Hey Norval,

I have everything put back together in the carrier now and I just have a couple more questions before finishing up.

1. What do you use to mark the ring gear for checking contact pattern? (paint, shoe polish, etc.)

2. When i took everything apart initialy the 2 output shafts were offset from each other in terms of where the end couplers that attach to the halfshafts were positioned. Now that I have put everything back together they are lined up to where when they turn they are lined up on each side in the same position. I wouldn't think that this would make a difference but I wanted to ask anyway.

3. What is the torque specs for the pinion nut and do you have a suggestion on how to keep everything from spinning while I torque it?

4. Lastly anything else I need to check or be aware of before bolting the cover back on?

Thanks again for your help. You can either respond to me here or at wfootball1@aol.com. :cheers:

 

Try http://www.differentials.com. They have a step by step procedure and pictures of proper tooth patterns.

 

1. I bought gear checking compound from the speed shop or richmond sells it part # 55-0001-1. You could even use a blue lube used by machinest for checking flat surfaces. I don't know what it is called but it is like toothpaste and doesn't dry out or harden.
2 The 2 output shafts are to be installed offset but I don't know why. I is a posi rearend and they will turn at different speeds going around corners so I never worry about the phasing of the yokes. I have read about this out of phase but never understood it. Never worried about it.

3 Torque specs for the pinion are not given. It takes alot. You are crushing the crush sleeve until the 2 bearing are pushed towards each other with a slight drag. They say 10-15inch lbs for old bearings and 20-25 for new. Once again I just tighten until a little drag in the pinion is felt while rotating it by hand. I use a big impact to tighten the pinion nut but without one you could slide the carrier in, jam something soft between the gears then tighten the pinion carefully checking that you don't overtighten it. You should not back off a pinion nut once it is tightened. The nut doesn't care but the crush sleeve has been crushed. Do a little tighening , remove the carrier and feel for the slight drag while turning. Sounds a little crude but by feel I have done many rearends without a failure.
4 Chech the back lash. Use a dial indicator at various spots and rock the crown back and forth while holding the pinion still. Set backlash at around .008. The 3 spots check will vary but not by more then .004
To change the backlash you need to change the shims on either side of the carrier. These shims do not just fall in but are a slight interference fit. In other words you will have to tap them in with a hammer.
Good luck and keep in touch.
Norval

 

Thanks,

I didn't want to put the cover back on until I got some feedback on these issues. I did check the contact pattern with first some white grease and then some paint. Everything looks pretty good. I still think that I need to tighten the pinion nut a little more. I don't think that the impact gun I have is up to the job so I will probably have to use the Armstrong method. Hopefully this will be my last question on this issue. I have the carrier installed and torqued down now. Is ir neccesary to remove it in order to tighten the pinion shaft more?

 

I wouldn't take the carrier out again. A normal impact gun won't work. I have a 1 inch with a very large air line. The armstrong method works fine. You end up with out 175 FT-LBs if torque. You should feel no play whatever in the pinion.
Glad it's all working out for you. You take a special pride in doing things yourself.
I am going to build the 6 link that is in another post. Gives me something to work on.
Good luck
Norval

 

One thing to check for is bearing crush on your carrier bearings. A trick I learned from Tom's differentials is to make sure the bearing caps rock slightly on the bearings. By slightly I mean 0.001". A good way to do this is to get a large single cut flat file (lathe file) and place it on your work bench. Ensure the cap is flat on the file, stroke it a few times (hope that doesn't sound sexual :lol:) and test it for rock. Another thing Tom's does is to replace the stock bolts with Allen head bolts which are stronger.

Although you may not want to pull your carrier back out, another performance trick is to polish the openings of your posi carrier to prevent cracking and failure. This is accomplished by filing out all casting irregularities and then polishing the opening with a cartridge roll. This gets rid of all the stress risers and makes the posi less susceptible to cracking (usually between the large opening and the pinion shaft).

Another thing I would do is drill the case for a drain plug.