AMC 20 Wheel bearing Fix. We hope this time!!!! Not much left

We were working on our 1980 Jeep CJ5 with an AMC 20. Just a small leak that we noticed. Turned out that the driver side bearing was thrashed. Could have been a bad part or bad installation last time. Either way, we had to fix it.
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5lakesgarage
PO Box 821
Holly Springs NC, 27540
#diy #jeep #cj5 #cj7 #amc20 #axleparts

[@geraldbrannon9529]

Nice

[@5LakesGarage]

Thanks man. I drove it today and it worked out great

[@blackhawk7r221]

Ok brother, I’m fighting the same exact issue. Recently changed bearings and seals on my ‘76 CJ-5 AMC 20 and the bearing lasted a month or two. Destroyed. Obviously, too much preload crushing the bearing. Soooo, what’s your follow-up? How has yours been with the race .020-.030 proud of the face?

[@5LakesGarage]

i am not sure if it was the preload or that it was a defect. I have had mixed responses on the cause. I have never seen one get do destroyed. i have put a few miles on it since I swapped it out this last time. I feel I need to pull it apart again to see how it is doing. If this one jacks up then maybe it was the preload.

[@blackhawk7r221]

@@5LakesGarage At this point, my new bearing retainer looks like a bearing race itself. Nowhere close to the square profile it should have. When I assembled it less than 100 miles ago, freeplay felt ok.
So now the question is, did you get more freeplay by resurfacing the shouldered collar that the axle race sits flush against, or did you add a shim to the backing plate?
I got on some forum with an “expert” who stated that only the driver’s side uses shims, and the diff has a block that both axles ride against.

[@5LakesGarage]

Before i replaced them the first time. I went to youtube of course and watched multiple channels. as well as forum. I did not run across that the driver side needed shims. I would think it would depend on the axle. Each one is different. Close but different. As long as the preload checks out. in my case it was about .020. I will investigate more and if I need to, update the video on what I find.

[@blackhawk7r221]

@@5LakesGarage So here’s where I am currently. My aftermarket one-piece axles of unknown origin have worked for decades. They use taper roller bearings, not the captive one-piece bearings. I believe the Crown kit I bought had a shouldered race spacer that was far too narrow. When I pull both axles, my races sit recessed into the axle housing flange about 1/16”.
That incorrect replacement race spacer would explain why the same Timken bearing set would fail.
So I ordered another Omix seal/spacer/bearing/retainer kit, and it’s race spacer is the correct width.
So all that internet crap about the bearing needing to sit .020-.080 proud does not apply to my ‘76 CJ-5.