axle bearing carrier spacer.....

[96bansheepilot]

hey, not sure if anyone has ever done this but....i just installed new bearings and seals in my stock carrier. well i forgot to put the long tube spacer in the middle. i can' just take the bearings and seals out w/out damaging them. from what i see, i don't need it. the bearings are pressed in and the will not move further in on the axle because there is a lip there to prevent that. when i took the carrier off, the spacer was just freely moving in the middle and didn't seem to do anything at all but just sit there. i think i'm going to try it and see what it does. anyone disagree? if so, why?

[theshee]

Try it... not like your out a whole lot if it doesnt work.

[fastbanshee8]

Your bearings probably won't last very long, because the spacer is there to keep the inner race of the bearings from being pushed in, when the axle nuts are tightened. Without the spacer, there will be a large amount of side load on those bearings, and they will fail rather quickly. To put the spacer back in, you will more than likely, have to sacrifice one bearing and seal. If one or both bearings fail, you could end up replacing an axle, brake rotor, chain, sprocket, well, you get the picture.

Edited April 13, 2007 by fastbanshee8

[racer]

like he said, it def needs to be there. You may not realize it but the axle nuts generate huge axial loads on the bearing races, and with out the spacer to support them you may as well kiss them good bye.

[David Keith]

Your axle bearing are designed for radial load, not side load. Like these men are advising you, take it back apart & put it together the "right way". Sure the way you have it will work temporarily, but do you really want to risk it?