Driver side rear sounds like a rock crusher. I pulled the drum off thinking my brakes feel apart but all is O.K. When I turn the axle it sounds like it is coming from inside the tube near the drum. I can only guess there is a set of bearings in there? How hard is it to look into this? Can I just pull the 8 bolts out that hold the axle cover then pull the axle? I don't mind trying this myself if it straight forward. Thanks for any and all help.

 

yes pull the axle shaft , and you can spin the wheel bearings......... you should be able to detect any bad bearing. if they don't sound bad ,do the other side. if no noise,then maybe differential bearings are bad

 

Pulled the axle out last night and bearing is the issue. There is a retainer of some sort in front of the huge nut, will this back off as you turn the nut?

 

pull the wedge shaped retainer, then spin the nut off

the wedge just dives in there, for the purpose of keeping the nut where you set it.

I have always found this to be a hokey setup, but then, what if the hokey-pokey really is what its all about?

 

What makes it even more hokey is when I buy the retainers at the autoparts they're listed as a Ford part.
They must work though.

 

when you put the new bearings in, i suggest you pack them with wheel bearing grease. the reason is they are lubed with gear lube from the differential and it will take a while to get it up there so you don't want them to be running dry..............

 

And apply RTV to the outside edge of the new seal so there's no chance of it leaking around the perimeter.

 

Thanks for the help. Got it finished yesterday.