Rear blown again
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 7,339
Likes: 137
From: WilkesBarre PA
Rear blown again
First round, launch at 3000 and just coast 30'. Didn't get too many points this race Does anyone make a replacement posi for these rears? I just put a new GM unit in about 1500 miles ago (900 miles was on a trip to Virginia) and 13 months (out of warranty ) I seen a Auburn for a Dana 44 but it doesn't say if it's for a Vette. I can't belive no one makes a stronger Posi for these cars.
Oh and thanks for the help pushing the car off the line, down the return road, around past the ticket booth..... I really apriciate the help!!!! :cheers:
[Modified by RichS, 11:00 PM 7/12/2003]
Oh and thanks for the help pushing the car off the line, down the return road, around past the ticket booth..... I really apriciate the help!!!! :cheers:
[Modified by RichS, 11:00 PM 7/12/2003]
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 7,339
Likes: 137
From: WilkesBarre PA
Re: Rear blown again (John Shiels)
You can put a straight axle
I blew the spiders apart but the rest of the rear is ok. I had a spare set from my last blown rear so I rebuilt it with those. I may buy a posi rebuild kit and have the new spiders from the kit cryro'd for added strength.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 3,767
Likes: 5
From: Jacksonville Fl
Re: Rear blown again (RichS)
Definitely buy a complete rebuild kit.
If your interested, I can tell you the biggest reason for spider gear failure: It's posi clutch wear!
How? Well, I'll explain:
-The spider gears to spline gear tooth engagement, like any gear set, will try to climb apart when torgue is applied. If you notice, this movement puts pressure on the clutch pack to cause it to lock the axles to the carrier.
Now, since this is by design the spreading of the gears is what locks the clutchpacks, it can be a bad thing if the gears are allowed to spread too far apart under torque...so clutch pack thickness is critical! Too loose a clutch pack will allow the spider/axle gears to spread to the point of almost no tooth mesh and under high torque loading...snap, spider gear is history. :(
So, in otherwords, if you did not replace the clutch packs and set the proper preload after spider gear failure, you set yourself up for a repeat of the first failure.
My advice: Rebuild the carrier with new spiders and make sure you know how to properly setup clutchpack thickness/preload and the rear should last a long time. There are a lot of D44's that live with 600+ HP with no problems ever...so it's not the GM design that did you in, it's wear.
If your interested, I can tell you the biggest reason for spider gear failure: It's posi clutch wear!
How? Well, I'll explain:
-The spider gears to spline gear tooth engagement, like any gear set, will try to climb apart when torgue is applied. If you notice, this movement puts pressure on the clutch pack to cause it to lock the axles to the carrier.
Now, since this is by design the spreading of the gears is what locks the clutchpacks, it can be a bad thing if the gears are allowed to spread too far apart under torque...so clutch pack thickness is critical! Too loose a clutch pack will allow the spider/axle gears to spread to the point of almost no tooth mesh and under high torque loading...snap, spider gear is history. :(
So, in otherwords, if you did not replace the clutch packs and set the proper preload after spider gear failure, you set yourself up for a repeat of the first failure.
My advice: Rebuild the carrier with new spiders and make sure you know how to properly setup clutchpack thickness/preload and the rear should last a long time. There are a lot of D44's that live with 600+ HP with no problems ever...so it's not the GM design that did you in, it's wear.
