Rear axles interchangeable?

[runnyrunnerton]

I threw on some new tires and noticed when they pulled my old ones off the right rear brake drum had grease that had spun out from around the spider tracks spacer in the center. The mechanic smelled it and said it smelled like axle fluid to him, I stuck my nose down there and confirmed, dead or dying animal type grease. Ill confirm tonight if it was brake fluid but I doubt it.

I have all the parts ordered to service the rear axle on both sides and plan on having it ready to go to the machine shop first thing Saturday morning.

I own an E-locker axle that's sitting on sawhorses waiting on me to save up for new gears and a front ARB.

The Question:

Will my current axles with all the new bearings, slide into my elocker housing when I swap gears later next year? I would hate to service an axle Im going to toss within 6 months. If so, could I pull the axles from the e-locker housing I have now, get them serviced, and just yank my current ones out and throw the fresh serviced ones in?

Confused? Me too.

 

[audiness]

From the research I did, they are interchangeable. I was researching this when I was changing my rear axle seals.

 

[So Many Roads]

Will my current axles with all the new bearings, slide into my elocker housing when I swap gears later next year? I would hate to service an axle Im going to toss within 6 months. If so, could I pull the axles from the e-locker housing I have now, get them serviced, and just yank my current ones out and throw the fresh serviced ones in?

Yes. You can use the e-locker axles. Only compatibility issue is ABS. I'd guess you have ABS on both axle housings but you'll want to confirm. If you're going to replace any bearings, do it on the new axles. Adjust the drums on the new axles. Replace the inner seal and o-ring the old axle housing. Then slide the new axles in. Check out BigFishAllDay's thread on how to replace the seals. Easy to do.

The only thing you have to watch out for is the placement of the ABS ring and inner retainer when they are pressed onto the axle following the bearing replacement. The common issue is that the retainer is pressed on too far and doesn't make contact with the axle seal. Use a machine shop that knows what they are doing.

 

[runnyrunnerton]

Awesome! Thanks guys. Im assuming one needs to check and top off the rear diff until the seals are replaced?

 

[downpour11]

Awesome! Thanks guys. Im assuming one needs to check and top off the rear diff until the seals are replaced?

That's what I do. I've had a blown rear seal for quite some time now. I just keep pumping gear oil in every month or two lol not sure when I'll get mine fixed.

 

[Jon]

Same here bro. My axles are scarred right where the seal rides so they never last. My question - I have ABS, it broke, I don't want it to work, I didn't put the ABS rings back on when I did the bearings, will non-ABS axles work for me? I found some that are chromoly but non-ABS only. THANKS. It'd be nice to have rear brakes again!

 

[brian2sun]

OP, why not just swap the elocker axle in now and don't worry about fixing your stock axle? If the elocker axle doesn't leak right now, don't fix it I say (and save the money). If it leaks down the road, you'll only spend what you would have spent on fixing the old axle.

Jon, not sure about the non-abs cromo axles, but I don't think it would matter. I'm guessing the only difference is the non-abs axles don't have the abs rings installed (which is the same as what you have now, essentially).??