reusing rear gear set
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: South Jersey
reusing rear gear set
with all the threads about LS vs lockers lately ive decide that its time for me to ditch my stock LS. About four years ago i spent 2K on OEM 4.30 gears for my truck and the shop that did the work said i can reuse the rear gears if i havent beat on them???? I dont do burnouts and i never go from R to D without coming to a complete stop in my truck so i cant see why my 4.30 gears would be WRECKED right? Just trying to save myself $200 for a second set of 4.30 gears you know.....
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,447
Likes: 70
From: South Jersey
i had the gear swap done then about five months lately i installed the 08 up aluminum diff cover and installed Mobil1 synthetic and i have about 45-50k on the new 4.30 gears with no heavy towing like i use to do with the stock 3.73 gears
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,447
Likes: 70
From: South Jersey
the guy i went to was a Ford tech for years, then he retired and opened his own little shop. On my bill he has 10 thousands gap and he wrote 8-12 is spec...... i talked to him and hes going to give me a price for a Detroit locker, Detroit Truetrac, and a ARB air locker minus the air pump ill install that
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,223
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From: TN
My experience in reusing gears is after reinstall they whine. Reason being is when they are new there is no wear pattern. Thus, quiet after break in. Even if you set the tolerances correct after reinstall, the original wear between pinion gear and ring gear never matches like before. Nothing wrong with reusing, just be aware of possible noise from the gears. Especially if you have hauled or towed heavy loads on those gears, the wear will be more significant than just a daily driver. I would opt for new gears just to avoid the headache, but it isn't my money to throw around.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
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From: Mt. Shasta California
I rebuilt hundreds of rear ends and those gears are hard as a rock, even after towing and abusing. Definitely use them again. The specs aren't nearly as important as getting the pattern right with red lead, Prussian blue, or your marking material of choice. Don't waste a good set of gears! And they will be quiet if set up right.
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Roanoke, VA
If they are OEM I would probably give it a try and put the money toward the ARB selectable. Then again if you can get OEM for $200 you may want to consider it as reassembly would cost more than that. Good fortune.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
Likes: 14
From: Mt. Shasta California
Aftermarket gears can be re-used also. People don't realize how hard those things are and nothing can touch them...............unless you run low on oil.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 320
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From: Roanoke, VA
If I could get OEM for $200 I would not consider aftermarket in the first place. The OEM's are so much easier to set-up as sometimes you can use the original shim measurements as you already know.
Super Moderator
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Isanti, MN
I agree with Brent...why in the world would you throw away good gears? Most gear sets will last FOREVER without making noise as long as they are setup correctly, regardless of the type of oil or use.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,223
Likes: 89
From: TN
I rebuilt hundreds of rear ends and those gears are hard as a rock, even after towing and abusing. Definitely use them again. The specs aren't nearly as important as getting the pattern right with red lead, Prussian blue, or your marking material of choice. Don't waste a good set of gears! And they will be quiet if set up right.
I do agree, however if the setup is not correct or the wear pattern is not close, they will make noise. Just giving you a heads up.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 11,798
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From: Mt. Shasta California
.....lol
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2012
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From: ALPHA ,NJ
with all the threads about LS vs lockers lately ive decide that its time for me to ditch my stock LS. About four years ago i spent 2K on OEM 4.30 gears for my truck and the shop that did the work said i can reuse the rear gears if i havent beat on them???? I dont do burnouts and i never go from R to D without coming to a complete stop in my truck so i cant see why my 4.30 gears would be WRECKED right? Just trying to save myself $200 for a second set of 4.30 gears you know.....
While looking I've seen many people run TT front and rear (mainly jeeps) but when looking for that, its almost all front differentials are 4.10.and numerically lower or 4.56 and numerically higher gears. But nothing works with 4.30s that I've seen. So if you eventually want to lock the front you might want to consider that.
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