can, if its too much, don't worry about it.

[Brown_Muscle]

The first pic is a bad axle, you can see the pitting and it is actually smaller in diameter than the surrounding axle due to wear.

The second image is a good axle, the shinier part is where the bearing rides, it's smooth with no pitting or groove.

[porschpow]

Theres like 3 shiny parts, do you mean the shiny part right by the hub, or the opposite side?

[gadget73]

the band in the middle, where its slightly brownish tinted. Same spot as the wear marks on the bad axle.