Entry 044: Zipping Up the Axle Boots

When the teardown stops and things start going back together, you know you are making progress. I am definitely at that stage now.

I bolted the left axle tube back onto the transmission. The wheel bearings are nice and smooth, so I won't be wasting money on new ones.

Getting the wheel bearing back into place proved to be a problem. I tried hammering on a pipe that slips over the axle and hits the inner race. That didn't help much.

The wheel bearing is good and tight on the shaft. I had to use a gear puller to get it off originally, so I might have to make something to push it back on.

While I was figuring out a way to get those bearings back into place, I went ahead and bolted the right axle tube on.

Installing the axle boots was the next logical step.

I bought new boots for about five bucks each. They are the zip up style so I don't have to mess with taking the castings off the axle tubes.

I used copious amounts of the black goupy sealant on the boot seams. Hopefully they don't leak when I fill the transmission with gear oil.