XWD transfer case bearing replacement : done ! - Saab 9-3SS Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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XWD transfer case bearing replacement : done !
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Posted by magalar [Email] (#1325) [Profile/Gallery] (more from magalar) on Tue, 12 May 2015 08:08:29 Share Post by Email
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Hi everyone,

I finally did the job last week, and it was quite involving... It took me more than a day's work at a shop, or about 12 hours. But then, the car was on jackstands, and not on a lift. In a shop, that would be a huge job but doable in a single day.

Observations : the right side bearing for the CV output shaft was completely destroyed, but all the balls were there. The cage was found inside the t-case, in a rusty powder form...

To replace the bearing from the t-case, I indeed had to remove the downpipe, the alternator, the propshaft, one CV halfshaft and the corresponding knuckle, and the whole subframe.

I made a 7 ft splint out of wood studs and duct tape to transport the propshaft without damaging the fragile middle u-joints.

To remove the subframe, undo both balljoints, unbolt the rack and pinion and leave it there suspended by the tie-rods. The swaybar and both lower engine mounts needed to be removed too, and unclip the power steering hoses from the subframe. And it is heavy, with both a-arms still attached. No captive nuts spun in the chassis, a nightmare that would have meant drilling an access hole with a holesaw to put a spanner in the frame rails.

As you can see, a huge task for a DIY, even a guy like me with all the tools and sockets and impact gun and whatnot. Don't forget you'll need Torx sockets, and all the metric sockets existing.

After draining the transmission oil, the t-case slips out quite easily. It's not that heavy, so doable by hand. On the bench, the shaft and dead bearing slips out with a gentle hammering with a rubber mallet. The outer race came out of the t-case easily too, no need for a press. The inner race needed it though. I have an old hydraulic press here, but the force to remove the race was very low. One could do it with a long-jaw puller I guess.

Now, the bearing itself. I wrongly bought the one for the FWD auxiliary shaft, (my bad understanding of EPC). 90$ from GM, same as a Saturn or a Cobalt. For the archives, that bearing GM # is 12785906, and the made in Sweden SKF bearing in the bag is a 6008-2RS1 VP233F7.

After taking a good look at EPC, I did order the correct bearing for the XWD, 55566345, 37$. I waited a week for it to arrive, suspecting it would be a 6008 bearing similar to the FWD unit. Indeed, in the Made in Italy GM bag was a similar KOYO JAPAN 6008RKF bearing. Same dimensions, but seals and inner race thickness are different. This one looked more standard, when the other one had a more complex seal system and a thicker inner race.

A quick call to my bearing supplier confirmed what the price difference suggested. The FWD bearing is a higher spec bearing, hence the more complex part number.

So I had to face a dilemma : install the cheap correct unit or the expensive one ? I chose to install the expensive one, thinking it will be better protected from the elements.

Reinstalling all the stuff is a long process, especially if you want to torque all bolts and nuts correctly.

Casualties : Only 3...

The flat exhaust clamp at the rear of the downpipe tore appart, so a new one is on order from Saab 12763106, 37$.

One of the captive nuts of the two brackets holding the downpipe support spun. Since it is not structural, I wedge a u-shaped washer between it and the frame rail to stop rattles.

When refilling the 6-speed gearbox, I did not reinstall the left CV halfshaft and poured about half a liter of transmission oil in the driveway... It was clearly stated in WIS to do so, so my bad... At 30$ a liter, that is an expensive stain !

Oh, don't forget to order the correct o-ring for the t-case to the 6-speed : sould be 55566355. I ordered one but in the opened bag was a blue gasket to seal both halves of the t-case. Error from GM I guess...

Luckily, EPC shows the o-ring dimensions : 66.93 mm x 2.58 mm. My local o-ring supllier sold me a bunch of 66 and 67 mm, 2.5 or 3 mm o-rings to be sure I got the correct one. 10$, but one of then fitted. To refill the t-case, you'll also need the correct GM fluid, 93165383, 36$ a liter.


Now, everything is back together. The car is leak free, that is good news. But the here still a very small vibration around 65 mph, like a loss wheelweight. It comes and goes away without an exact scenario. And I can feel another vibration in the clutch pedal under acceleration.

I have 2 hypothesis. I may have bolted the lower engine mounts (who are there to prevent rocking of the engine more than support the weight) in the wrong sequence. Maybe they are under stress and transmit a bit of the engine vibrations. Or it's the propshaft rear CV joint. I repacked it but there was a bit too much grease so some poured out of the holes.

Overall, it's a very big job. And from what I've seen, one can probably remove the shaft from the t-case in-situ, with an appropriate puller. It's so easy to remove from the t-case, that I should have drilled 2 or 3 holes in the splines for a future R&R... Or machine a groove on the outside to slip a c-clip to grab and pull...

Anyway, it's done, and I hope not to do it again, even if I would be much more efficient at it...


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