Front Pinion Bearing Race Removal?

[CougarX]

Ok, so I've got a howling/grinding/bad bearing sound coming from the front end of my 98. It seems to be centrally located and not one side or the other so I assumed it wasn't a hub bearing but the pinion bearing. I've got the front driveshaft, yoke, seal and bearing out but how do i get the race out? Is it pressed into the housing? Any chance of getting it out with a slide hammer, and if so, can I get it back in without a press??

I did a search and it seems that no one has ever done this before for the front axle, only the rear. I've got a Ford Service CD but i left it at school and I'm at home at the moment for fall break so i can't see what it says. If I can't get it out I'm going to have to drop the whole front axle and go 2 wheel drive for a while till i can get it all fixed.

Any ideas??

Oh, and one other thing, my front axle fluid was a brownish/grayish color when it drained. Its not all that old, maybe a few months and 6000 miles. It was Mobil 1 75w-90. Whats the cause of this, water contamination?

 

[Qxa47e]

Hey,
Wish i would have seen this earlier. I would have come over to help. You cmight be able to remove it with a slide hammer but i believe that the pinion itself would be in the way of the jaws. You might be able to get away with just replacing the "rear" pinion bearing just behind the yoke.

Qxa47e

 

[86caprirs]

You have to remove the carrier and pinion from the front diff then use a long punch and hammer to remove the outer cup.This is how i do it because i am a tech for Ford.

 

[Bronco638]

Yeah, the pinion gear shaft is going to prevent you from finding a purchase, on the race, for the slide hammer jaws. There's really no sense in just replacing the cone (bearing) if you can't replace the race. Looks like you'll have to drop the front axle (to fix it) or pull the front diveshaft (2WD) to keep the truck in action.