And there was MUCH rejoicing! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />


I didnÆt want to post anything until I had driven around a little, and was absolutely sureà


It turns out that it wasnÆt the Springs after allà
Nope û It was the Axle Bearings!


With a new set of Bearings, Races, and Seals in my D-44 û itÆs as good as gold!

No more squirrelly wandering û No more peculiar <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> handling characteristics û No more weird noises (Well, none associated with the rear end, anyhow) û No more sudden and unexpected locker engagement û No more fear and loathing of driving it!

And best of allà Now that it goes where I point it, I no longer need to keep my Ranchos on nearly the maximum setting!




If anyone else out there has been suffering similar handling problems to what I was experiencing, you might want to replace yoursà If it has 100K+ miles on the clock, itÆs about time to be replacing them anyway.

No kidding - itÆs like driving a whole different vehicle! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Cheers! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
Smiley

hmm.... with 120k on the clock, this might be something to consider doing soon. Mine seems to be handling fine right now, but it's something to remember.

How much did this set you back? Did you do the work yourself? Just for my information.

I'm glad you dont hate driving your beast anymore. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Bob,

I donÆt know how well this will translate to the 12-bolt axle û but on a D-44à

Rounding the figure up to an even number, the parts were $60 from Auto Zoneà ThatÆs for 2 sets of Bearings & Races, and 2 Seals.

As for laborà æThe BookÆ calls for 2.5 hours per-side.


Other than the fact that the bearings are pressed-on to the shafts, it really wouldnÆt be very hard for the average backyard mechanic to do their own work on this one. --- Once you have the caliper and rotor off, there are only 4 bolts holding the shaft in place on the axleà The Isuzu D-44 has no C-clip retainers on the inside of the differential; therefore, once those bolts are removed, the shaft slides right out.



[EDIT] (See disclaimer) [/EDIT]

For anyone who is thinking about installing a lockerà if possible, I highly recommend going ahead and replacing the bearings while youÆre at ità especially since youÆll be 95% of-the-way-there already.

[EDIT]
* Disclaimer: The above ^^^ might not be such good advice after all... See RobG's post below.
[/EDIT]


<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />Can you post the part numbers,please........last prices
I got to replace the tapered bearing,race,seal and collar were well over $100 per side.....parts only.......and only availible thru the dealer.......thanks Smiley.

Bansil

is it necessary to remove the caliper and rotor? seems like you should be able to just undo the caliper and then the retainer bolts and slide the shaft out <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

anyway, good job gittinerdun <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />

Oh sure, now you tell me.

Glad you got things worked out Smiley <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> Andre

I'd actually advise caution here. Looks like you were lucky, but several of us (including myself) have had headaches in stopping the leaks of 1st gen Isuzu D44 axle seals. Because of the press fit and design of the backing plate, its impossible to replace just a bearing or a seal without cutting off and thus ruining the seal, bearing, and lock collar. at $60 a pop like Smiley mentioned (more if you buy the dealer part), it can get expensive trying to fix this leak, i know. My leak actually got worse when i tried to fix it than it originally was. Luckily i decided to swap to a 14bff and say goodbye to that axle.

moral of the story... don't disturb the rear axle bearings/seal unless you really, really need to replace them.

-Rob

How do you know if they need to be replaced? Will there be play in the Up and Down direction of the axle? Can this be checked during a brake job?

I unreservedly defer to RobÆs opinion and experience on this one, and have edited my previous post accordingly à


In my case, the leaking rear seal was the give-away (although, the fluid in question didnÆt have the pungent ægear oil smellÆ that I expected, and was therefore, for a while, mistaken for brake fluid on my part <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> ).





On mine, in addition to the leak, there was more of an In/Out motion û Although, it was only leaking on one sideà the play in the bearings was evident on both sides. ---And YES, this problem becomes much easier to detect and diagnose with the rear end up-in-the-airà perhaps even more so with the wheels off, such as during a brake job.





Since you have to disconnect the emergency brake cable from the assembly and such, IÆm guessing the answer is NO. --- Besides, with the wheel and tire still attached, I canÆt even begin to imagine how much more difficult it would be to press-on the new bearing.





I want to stress that the following part numbers are for my 1997 Rodeoà It is entirely possible they might not apply to other Dana 44 equipped Isuzus (I do not know)à

Alsoà There was some confusion as to which parts were called for on this application. --- Initially, AutoZone sent the wrong bearings and seals û these were far too small, and quite obviously not a match for the old ones. --- When a second call was placed, they said that there were two different sets of part numbers listed, and that they had sent the first ones on the list. (Why they didnÆt mention this when the order was originally placed, I have no idea <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> )


I kept one of the boxes for the correct Race and Bearingà
AutoZone Race & Bearing - Part Number: ôSet 10ö àààààà $19.99 per-side

àhowever, I am relying on the call that I just placed to AutoZone for the PN on the Sealà
AutoZone Rear Seal - Part Number: ô9912-Sö ààààààààà $5.99 per-side

àin other words, they might have given me the number for the first (incorrect) one that they sent û I donÆt know.


Anyway, HTH! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />



On a somewhat different note:

Ordinarily, whenever I do something to the Rodeo, and I take Miss Kathy out for a ride afterward - despite how obvious it might be to *me* - for the most part, sheÆs usually completely unable to tell the differenceà However, last night, after traveling only about 2 blocks from the house, and entering into a very familiar set of bumpy curves, Kathy was immediately in awe of the difference in how the Rodeo handles!

ôWOW! û I really CAN tell a difference! û ItÆs like night and day!ö


As I mentioned earlierà For so long now, IÆve had to keep my Ranchos set very high, just to maintain the illusion of controlà Now, with the new bearings, I can finally dial them back to a much more comfortable setting, without loosing any directional stability at all. --- As such, the ride quality is much more comfortable, and it no longer feels like itÆs about to skitter out from under me.

Last night, I had the Ranchos on setting number 2 out of 9 (the lowest theyÆve been in months!), and I hit that S-curve washboard section at a mighty healthy clipà If I had tried that before, Kathy would have been holding on for dear life (and I probably would have put a nice crease in the driverÆs seat myself!), but instead, both of us just sat there like it was nothing-at-all, as the Rodeo took it in stride and rolled right on along. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />


Cheers! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
Smiley

Smiley thanks for the reply,I'll check them out.

ANother question,and yes I could pester you at Uwharrie,but what's the benifit of those here <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />.

Did you see the bearings they replaced?
Yours had tapered roller bearings with the race pressed into the axle housing.The tapered bearing and seal were held on with a pressfit collar.

Did they replace this bearing with an identical tapered roller bearing and seperate race?

Or did they replace it with the normal aftermarket sealed
roller bearing?

Just some question's.........mmmm......I'll have to go to the parts store now.

When looking for bearings for our D44 rear,all the stores carried the replacement bearings,seals etc......about the same price as yours.They were a sealed roller bearing and not a taper'd roller bearing like factory.

The main difference being sideload capacities etc.

Thanks again,
I'll see you in 5 days and we can wrestl' in trees with rope and ladders <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Bansil