[Guest]

Has anyone installed bearings on Moser 1-piece axles? I have a Model 20 rearend that had Moser axles installed by Palmer's 4x4 in Everett, WA. I had them rebuild the rearend last September and the bearings went bad this month. I e-mailed Moser Engineering and received a replay from Robert Moser. He sent me the instructions for installing the axles. Reviewing the instructions I noticed that the bearings where installed wrong, (race in first so when you pull out axles the races are left in the housing). Do the outer races hold the bearing into the housing? The instructions also are not precise in torqing the bearings? This last weekend I bought all new parts, bearings, press rings, inner/outer seals, bearing spacers. I pressed the bearings with the larger lip in inner bearing race facing to the inside, (axle splines). The outer race was fitted to .040 sticking out of housing flange. The press ring was pressed against the inner bearing. The bearing spacer ring was fitted snugg against the inner bearing when the axle was bolted in. If the spacer ring was not up snugg to the inner bearing, there was some slop in axle, it would move back and forth in housing about a 1/16th. After installing the bearings on Saturday, as I was driving to work today the driver's side axle came out about two inches and caught on fire. I tore both axles apart tonight and the bearings are both shot.

My question is has anyone installed bearings on these axles and give me some pointers. Hopefully step by step instructions that are more precise then Moser's? I just blew over $100 in parts and don't want to do it again.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out on this.

Ken Christensen
[email protected]

 

[jeepgod]

yes... you should have pressed them all the way on.. and then if the play is too much.. you should shim it.. but your axles should have just a hint of play in it. without that play you just saw what happens..

survival is instinct, but living takes guts

 

[120]

Do a search on my user name and "one piece axle" . Someone posted a URL for a site with a lot of info on the Moser install when I was asking questions about it.

'79 CJ-7

 

[elusive]

how old is your 1 piece kit?
my moser kit has bearings made by greene bearing company and the are different than the ones made in the past 3 years..you could have gotten the wrong instructions or bearings

~~Elusive~~
it's sort of still a cj thingy....

 

[Guest]

I don't know how old. They came with the Jeep when I bought it two years ago. The bearings I bought this weekend are NAPA and all parts where for Moser axles. Thanks...

p.s. Are the spacer rings suppose to be up against the inner bearing race? Moser's instructions show them to have a space between the outer bearing race and spacer ring.... Thanks

 

[elusive]

you need to know which axles you have!! i guarantee napa does not have the older bearing. mine went out last year on my trip home from tellico... in southern chicago at 3 am.. and i could NOT get a bearing anywhere.. the kept tring to give me the wrong ones... the older roller bearings were not tapered..eventually i ordered one from moser ($40!!!!!) they have ball-bearings in them. the newer ones are timkin and are normal looking tapered wheel bearings....you can NOT put the tapered bearings on the older shafts without doing some machine work to the shafts. if you e-mail moser, they will fax or e-mail how to do this. could be why you are going through bearings.

~~Elusive~~
it's sort of still a cj thingy....

 

[Guest]

Elusive, I got a set of bearings last year for my old style Mosers at a bearing supply house, and they were half the price.

Brad
ORC Land Use Section Editor
Get involved or lose it all, the choice is yours!

 

[Guest]

The axles where put in before I bought it two years back. So I am sure they are at least three years old. Are those the newer tapered? They had tapered on it and that what was replaced last year. So I put tapered on it this last weekend. The reason they had worn out was the bearings where put in reversed. Moser states that the larger lip is to be facing the spline direction so when you pull the axles out the whole bearing and race come out. Well when you pull my axles out the bearing outer race stays in the housing because it is installed reversed. I asked Robert Moser if my understanding of the bearing direction was incorrect and he did not say I was wrong. I did have a bit of bind on them and that was also my trouble this last time. Superior has sent me instructions and they stated not to have a bind and axles should spin freely. Moser's instructions did not mention anything about bind. Thanks you very much for your replying to my message and all your input.... ))

 

[035]

moser axles,
i'm sure there shouldn't be any space between the spacer and the bearing when you intially test fit it into the housing. (before pressing it onto the shafts) and then you measure i think for something like .020 to .080 of the bearing sticking out past the housing (if this is not correct your bearing will have to much or not enough preload. (if it's not corect you have to take out the spacer and shave it down to get the correct measurement.)
moser kits eliminate the shims, if you use them you woun't have enough preload,
you should be able to turn the axles by hand when done, they probably won't spin freely.
your factory backing plate is what holds every thing together, so it will need to be tightened down fluse and checked.

3/4tonYJ
My Jeep Page

 

[Guest]

You did pack the bearings with grease, didn't you? You did top off the rear axle oil level too, didn't you? It take some miles of driving to get oil out to the ends of the tubes! No oil equals burnt bearings!
When you set up the end play,there shouldn't have been any perceptable movement, maybe .003" at most, a slight preload is better. Too much end play will put all of the stress on just one or two rollers and lead to a fast failure.
Hope this helps, good luck!