1985 Monte Carlo SS known as Barney

[SSLance]

Pretty much ever since I have had this Quick Performance 9" rear axle, I have fought the passenger side axle seal (or the lack thereof) leaking rear end gear oil. QP uses a Moser Billet Torino style (big Ford) axle end and Moser axles with sealed bearings pressed on them. Their thought is the sealed bearing will stop the gear oil from leaking...it doesn't.

I finally learned that there is a step down inside the end that a National part #473229 seal fits into so I picked a couple of them up last week. Here is what the axle end looks like.



and here is what it looks like with the seal pressed into place.



ID of the seal is 1.5" which matches the axle. Sure hope it works...

I cleaned a LOT of leaked gear oil up today. And I just LOVE the smell of gear oil.

Also put a new E-brake cable on the passenger side and test drove the car.



Everything feels pretty good but it was hard to make a comparison with those old stock size tires on the car, need to get my new rims cleaned up and sealed and some new rubber on them then really take it for a shake down run.

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by Ron Sutton

Looking good Lance. You just keep on making improvements. Did you decide on tires ?

Thanks Ron, just working on a list of little things that haven't stopped me from driving the car but need taken care of. That's what winter in the Midwest is for.

I've picked up 2 more 17"x9.5" rims that match my rears and I'm gonna run Falken 615ks 275/40/17s on all four corners. I'm waiting for the weather to get a bit better before ordering the tires. I'll keep my 8" rims with the almost new Rivals on them and run those on the fronts for regular street driving.

[instro84]

that wierd, you'd think they would have installed a seal even with a sealed bearing.

[GregWeld]

What lubes the bearings if the seal is keeping the lube from getting to them?

[GregWeld]

The Ford 9" I've always done had the seal installed "ahead/to the outside" of the bearing - so it was the last thing that went inside the housing and was held in by the retainer plate. I always had to put the retainer on the axle - then the seal - then the bearing and press the bearing on... then put the race in the housing and then slide that whole works home...

[SSLance]

Well, good question Greg... I'm assuming they had wheel bearing grease inside them when they were initially put together.

The last time I took them out, the silicone I put on the inside of the bearing trying to seal it to the end stuck the seal itself to the housing and when I pulled the axle, I got to see what the inside of the bearing looked like. I just put my thinking cap on and filled the bearing back up with wheel bearing grease and pressed the seal back into place.

Same thing happened this time only this time the entire bearing was full of gear oil because so much of it was getting past the "seal" and into the bearing. I packed it full of grease again and cleaned all of the silicone off of the seal and put it back in place...again.

The bearing feels great, and it's seen some abuse over the years...but I'll keep an eye on it for sure.

Here's what the axle and bearing look like:







I think I took those pictures the 3rd or 4th time I had them out trying to seal them up.

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

The Ford 9" I've always done had the seal installed "ahead/to the outside" of the bearing - so it was the last thing that went inside the housing and was held in by the retainer plate. I always had to put the retainer on the axle - then the seal - then the bearing and press the bearing on... then put the race in the housing and then slide that whole works home...

This is the best picture I have of the setup that holds this axle in place.



Basically the brake baking plate is set in place on the T studs, inside the housing is the axle seal, then the bearing, then a little 1/8" spacer, then the retaining place it placed over the T bolts and you put nuts on it through the hole in the end of the axle hub.

Moser themselves is who gave me the seal part number. Apparently they use it all of the time with their ends, bearing and axles.

Not sure why QP refuses to even admit the seals are needed. EVERYONE I know with a QP 9" fights this issue.

[GregWeld]

Maybe your Ford 9" is different than all the others I've ever worked on...

[SSLance]

Well mine is basically a Moser setup, and they are the ones that gave me the seal number to use. They make the ends, and their axles come with the sealed bearings pressed on them.

I think the difference is in whether is a sealed bearing setup or a old school setup.

[GregWeld]

Yeah -- I wasn't saying you're not doing it right --- it was more a "thinking" post.