This is my first post hope it works! Well I just assisted 2 of my friends replace and rebuild my Dana 60 with 3.73 gearing. Its a 2006 ford chassis with a 5.4 and 5 speed auto transmission in an aluminum body van (looks like small ups truck). Deciding on changing gear ratios depends on how much weight you tow and how often. If you tow over 8000lbs total in hilly country consider a pickup truck, but I've pulled 10,000lb bobcat on trailer on flat land 10 miles or so with out over heating my old e350 with 4.11 gearing. I keep that old 2003 van for my short towing needs!! back to rebuilding dana 60. Monday my 2006 3.73 DANA 60 decided to eat the drivers side C CLIP and break pieces of the spider gears off all the teeth. Every time I turned left more of the teeth broke off. This next part should be its OWN TOPIC OF DISCUSSION, but I have no clue how to START A NEW TOPIC. When we pulled the cover the C CLIP was MISSING AGAIN!!!! You read that right MISSING AGAIN!!!! The first time this happened to me was shortly after buying this former Navy van at auction. No noise, but I noticed I could pull the axle out if I removed the drivers caliper. I paid a shop to remove cover and there was no C CLIP on drivers axle, but there was no damage visable either!!! He said he put C CLIP in, but It vanished again??? While I was out spending just under $500.00 for a NEW CARRIAGE ASSEMLBLY and COMPLETE BEARING KIT with shims ect. Basicly everything needed to rebuild the DANA 60 my 2 Friends completely gutted and cleaned rear end (the dana axle tubes, everything) and found 3 (I repeat) 3 C CLIPS hiding in between the upper and lower holes behind the PINION GEAR at the pinion shaft bushing. Can anyone explain how I had 1 C CLIP installed at 21,000 miles and at 30,000 miles we found 3 C CLIPS hiding back there?????? The one on TOP OF THE STACK had all the chew marks and the other two looked like new!!!!!

 

After getting back to shop with all the DANA GUTS we started the reassembly process. I just want to say there is no way I could have done this without the special SET UP BEARINGS that are used in place of the side bearings where the axles slide into the DANA. To set the latch correctly with the PINION GEAR witch I think went in and out about 10 -15 times and the carrier assembly went in and out about 20 -25 time with the removal of those side bearings each time to keep changing sizes and swapping left to right shiming so the yellow dye that we kept paintng on the gears eventually ended up wearing off in the correct pattern. If you don't have SET UP BEARINGS that are then saved for the next job you would have to press on and pull off your bearings many many times instead of pushing on the SET UP BEARING by hand. You would add another half a DAY LABOR to your project and probably runine the bearings pulling them off so many times. Get a book on how to move the shim washers around. It can be done, but it takes a long time. I spent 22 hours out of 24 with 2 hours wishing I could sleep but managed to find all the parts, clean out all the shreaded metal, and be driving to lunch in exactly 24 hours with no sleep!!! Chances are I be replacing my whole rear end, because I still don't know what the smoking gun is that caused 3 C CLIPS to fall out of an almost new DANA 60. I plan on removing cover at 2000 more miles and keeping an eye on the left inner brake PAD !!!! This Van completely wore out 2 inner brake pads on that side within the last 10,000 miles. I don'y know if the pad gets thin and C CLIP falls out or if the C CLIP falls out and then the pad gets thin because the axle is trying to escape!!!! I'm pretty sure its a saftey concern though??? Anyone have any thoughts on HOW All those C CLIPS came out??????

 

Right above the list of current threads, on the left side of the screen, is a button marked "New Thread" (they're called "threads" rather than "topics" by this software).

 

Moved to new thread.

 

bro
break it up into different paragraphs.

Please.

Nice to have you here.

 

Do you have any pictures? I am only familiar with the semi floating Dana 60 and I guess you have a full floater, but there should be a large pin/axle holding the spider gears and preventing the semi axles to move sideways. The c clips should be always buried inside their spider gear.

 

Sorry. Some how my tablet jumped to this thread.

 

If you have the shaft in place with the small bolt to lock it in place,I dont see how the C clip can fall out. There should not be enough movement to allow the axle to move inward for it to fall out. As far as a full float axle; the bolts holding the axle to the hub are what keeps it in place. There are no C clips.

 

My 2006 Ford E350 Dana 60 must be semi-float it definitely has C Clips and 3 of them fell out. My van new to me was former Navy Van with 21,000 miles when I purchased it. It sat around for a while so calipers were hanging up. while having them replaced noticed the drivers axle could just slide out with caliper removed. We thought Dana must have left out C CLIP because it was missing??? Not there when cover was removed!! No signs of any damage. We pulled King Pin out slid axle in and put in a C CLIP. Pulled axle back so C CLIP was in gear and put King Pin and retaining bolt back.

Now at 31,000 miles the Dana 60 started to self destruct. When we removed cover the drivers side C CLIP was missing??? No were to be seen, but all the spiders were chipped!!! When we gutted out this Dana 60 we found 3 C CLIPS hiding behind the pinion gear bearing!! It seems they can get thrown up through the hole in the top, but don't come out the hole in the bottom!! I know since I've owned this van we put 1 C CLIP in it. The other 2 Were put in when the government owned it.

Yes I agree they can not fall out, but 3 DID ?!?!? YIKES TOO BAD DANA has no technical support !!!

 

GLRUFF posted Moved to new thread. Does anyone know what that means??

 

You had asked this question in a different thread (where you also commented that you didn't know how to start a new thread). glruff, as a moderator, has the ability to do things like pulling posts out of one thread and putting them in a new one, which is what he did here to help you out and keep your question from hijacking the original thread.

 

Thank you for moving this thread to this spot and also for explaining the process. I've never been on any site where people interact and share ideas and knowledge. It took me a few days to figure out that you all have been helping me out with the process.