Greetings from Ivory Coast in Africa. This is one of the 8.25 axle shafts
(93 XJ 27 spline) we pulled today and it is badly gouged by the bearing.
We are trying to find another shaft, but they are rare.
If we don't find one, I am wondering, is this the kind of problem a wide
"repair bearing" is supposed to solve ? Or is this one just too far gone?
The repair bearings (or axle savers) might be able to get you by. I'd be very careful with this if you do, and definitely try to find an axle shaft soon. That sharp edge has created a very weak spot, and I'd expect it to break at some point.
The "repair" bearings just move the bearing further outboard so it doesn't ride in the same spot that the old one did. So it should work, but you'll be on borrowed time.
A good machine shop may be able to weld in material to fill it in and
then lathe it back to spec...Should be as good as new then...
Actually, we tried that about two months ago when it was gouged but not quite so badly.
I had doubts when the mechanic showed it to me before installing it. The lathe tool didn't
leave a very smooth surface and there were a few small pits that weren't filled in. I said
it should be redone but he didn't think so. An older mechanic who works under the same
shadetree thought it was OK, so I let him put it in. A few weeks later, after maybe 400 miles,
the picture above shows the result. Not a good enough job then.
Maybe I can find a better shop which can get a better finish. Does it take a special kind
of weld (arc, torch, kind of metal)? Those shafts are good hardened steel and the weld
metal would have to be very hard, too.
You can try weld again. But make sure the tolerances are tight on the diameter so that bearing can not slip on the axle. If the welded axle is not turned to correct diameter (and surface finish) then the bearing may spin again on the axle and eat it away. You may want the fit to be super tight, requiring heating of bearing and cooling of axle for bearing install. You got to, must, absolutely have to prevent the bearing from spinning on axle. you are using new bearing, right? as I assume the used bearing inner diameter is roughed up by this wear, so use new bearing too, but it is critical that the diameter where bearing seats be machined smooth, round, and to be a very tight fit with bearing.
Avoid rapid water quenching of weld, as that can cause hardening of the axle, which may make it brittle, and importantly for you, will make the weld material very hard to turn on a lathe, you may then need a carbide tool bit, or grinding to take it down to size if hardened. You need a good surface finish, you need correct diameter for a tight fight, you need to assure roundness and concentricy . No loose fits here!!! bearing must be secure on axle to prevent spin .
That is bad enough that it is toast. The repair bearing you mentioned is an axle saver bearing. Friend of mine invented and patented it but had to sell it because he couldn't come up with the cash to market it. Even if you fill it in, it will be weak and could break at the bearing. Get a set of aftermarket alloy axles and call it good
Thanks for your opinions and the replies. We are still looking for a
27 spline axle shaft. I thought we had something when a vendor
showed us two nice used shafts for an 8.25 but they were 29 spline.
I do have a new bearing (National 6408 marked Koyo) and seals
when we solve the shaft problem.
Tie a chain around it and use it as a boat anchor. Its junk.
With parts being rare in your part of the world, search the many online vendors for a new shaft and ask if they ship to your location. If yes, order it. Probably wont be cheap, but being new i wouldnt question its integrity.
I ordered a Richmond shaft/bearing set from rockauto.com.
We installed it this morning and it drives fine now.
The lug bolts that came with it were about 3/16 inch shorter than
the ones on the original damaged shaft, so we moved those bolts over.
Maybe the shorter ones would work for drum brakes but I have ZJ
rear discs which are thicker than the drums..
