1988 E150 5.0 engine AOD transmission 138WB Ford 8.8 differential 3.55 gears open carrier.

I need the part numbers for the ring and pinion and the open carrier please..

I think I am looking for E7TZ-4204-E for the open carrier

I was thinking about going with t a 3.73 ring and pinion if ford used one in the 1988.
I found a mechanic that said he used to rebuild differentials and would help me for $350 if I supply all the parts. He said if I use ford parts everything should just about drop right back in possibly using the same shims.. I don't know about that because all the reading I have done is using aftermarket gears.

Thanks
Anna

 

You don't need the part numbers if you buy aftermarket parts. I went with Ford Racing for the carrier (Trac-loc was $20 more than the open diff at Summit Racing) ditto for the ring and pinion. You'll also need a ring gear install kit to go with them. Good choice on the 3.73. After driving mine awhile now with the 4.10's, it's somewhat limited to about 75-80 mph both in power and the extra vibration from the increased ratio. I'm thinking hard on going back up in tire diameter now to mitigate this (from 28" to 31") Otherwise the "get up n go" is remarkable around town with the 4.10's.

 

My current 3.55 gears work find for me around town since I don't pull a trailer and drive slower these days. On the interstate though I was thinking the 3.73 might help out a little with the staying in OD when going up long grades. I think we talked about this but I have learned that when going up long grades at around 70MPH I can normally hold it in OD up the hills around here in the foothills but it requires holding the gas peddle down till it is about to downshift into drive.
If I just go ahead and let it downshift then I find I only need to have the gas peddle about half way down. So common sense tells me that 3 miles uphill with the gas peddle all the way down in OD verses half way down in drive, I would get better gas mileage in drive.
Also if I live long enough to ever convert the van to a camper, it will be a bit heaver and the 3.73 gears should make up the difference without sacrificing much fuel mileage.

As to the gear set... The mechanic I met today told me that the set up would be much easier if I used the factory ford parts. As a matter of fact he said the same shims would work and it probably would not need to be adjusted.
I have been thinking about that and was somewhat excited thinking about having someone help me who has experience doing this job. Later though I got to thinking I don't this guy and what if he just wants to throw it back together without really double checking the specs? If I do the work myself I would take it apart as many times as I need to to get it to spec, there might be a conflict there since he told me $350.
I immediately thought about changing the pinion and carrier bearings. I have timpkin and I don't know what bearings ford originally used but it seems to me like different bearings might be a few thousandth different which would affect the the pinion depth, backlash, and wear pattern. So it may not be as simple as just throwing the parts back together using the same exact factory shims.

Anyway I have read that if I do use factory Ford parts and the 3.55 gears, that the pinion shim would be the same. I don't know what would be true if I use ford 3.73 gears.
I already have a dial type torque wrench and a dial indicator (but not a magnetic base for it), I would just need to buy a good pinion depth tool. I have seen a couple of the Ford pinion depth tools used on Ebay for around $100. The mechanic said he had all the tools but $100 vers $350!

I am thinking that if the pinion bearings are in good shape then I should be able to take a measurement for the pinion depth from the existing pinion and set the new pinion to the exact same depth without a pinion depth gauge. Perhaps fabricate a bracket to use the dial indicator I have now. Again that would be using ford 3.55 parts, I have no idea if the 3.73 pinion depth would be different from the 3.55.

I bet the 4.10 did make a big difference in the get up and go!

 

I have 4.10's and love it , factory
No vibrations at all.
It'll run 95 for as long as the gas lasts and as long as there are no cops

I built many ford rear ends and never using more special than a dial indicator
YMMV

 

Pinion depth will not be the same. You're going from 3.55 to 3.73, the number of teeth are different, and thus the pinion depth will change. If that guy says he can do it with the same shims, he's bs'ing you. But it's your money, just don't be surprised when it whines like a banshee afterwards.

 

I am defiantly not going to use him. I will attempt this on my own with some help from one of my neighbors. I have been researching and learning for over a year now. There is a couple of really god sets of videos online about rebuilding the 8.8, I have read quite a few sites, and have read through my ford manual couple of times now.
There is a really good set videos from a vocational school instructor who is rebuilding a 50 something chevy differential and he covers installing the the carrier without the ring gear so you can check out the side run out on the carrier flange before installing the ring gear. HE does several run-out checks before he assembles all the parts. It is quite in-depth and the same principles apply to all differentials.
This is very interesting as he found the carrier without the ring gear installed to have 7 thousandths lateral run out on the flange. HE sets the carrier up in a brake lathe and trues it up.

I know there is no replacement for experience but I believe if I just take my time and follow all the steps I have been learning along with all new Ford parts, it will work out..

 

You do know you really should pull the whole rear out to do this, don't you ? It'll get pretty tedious going in and out from under the van getting all the settings right.

 

That's why I loved my 9" in the passenger cars. I used to keep 3.27-3.56-3.73's on the shelf ready to swap or setup a new combination. Nothing but the hog's head positioned on the bench. Never understood why Ford didn't continue to use it in light trucks

 

Yes I have tossed both ways around in my head (lots of room in there) but decided removing the whole rear end would be best for me. That way I will only need help to get get it out from under the van and reinstall it, the rest of the work I can do my self. I also want to replace the rear spring shackles and spring bushings. I am not positive what spring set is under the van but know they are not standard E150 cargo van springs because I attempted to replace the bushings a while back and the bushings I ordered would not fit. The Ford door sticker code says they should be 1,750lb rating. The Mark III sticker does not give a spring rating but shows the same GVW.
That was another concern wither to change the rear springs or not. My manual says that with 1,750 springs the spring height at curb weight should be 5.74". Right now the left side is 4.75" and the passenger side is at 5.0". There is about 100lbs of junk behind the axle with most being on the left side. Then there is the weight of the plywood and fiberglass raised roof. Add to that the spring shackles and bushings appear to be slightly dropped. The one bushing I took out looked fair without weight on it but appeared to be off centered just a little with the weight on it. So I am thinking that all that combined might raise be the reason for part of the low ride height on the rear. The overall height of the van is 1" higher in the rear then on the front so I am not sure if it's of any concern at this time.

NOTE: about 17 minutes the guy checks the radial runout on the carrier in this video.

 

My 85 has a 9" in it and I took it apart, cleaned the housing, inspected the gears and bearings, installed new bearings and seals, brakes, wheel cylinders, and drums. I thought about swapping it out with the 88 but was not clear on exactly what it would entail. It too had a vibration.
I did that work with the axle under the van. I used a broom handle and rage soaked in brake clean to clean the tubes and did the rest by hand. I had my son to help back then. I used a floor jack to lower the third member as that thing would be almost impossible for one person to remove and install by themselves, under the van, me anyway!

 

They did until the mid 80's. But not in those ratios. 2.50, 2.75, 3.00, 3.25, 3.50, 3.70. 3.90, 4.30 . Last ones in cars were the 1980 Lincoln Versailles, Granada and Monarchs

 

Upper/lower pics: Parts list #237 // Ring & pinon is basic part number 4209.

 

See all those shims listed ? And that mechanic said the same ones would work ?

 

Thanks so much NumberDummy. It looks like if I want to upgrade to a 3.73 I will have to go aftermarket. I found a list to identify ford rear axles and that list showed one Ford using a 3.73. Not sure about this but the best I can figure out about that is that it may be a special edition NASCAR1998 F150 Axle tag number.

The axle code is "S822B"

Am thinking even if the carrier is the same part number and the ring gear would fit the carrier, there is probably a good chance that the pinion gear would not fit. I would also guess that it it was only used that one year, that it would be quite expensive if I could find one from Ford.

So who makes a good quality ring and pinion set?

 

Yes I see that! like I said I think we would butt heads because he wouldn't want to take the time check the precision of everything. I on the other hand would because I would have the time. If It failed then I wold know it was my fault!