rear differential

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Dec 31, 2024 | 06:34 AM

#16

buddyrow

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5th Wheeling

Joined: Nov 2023

Posts: 44

Likes: 5

Nice collection
I will

Dec 31, 2024 | 10:35 AM

#17

tbear853

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Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 10,866

Likes: 2,626

From: The Shenandoah Valley

Long ago, so long that I really should repeat, I went to change the rear lube in my '77 with 9". A hose to suck out the old didn't want to turn down between the ring gear and fill opening, so that time I used a 3/8" copper tube smoothly bent and it "seemed" to do OK, hose was attached to tube outside the axle housing.

But I also need to at sometime, replace that pinion seal. When I do, after parking the truck where I want to work, setting the park brake, and anything else needed to secure it like placing it in 4x4 with front hubs locked and transmission in "Park".

I am not going to take the pumpkin out, but I will clean it all with U-joint and drive shaft tied up out of my way.

I will:

both count exposed threads and measure the length of exposed pinion shaft, and record both.
punch mark the pinion shaft end and the nut and the yoke itself so that when I put it back together, I can put it together EXACTLY in the same orientation.
just loosen the pinion nut

After the pinion nut is just loose, then I will:

remove the 5 smaller bolts and take pinion carrier out with drain bucket under it (allow to drain) ... & then I can use a siphon to draw out any remaining old lube (that didn't already run out).
remove the pinion carrier and tag / secure any shims after all is safely & legibly recorded,
take the carrier inside my shop to R&R the seal without any extra disassembly outside.
save / maybe even tag ... any washers.
have both the pinion carrier's "D" (cross section) shaped O-ring and a pinion seal ready.
reassemble loosely and reinsert the pinion into the rear once the pinion and its carrier and any shim(s) found are back in place.
tighten those 5 smaller bolts to torque (but I'll look up the torque for those 5 smaller bolts)
tighten that large pinion nut back to EXACTLY where I found it using the information I recorded earlier.
punch a thread so it doesn't back off or use a bit of thread locker, and NO EXTRA TORQUE.
refill the rear axle with fresh lube through the fill hole.
put in 2x4, unlock hubs, put something in neutral, park brake set though.
reattach my driveshaft & U-joint
be done then

I'm gonna study on ways to add a drain to the housing while the pinion carrier is out. Might just be a 1/2"-20 threaded hole and a nut welded to the housing down low and a 1/2"-20 magnetic drain plug? Depends on "room" inside.