Wobbly rear axle

cuda

cuda

Member
Alright gang,
I was replacing my tires and when I had the left rear wheel off, I discovered the axle wobbles up/down left/right. It does not move in/out. Is there a bearing at the end of the axle housing? How far apart do I need to disassemble this thing? I really don’t want to rebuild the whole rear.

A few wheel studs also fell out of the hub so I’ll need to replace those too.

Thanks for any advice!!

Gareth
 
The bearing is in the hub but check the ends of the axle housing also for wear. With the drum/hub off it is normal for the axle to move.

The wheel studs are swedged in and need to be done by someone with the proper equipment (and knows what they're doing).
 
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It’s a semi floating axle. Good design. The weight of the car is supported by the bearing on the hub. The axle is not loaded in bending, just torsional. Good luck
 
With the drum on the axle there should be no movement tho.

As for the studs, as I said, someone with experience should do the job. After the new studs are swedged in the drum/hub assembly will need to be trued.
 
You could have a bent axle or a bent drum. It will take some close inspection, and if it's the axle, then the rear end needs to come apart.
 
Have you access to some club member that might look at it for you? Sounds to me that your drum may be worth getting another opinion on if several of the studs fell out. The holes may be so oversize now that it can not be swedged tightly enough to hold in normal use. It may be time for a new drum. I think you'd know right off if the axle is bent. If so it needs to be replaced which is a major task best done with two people, at least one with some skill in the realm of Model A repair and/or restoration. Good luck.
 
I think there is a club in the Savannah area. I also don’t have a press big enough to swage the studs.
 
Gareth - Just to add to the good advice you already have gotten, it sounds to me like the bearing which turns inside the brake drum is bad. If the bearing is so bad that the axle wobbles then the race on the end of the axle shaft is probably also bad, as well as the race on the inside the brake drum. Best to get a second opinion from someone who actually can look at your car in person though. Anyway, it sounds like you are going to have to take the rear axle off of the car to repair it and, so, you may as well completely rebuild the rear end and replace all bearings and seals. I just did that job and it is a fairly big job. I relied heavily on this very good piece by Tom Endy: http://www.santaanitaas.org/wp-cont...rential-Rear-End-Restoration-Revised-2014.pdf Good luck.
 
TerryO said:
What area of GA are you located? There are several clubs throughout the state.

TerryO
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I’m in Savannah. I’m going to put the hub and drum back on and see if it wobbles still. Sounds like that will tell me about he bearing.

Thanks so much to everyone for the help! Truly appreciate this site.

Gareth
 
Was your rear axel nut torque properly?

Needs to be at least 100 foot lbs. Did the rear brake drum just pull off by hand or did you need a puller?

Before losing any sleep. I would put it back together, and properly torque the axel nut. If tight with no wobble, than now you just have to worry about the lug nut studs.

I bought a Model A years ago that the owner said had a rear wheel wobble, drivers side. When I pulled the wheel and took the axel nut off. The rear drum came right off by hand. The axel key was shoot. Put on a new key and torqued nut to 100. Wobble was gone.
 
If your hub & drum is off it will wobble as there's no outer bearing save for the one that's in the hub.


You only need to fix the studs.
Although i don't recommend it, every car i've seen except one has a blob of weld holding a stud in.
 
WHN said:
Was your rear axel nut torque properly?

Needs to be at least 100 foot lbs. Did the rear brake drum just pull off by hand or did you need a puller?

Before losing any sleep. I would put it back together, and properly torque the axel nut. If tight with no wobble, than now you just have to worry about the lug nut studs.

I bought a Model A years ago that the owner said had a rear wheel wobble, drivers side. When I pulled the wheel and took the axel nut off. The rear drum came right off by hand. The axel key was shoot. Put on a new key and torqued nut to 100. Wobble was gone.
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I think you’re on to something. The drum and hub came off very easily indeed. Had to put a puller on but it came off with just one turn by hand. Didn’t even put a wrench on it. Im going to put it back together and put 100ft-lb on it. Hopefully that will do it!
 
cuda said:
I think you’re on to something. The drum and hub came off very easily indeed. Had to put a puller on but it came off with just one turn by hand. Didn’t even put a wrench on it. Im going to put it back together and put 100ft-lb on it. Hopefully that will do it!
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I hope for yur sake that it hasn't damaged the taper on the axle or in the hub. The PO of owner of my cars drove with a loose hub and it is damaged. I use a shim, lots of torque and Loctite 243 on it now.
 
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