Axle shaft install help needed

nmwranglerx

nmwranglerx

Caught the Bug
I purchased some Ten Factory axle shafts to replace my current shafts on my Rubi rear axle. I purchased a set with bearings already pressed on for ease of install, or so I thought. I went to install today and ran into trouble on the drivers side. I used Eddie's awesome write up to remove the old shaft. I used a slide hammer to remove the old very stubborn bearing race that was stuck in axle end tube. The slide hammer eventually did the trick but when I went to slide in the new axle shaft it would only go in up to the new bearing set. At first I thought maybe the splines weren't matching, but on closer inspection it looks like the bearing set is stopping it from going in. How much force should it take to get the new bearing set to fit in the axle tube? I'm reluctant to put a hammer to my new axles for obvious reasons. Could it be that the tube is slightly out of round? If so, what would cause this? Here is a shot of how far in the new shaft would go:

IMG_3850.jpg

I'm looking for suggestions on what to do at this point. I did check the spline count and it is correct and I do have the correct length for the driver side (shorter shaft).


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before you tap it in, make sure the tube opening doesn't have rough edges on it or rust build up.

also make sure the you have the front end blocked to keep it from rolling and make sure the transfer case is in neutral so the rear gears can spin freely. if they can move it makes it a lot easier for the splines to line up and push in when the gears are able to move.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I had to put the old shaft back in to get my Jeep back in the garage for the evening . If I have time this morning, I'm going to give it another try. I didn't have the t-case in neutral. I'll try that and see if it goes in easier.


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