3rd gen rear axle bearing replacement...new one won't turn

To preface...this is not my first rodeo with wheel bearings....I'm a former dealer tech and have done hundreds of wheel bearings successfully.

Need to replace the drum brake backing plate on my 2016 tacoma. I made a puller tool out of a spare rear axle I picked up, and got everything pulled apart.

Order appears to be bearing, spring washer (conical), bearing retainer, snap ring.

I sourced a bearing assembly from SKF....Koyo unit in the box, cleaned everything appropriately. Threw the old retainer in my lathe and opened it up about .010" to use a press tool to press the axle through the new bearing....once the bearing was home, I pulled that out, installed the washer and the new retainer and pressed it all home. Snap ring installed just fine. Bearing was only ever supported and pressed by the inner race...so it's not like a crushed the seal into everything or put any load on the ball elements during the pressing operation.

The bearing is extremely hard to turn. If I stick the axle in the housing, I cannot turn it by hand. If I stick a tool through a few studs I can turn it, or if I slide the wheel on. Way harder than it should be.

What did I fuck up?

Only thing I can think that could cause this is a bent inner bearing race...but I can't see how that's possible with a little 20ton press. Maybe the races are simply ground such that there is insufficient clearance...but I've never seen that with a Koyo and find it hard to consider with a Koyo bearing.

 

Unfortunately there's not much you can do, I've done probably 100 of the rear bearings and you basically describe what I do. I use the old race the press in the inner.

Not sure if you use the old method but I was taught by a vet tech to wiggle the axle as its being pressed and to make sure its not binding on the inner seal while its pressing, then stopping around 10,000lbs-12,000lbs.

Either way probably best to get a new bearing and start the process over again.

 

That's a lot easier to bite off and chew on when the bearing and retainer isn't $250...lol

I knew the answer before I posted....not sure why I posted....I guess I was hoping someone else had a shit Koyo bearing and it wasn't just me.

Now...do I get another Koyo unit or some chinese crap?

 

I've installed many many Koyo bearings without issue unless I or someone else fucked up. So its just bad luck, I'd buy it again.

 

Took a closer look at things this morning while I wasn't quite the level of pissed off I was yesterday evening...and I believe I found the smoking gun.

The magnetic seal/ABS ring is bent and coned, lifted around it's OD. The only way I can see this is possible is if the mating surfaces of the inner races, who's dimension set the spacing and preload, are not to spec, causing them to be too close together resulting in excessive preload and since the inboard inner race is pressing down farther than it should in relation to the outer race, causing the seal to deform. Spent some time on the phone with SKF this morning and they agree with my assessment and have agreed to honor a labor claim and reimburse for the retainer which is dealer only.

I machined up a couple chunks of aluminum to engage both ends of the bearing and will set it up and give it the beans on the press BEFORE I waste another retainer this time.

report back later.

 

OK...time to eat some crow.

Set up the new bearing in the press and gave 'er waa....turned like a champ. Machined up some nice adapters with about .005 clearance everywhere on the tapered axle shaft to make damn sure things pressed together square....all was going well, until the thing stopped turning again. I didn't even get the snap ring groove exposed and it's tight.

Started diving in deeper....evidently my mostly assembled pile has an extra thing between the hub and the axle flange....the old seal, that fell right off of the donor shaft when I took that apart to get the backing plate. I guess it was stuck on the correct shaft and looked like part of the "deflector" that is held to the backside of the axle flange with the lug studs...I even poked at it with a screwdriver while I was cleaning things up and it stayed put, so I left it there.

LOL. fuck me.

Bearing #3 will be here in a few hours....since the retainer didn't go on all the way, and has about 1/2 it's length with no galling after pulling it apart again, I'll re-use that since I can't get another one today.

I won't be returning any of these as defects or filing a labor claim...cuz I'm the one who fucked up.

Dammit.

So....$$ tally so far.

Bought bent axle assembly out of a wrecked truck for $400....turns out the M/T trucks use a different spline so that didn't work
Bought 1st bearing for $180 and new retainer for $58....fuck West Coast toyota in long beach.
Bought 2nd bearing for $180 and new retainer from Penske Toyota for $38...thus the comment about West Coast Toyota
Bought 3rd bearing for $200 because Saturday.

A bit over $1000 into this...lol. This is normal for me...it seems.