Needed to replace a worn rear axle seal on my 2004 wj. I've got the new seal installed and a fresh bearing and spacer pressed on the axle. Issue is I'm expecting a slight interference fit between the bearing outer race and the axle housing when installing everything, and instead it is slipping right in. It's not loose in there, but I can just push it in and pull it out with relative ease.

Is this OK?

 

No, that is not okay. The bearing should be a tight press fit into the housing. If it slips in by hand, it will walk back out under load and cause the seal to fail again.

The housing bore is likely worn. You have a few options:

* The proper fix is a new bearing housing.
* A common hack is to use a bearing with a slightly larger outer diameter.
* You can also try using a bearing retaining compound like Loctite 609 on the outer race. Clean both surfaces extremely well with brake cleaner before applying.

If you just run it as-is, it will fail.

 

If memory serves me right that’s normal on the D44 and D35 in the WJ. The retainer holds it all together by putting pressure on the seal which keeps the bearing in place. The race just slides in.

Ron