I have search archives here and on NCRS site with no luck. So I think I just may have a NEW question about rear bearings.

I set my bearings up to have .001 clearence. However, this is with dry bearings as per all the photos and illustrations I have seen. Now, naturally, when I add the grease, the grease takes ups all the slack. When I torque things up, instead of .001 of slack, I get a spindle that is very hard to spin. Am I doing this right?

 

Noskill,
I just did this with some expert advice from Tom454. What I did was to make up a fixture to hold the housing with the spindle vertical. This helped me get an accurate reading. I then used both a .001 dial gage and a digital .0001" gage I have at work. I set the end play to .0017" dry with just spindle oil on them. They spun fine, then I greased them up with Mobil1 red grease and assembled them. They were still .0017" and feel fine.
I can email you a picture of the fixture if you like.
Gary

 

I agree with Gary. Greased or ungreased I got the same reading as well.
Get Gary's pic - it helps ALOT. Thanks Gary!

 

How did it spin after final assembly?

 

spun nice and smooth, only problem I had was with the SS parking brake shoes and springs. They were dragging and I had to modify them to work.
Gary

Larry,
glad to help anytime, I'm still playing around the differential these days how about you?


[Modified by gtr1999, 10:37 PM 3/11/2002]

 

I did mine last fall. Like Gary, I used the vertical method and set at about .0015. Also greased with red synthetic. When I did a final assy/torque
they spun freely.
I didn't do a final dial guage check, other than give the spindle a good push
in/out and I heard a slight "clunk".
That told me I still had clearance.
Barry

 

hmm, i wonder what I am doing wrong???? I have a good .001 during setup and tight as heck on final with grease.... could the setup tool be wrong?? With the spacer and shim supposed to be against both races it shouldnt really matter as its the shim + spacer length relative to the space between races that determine runout. :confused:

 

I just sent you some pictures let me know if you got them. If the bearigns are still tight then you have take it apart again and look things over. It's hard to diagnose it over the net but I would look at everything from the spindle up. Is it possible the spindle was damaged during disassembly?What about the bearings? are they Timkens? One of the things I found in one of the differential kits I have is the yoke bearings were not the same as original and were a much cheaper bearing with only 1/2 the rollers. Again this is probably not your problem but look at everything. How did you check the end play? You have got to be sure the housing doesn't move or you'll get a false reading on the indicator.My mounting/set up plate is made of aluminum so I installed a piece of steel for the magnetic base to hold the indicator, I still had movement in it. I had to use a "C" clamp on it to hold it still.What type of setup tool did you use, if you used one? The reason I ask is the face where the indicator touches may not be flat so touching the indicator at different points on the face could result in .001-.005" varience or more. I mark the spot I touch with paint so I always use the same spot.Did you use the same shim as was in there or one from a kit. I found a .012" difference between the old and new bearings and have a surface grinder at my shop to use. I ended up grinding an oversize spacer to fit. I know most guys are not going to have this machine so you have to be very good reading the indicator and "mike"to get it close. These are some of the things off the top of my head. Take your time and let us know how you do. Good luck,
Gary

 

HAha! Funny thing happened this morning. I removed the castle nut and then on a hunch torqued it right back. It worked fine. Right amount of end play. Something must have not seated right the first time. Well, lesson learned.

BTW - Bearings I am using are either Timken or Moog/Federal


[Modified by noskillz, 2:01 PM 3/12/2002]