'53 Coupe rear wheel bearing problem

[rustytractor]

I had a noise coming from the back end of the Coupe so checked the rear wheel bearings and noticed there was some in/out movement on the passenger side so I pulled the half shaft.

The half shaft came out with no effort once I'd undone the 4 x nuts that hold the bearing cover plate which was odd - I'd expect to use a slide hammer to free the bearing from the axle but it just pulled off by hand. The bearing was worn so I replaced it and did a test refit and the half shaft just slipped in by hand so I knew something was wrong.

It looks like at some point in the past a bearing had seized and spun in the axle which slightly enlarged the aperture making the bearing loose. Probably the only thing holding the half shaft in (other than the cover plate) was the weight of the car keeping the bearing in place - which is fine when you don't know but very bloody worrying when you do !!

I can think of a couple of possible ways to overcome this problem without removing the axle and performing major surgery but wondered who else has had this issue and how was it overcome ? Are there accepted ways of fixing this quickly - as always I have a time constraint which means the car needs to be on the road ASAP.

Thanks, Russ

[Jay Friedman]

I don't know '53s, but my '49's rear axles come out with not much effort once the cover plate is removed.  As far as I know, the bearing is a "slip fit" in the hole the rear axle housing, with the 4 nut and bolt sets holding the cover plate and bearing into the housing.  I suggest you look in the '53 shop manual to see if '53 axles are the same as this. 

[rustytractor]

I don't know '53s, but my '49's rear axles come out with not much effort once the cover plate is removed.  As far as I know, the bearing is a "slip fit" in the hole the rear axle housing, with the 4 nut and bolt sets holding the cover plate and bearing into the housing.  I suggest you look in the '53 shop manual to see if '53 axles are the same as this.

Once disassembled I looked in the shop manual and it shows removal of the half shaft with a slide hammer - this was the case when I replaced a bearing on my ‘53 Convertible a couple of years back.

The cover plate isnt supposed to be a bearing retainer on the ‘53, maybe the ‘49 uses a different mechanism to retain the bearing? I haven’t had to change a wheel bearing in my ‘41 so have no experience of anything earlier than ‘53.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Now I understand why English products have the reputation to be complex: English people don't like easy solutions!
The bearing is retained on the shaft with the ring 22.0250 on the illustration. The shaft & bearing assembly is held with the retainer 4.0132, basta!

[rustytractor]

Now I understand why English products have the reputation to be complex: English people don't like easy solutions!
The bearing is retained on the shaft with the ring 22.0250 on the illustration. The shaft & bearing assembly is held with the retainer 4.0132, basta!

I’m happy to wrong here but if that’s the case why does the shop manual show the half shaft being removed with a slide hammer?

When I fitted the new bearing and ring I pressed them down to the stop on the shaft so the bearing is as far down the shaft as it can go.

If the cover is a bearing retainer when bolted back onto the axle the cover would press onto the outer edge of the bearing stopping it from moving in and out - on my car it doesn’t. I can pull the half shaft in and out a good 3-5mm indicating that the bearing is slipping in and out of axle and only stopping when it hits the cover. This can’t be right - surely the bearing should be firmly located to stop this ??

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Something is definitely wrong if it has lateral movement.

Bruce.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Wrong bearing? (not wide enough) How is the other side? Like Jay, I never used a slide hammer to remove the axle shafts from my cars.

[rustytractor]

Wrong bearing? (not wide enough) How is the other side? Like Jay, I never used a slide hammer to remove the axle shafts from my cars.

Bearing is correct - same as the one I used on my other ‘53

No movement on the other side but there should never be movement - it wouldn’t be safe. Agreed the weight of the car woukd hold the bearing in place but no manufacturer would design anything that insecure.

[Roger Zimmermann]

In such a situation when the problem is not known: remove the bearing from the other side and check what's different.

[rustytractor]

In such a situation when the problem is not known: remove the bearing from the other side and check what's different.

Which is exactly what I did - and the bearing on the other side was far worse.

I’ve ordered a replacement as I only had one bearing and will revisit this next week

[Bob Schuman]

Are you using he bearing retaining collar shown as #22.0250 in the diagram posted above? The same bearing was used from 1941 through 1949. For 41-48 it was pressed on the axle against a small shoulder machined into the axle. For 1949 the bearing was installed the same way  and the steel retaining collar was pressed onto the axle against the bearing to hold it in place. The collar was not used before 1949. The collar comes with the bearing, and if not used, that may be your problem.
Bob Schuman

[Roger Zimmermann]

Bob, according to the parts list, that bearing was used already in 1938 on series 50, 60, 60s and on all models except CC from 1941 through 1956. You are right, the retainer is listed from 1949 through 1956, nothing before.

[rustytractor]

Are you using he bearing retaining collar shown as #22.0250 in the diagram posted above? The same bearing was used from 1941 through 1949. For 41-48 it was pressed on the axle against a small shoulder machined into the axle. For 1949 the bearing was installed the same way  and the steel retaining collar was pressed onto the axle against the bearing to hold it in place. The collar was not used before 1949. The collar comes with the bearing, and if not used, that may be your problem.
Bob Schuman

Yep, the new bearings come complete with the collar. Press the bearing onto the shoulder on the half shaft followed by the collar. This is all very simple and hard to get wrong.

[Brad Ipsen CLC #737]

This is slightly off maybe from this discussion but in the 49 shop manual instructions on installing this bearing are given (pg 58 (5) c. 3).  There is a statement (instruction 3) as follows: "Press bearing on shaft up to, but not quite touching the shoulder.  "not quite" is in bold.  Why is this?  Without this instruction which would be the norm today I am sure many of these are pressed to the shoulder tight.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

A bit like the '59 and '60 Shop Manual Supplement which gives a distance measurement to fit the bearing.

Bruce.