Driver side axelshaft installation
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
Look a minute before you take it back off, is the metal dust shield on the stub shaft, right behind the knuckle, hitting on that stud? The back side of of the spindle's retaining stud.
Sure looks like it in the picture, if it is it shouldn't be.
Sure looks like it in the picture, if it is it shouldn't be.
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Senior User
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Yes it is hitting those studs - and I believe that is the root of the problem.
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Senior User
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Ok here is something interesting, not sure what it means though, but when I just now reinstalled the shaft, again its hitting the studs, mainly the ones on the right hand side (ones towards the rear of the vehicle) so this time I stuck a pry bar through the little opening behind where the brake pads sit, and put some pressure on it to move the shaft foward (towards the front of the truck) and then I had free play, it was able to move in every direction without binding... what would this be? is there a bearing or something inside the differential that is maybe out of whack, or would it be the whole axle shaft it self that is bent? heck maybe it has nothing at all to do with it, but just a thought...
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
Again hard to say but sounds like you have issues inside the pig. I've worked on countless drive axles and never encountered what you state. Using a pry bar to relocate the outboard end of the axle shaft, shouldn't be able to do so.
On the way in it goes through a seal first and then into the carrier and a side gear, the seal being just outboard of the carrier, prying it shouldn't influence its position.
Might be a bad carrier bearing or bearings or other issue, however the seal should be torn up and diff fluid should be leaking out that side of the housing big time if that is the case.
The front pig, does it have any grease in it?
How does it feel when you turn the axle? feel anything odd about it? move around in a off center circle at all when you do spin it?
On the way in it goes through a seal first and then into the carrier and a side gear, the seal being just outboard of the carrier, prying it shouldn't influence its position.
Might be a bad carrier bearing or bearings or other issue, however the seal should be torn up and diff fluid should be leaking out that side of the housing big time if that is the case.
The front pig, does it have any grease in it?
How does it feel when you turn the axle? feel anything odd about it? move around in a off center circle at all when you do spin it?
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Senior User
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Well it does leak on that side, actually, it leaks from all over, whoever yanked it off last time did a crappy job on installation - im already in the process of removing the whole front differential, really have a feeling its the insides that are causing the headache... question though - at what point if I HAVE to drive it, am I able to without causing damage... ie if I disconnect the front drive shaft, and the two axle shafts going to the wheels, is that ok? granted I know it will have openings etc... but I am on a tight timeline here, only got through monday to figure this puppy out =\
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
Likes: 13
From: Sand Lake, MI
Well it does leak on that side, actually, it leaks from all over, whoever yanked it off last time did a crappy job on installation - im already in the process of removing the whole front differential, really have a feeling its the insides that are causing the headache... question though - at what point if I HAVE to drive it, am I able to without causing damage... ie if I disconnect the front drive shaft, and the two axle shafts going to the wheels, is that ok? granted I know it will have openings etc... but I am on a tight timeline here, only got through monday to figure this puppy out =\
I did that to a buddies suburban, pulled all the front shafts and then cleaned the inside of the spindles out, pumped them full of silicone to keep the dirt out of the hubs.
He bought it new but at that point it was fairly old and crusty, he never once used the 4 wheel drive and it had pretty much frozen up solid, U-joints started interfering with steering, didn't want or need it fixed.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
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Well just got done droppen the differential - that things a beast... nuff said, lol. Anywho snagged a pic of the input slot - here ya go - the seal feels perfect, bearing not sure of yet, didn't really mess with it much yet since hands are dirty as hell, but everything looks good! 
Im so lost now! blah!
Oh and yeah, there was no gasket at all, just a ton of RTV - outstanding!!
Im so lost now! blah! Oh and yeah, there was no gasket at all, just a ton of RTV - outstanding!!
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
That grease/dirt there looks like it might have a lot of metal content mixed in it.
Just the way the it looks in the picture?
How much grease was in it and what does it look/feel like? mostly full and fairly clean or real low and gritty feeling, decent amount of metal shavings laying in the bottom of the housing?
Use a bar and see if you can move the carrier around any, testing to see if it has any play in the bearings. Don't take it apart yet, at least not until you're fairly sure you need to. If you do keep track of any shim locations.
Just the way the it looks in the picture?
How much grease was in it and what does it look/feel like? mostly full and fairly clean or real low and gritty feeling, decent amount of metal shavings laying in the bottom of the housing?
Use a bar and see if you can move the carrier around any, testing to see if it has any play in the bearings. Don't take it apart yet, at least not until you're fairly sure you need to. If you do keep track of any shim locations.
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Nope, thing is solid as a rock - just (like within the past 2 mins) pryed on every little thing I could in there, and nothin budged... rotating the main shaft and the stubby shaft and everything is smoother then a newborns.... im quite amazed... the color is actually quite dark, I had 2 flood lights blasting on it tho when I took the pic, not to mention the fluids in there prior was a greyish color, but fluid level was decent, with the leaking it really didn't lose much, I had squirted maybe 1/2 a cup in it about a week ago, and what drained out looked to be about right. Thing was def dirty though, just got through scraping the outside clean, what can I do to clean out the inside? But I also scraped the bottom with my finger few times, feels normal, no grittyness.... bleh!
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
Thought to you might have pushed a stone in it from the TTB arm, one got up in there and when you pushed the axle in it pushed it into the carrier.
Put it back in and try again, check them studs for clearance.
The outboard end of that axle shaft should drift around slightly yea but not so much as you have to use a bar to pry it to line it up.
Might just have been a fluke, side gear was jammed on an angle, don't see how without any play in its bearings though.
How bad was that u joint, froze right up about solid? If so that might have been enough to do it, forcing the side gear around when cornering?
Put it back in and try again, check them studs for clearance.
The outboard end of that axle shaft should drift around slightly yea but not so much as you have to use a bar to pry it to line it up.
Might just have been a fluke, side gear was jammed on an angle, don't see how without any play in its bearings though.
How bad was that u joint, froze right up about solid? If so that might have been enough to do it, forcing the side gear around when cornering?
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Senior User
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quite possibly, both ends of the u-joint were dry as a rock and powdered inside the caps, good chance it may have off set the side gear... if I want to check that side, how much of a pain in the A is it to just remove the two bolts that hold that section in place there on that side of the differential that holds the side gear and all in place? sorry for lack of techno lingo, I usually never learn part names, just what they do or how they come apart and go back together, hah!
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
Likes: 13
From: Sand Lake, MI
You'd have to remove the pinion shaft bolt, then the pinion shaft itself, push the opposite side stub shaft in a hair and remove its C clip, and then remove the spider gears, then the side gears will come out.
Doesn't sound like you need to do based on what you've stated, hard to say not being right there with you.
Kinda a hard thing to help diagnose from a distance, as you can well imagine LOL!
Doesn't sound like you need to do based on what you've stated, hard to say not being right there with you.
Kinda a hard thing to help diagnose from a distance, as you can well imagine LOL!
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Haha yeah I really appreciate the help though! What is the best way to clean out the inside? It has gotten some cross contamination inside from cleaning it, moving it, removing it, etc... so im starting to find little bits of dirt and crap inside... will just a normal degreaser work or will I jack something up spraying that crap in there?