Opened the 14-Bolt, Found Some Bearing Parts... - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

arrover · 07-02-2013, 12:02 AM

I've had the truck for about three weeks and haven't driven it much because I wanted to finish changing the fluids. I opened both diffs tonight. The Dana 60 front looked good but the 14 bolt had some bearing parts in it. I'm pretty sure that the parts are from the pinion support bearing (third bearing on the tip of the pinion). I've got a picture of it below. What do you guys think? What is the procedure for fixing this? This is my first time being inside a 14bolt. It looks like the pinion can be pulled out from the drive shaft side by removing six bolts. Is it as easy as pulling the pinion and throwing in a new bearing? I really don't want to get into setting tolerances and what not...

JellyBeanDriver · 07-02-2013, 12:26 AM

Yep, looks like it's missing the inner bearing, cage and all.

Rufton · 07-02-2013, 07:36 AM

The pinion support bearing retainer can be a pain to remove even on bench. Sometimes it isn't even removed during rebuild. Looks like you'd have to remove retainer (not easy) then install bearing then install retainer (not easy).

I can only guess the bearing fell off during pinion install and "mechanic" failed to notice/care.

I'd have a hard time trusting "mechanic" rebuilt everything else to spec; I'd disassemble, inspect and reassemble to spec.

I've seen warped pinion shafts so I'd check pinion run out.

Looks like gear oil is milky in photo. If so I'd check all bearings and races for pitting.

I didn't see any glitter. Did any of the recovered bearing parts get ground up?

07-02-2013, 12:02 AM	#1
arrover Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: NW Arkansas Posts: 291	Opened the 14-Bolt, Found Some Bearing Parts... I've had the truck for about three weeks and haven't driven it much because I wanted to finish changing the fluids. I opened both diffs tonight. The Dana 60 front looked good but the 14 bolt had some bearing parts in it. I'm pretty sure that the parts are from the pinion support bearing (third bearing on the tip of the pinion). I've got a picture of it below. What do you guys think? What is the procedure for fixing this? This is my first time being inside a 14bolt. It looks like the pinion can be pulled out from the drive shaft side by removing six bolts. Is it as easy as pulling the pinion and throwing in a new bearing? I really don't want to get into setting tolerances and what not... Attached Images __________________ 1982 GMC Crew Cab 4x4 - "River Truck" build thread 1973-1987(91) Chevy/GMC How-To Videos

07-02-2013, 12:26 AM	#2
JellyBeanDriver Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: United States Posts: 268	Re: Opened the 14-Bolt, Found Some Bearing Parts... Yep, looks like it's missing the inner bearing, cage and all. __________________ 86' C30 Dually Crew Cab Ranch truck, carb'd 454, TH400, towing a slant load 4 horse trailer.

07-02-2013, 07:36 AM	#3
Rufton Registered User Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Knoxville TN Posts: 1,170	Re: Opened the 14-Bolt, Found Some Bearing Parts... The pinion support bearing retainer can be a pain to remove even on bench. Sometimes it isn't even removed during rebuild. Looks like you'd have to remove retainer (not easy) then install bearing then install retainer (not easy). I can only guess the bearing fell off during pinion install and "mechanic" failed to notice/care. I'd have a hard time trusting "mechanic" rebuilt everything else to spec; I'd disassemble, inspect and reassemble to spec. I've seen warped pinion shafts so I'd check pinion run out. Looks like gear oil is milky in photo. If so I'd check all bearings and races for pitting. I didn't see any glitter. Did any of the recovered bearing parts get ground up?



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