Shop Discount Pinion Bearings

if it helps the last harsh thing i did before i noticed the noise i got a bad phone call did a u turn and mid u turn pinned the pedal to the floor and my truck is re programmed to tach out to 6000 so i'm thinking thats what caused the damage. i'll pull the diff cover when i get a chance

I'd check it sooner than later. If it's a broken tooth, the differential can lock up on you and could be very dangerous if it does so.

It makes this noise when pressing gas when i let off the noize goes away

thank u...much appreciated

Use the bearings that your going to install when checking your pinion depth.

If you use the OEM pinion bearings you shouldn't have to mess with pinion depth. If you are going to use aftermarket bearings and races, you probably should check pinion depth, but you'll need a pinion depth gauge. Backlash is controlled by the carrier shims. Don't worry about backlash till you have the pinion's depth and preload done. Once you know the pinion depth is correct, then you preload the pinion bearings with the new crush sleeve and an inch pound torque wrench.

HT....I realize that I HAVE to use a new crush sleeve for final installation. I've read a bunch of tutorials and they mention double checking pinion depth using setup bearings and gear marking compound. I'm just wondering if I have to use a new crush sleeve when checking the pinion depth. If I don't have to use a crush sleeve when first checking pinion depth I would then remove the nut and put a new crush sleeve on after I verified it's correct. I was just wondering if initially checking pinion depth without a crush sleeve would affect any other measurements.

DS....So you're saying do not use setup bearings? I should just install the exact bearing that is being used for final installation? If for some reason I need to add or remove shims I should just keep pulling and pressing the new bearing on instead of using the setup bearings?

I've read that you can get away without using the special tool to measure pinion depth by using gear marking compound. I read that even if you have the tool your final check is always done by using the compound. If that's true I should be able to check and adjust all measurements on my own. It will just take a long time to do it if I have to end up adjusting shims. I don't trust what other websites say though and that's why I always ask here.

No, you don't need it for measuring. Just don't over tighten the pinion without it in there.

Thanks HT...that's what I was wondering.

That darn pinion/yoke nut was a pain. I didn't have much clearance under the truck so only got a small turn each time.

Is it necessary to clean up the gear marking compound after checking backlash and pinion depth? I plan on wiping off what I can but know I can't get it all without taking the carrier back out.

Do you think the pattern looks good? Also, my backlash is .012. Is that good? I can't seem to find a definite number for what my backlash should be but from some specs I've seen my seems a little high.

Pattern isn't too bad. Agree that .012 seems a bit high, but I don't have the specs on this one on my comp either. Glad you posted the pic up here. I have a scratched up flip phone with a small screen so was a little fuzzy when you sent it to my phone.

I found the specs on my alldayadiy for the truck. I added .010 on the left side and subtracted .010 on the right. That gave me a backlash of .005. That's in the "preferred" range so it should be perfect. If I had some shims that were .0025 I'd go for that .006 backlash. Not really. That carrier isn't much fun to get out. It's not too bad. I just had to work at it.

Gonna go check the pattern again. I'll post another picture. Once you guys verify the pattern it's time to get this truck back on the road.

http://www.alldatadiy.com/alldatadiy/DIY~V36250494~C37498~R0~OB0~P4R0H~N/0/89012112/94695199/94695260/94695264/34853741/34860071/34861128/34861336/34849672/119892457/119892579/120500641

The pattern on drive side of the gear looks great. How about the coast side?

I was hoping you said it looked good cause I got out my fine tip paint brush to paint that pattern.

I thought you only had to worry about one side. Wouldn't the gears contact the same going the other way? If the drive side looks good, and the coast side doesn't, wouldn't any kind of adjustments to the coast side throw off the drive side? Or, do you just do a little "give and take" to get them both as close as possible?

Getting ready to check the pattern again after adjusting backlash. I'll post pictures of both the drive and the coast.

Thanks DS.

I was hoping to see the coast side pattern too because there may be a picture of Jesus on one of the teeth. Then we can call the news station and the local churches in your area.

I didn't have much marking compound so used white lithium mixed with what was left of the yellow compound. It didn't mark quite as well but you can still tell. I have some Prussian blue but figured it might be too dark.

After adjusting the carrier shims my backlash is now .007. Comparing the markings to charts I think it looks pretty good overall. The coast side might be a tad towards the face but doesn't seem to be too bad. The drive side still looks good. What do you think? Can I go with it? I hope so. If not I'm gonna have to talk HT into giving me one of his lifts for Christmas. I'm gonna need another back surgery after climbing under the truck as many times as I have today.

Another question. The c-clips. What keeps them from falling out? I know you push the axles in, install clips, and push the axle out. What keeps those axles from sliding back in enough for the clips to fall out? It seems like on this Truetrac it would make more sense to put the clips in with the closed side up, hold the bottom with a pick or something, and then push the axles in. I'm just worried one of the clips is going to fall out again. It doesn't seem like there's anything on this Truetrac to keep the clips from falling out. I think on the original diff the center pin keeps them from falling out. The Truetrac has no center pin and is just open. Do I need a different kind of clip?


Drive




Coast

Here are some pictures of the Truetrac where the c clips go. I just don't see how they wouldn't fall out. You can see how it's just an open area where the c clips hold the axle.

Look in the packaging it came in for small hardware. If you look in the bottom pic, you clearly see where it is notched to put the c clips in, but in the bore coming down to that, about halfway, looks like a snap ring groove. I would think some sort of cover plate goes in there and is retained by a snap ring. Might check Detroits website or call their tech line, they would know for sure. Perhaps even break out the destructions and see if it references something of that nature.

This is the only thing it came with. It had the Mustang note on the bag. Sounds like it's only for a Mustang but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I don't want to be guessing though. I emailed tech support so will see what they say. I've read others who installed the Truetrac and they said you don't need any kind of special clips but they never said what they used.

*Edit*
Ahh.....brain fart. It says for Mustang users utilize the GROOVED spacer. Well, the spacer that came with mine isn't grooved. That means I have the correct one. That's the kind of crap my wife pulls. Don't tell her it happened to me.

The patterns look good to me. Your becoming the jack of all trades.

Ha...maybe a jackoff of all trades!

I wouldn't have attempted half the stuff I've done if I knew I didn't have you guys to help me figure out my screw-ups! I'm just glad pinion depth stayed the same after I used the new bearing especially considering it was a different bearing number. I measured the thickness the best I could and was pretty certain it was the same. I had to measure it with the race on because the bearings and races were different sizes. With them together they ended up measuring the same though. That was the one thing I was worried about. I know I would've eventually go it right but it would've been a long painful process. Especially since I would've had to crawl under the truck even more.

Thanks DS.

Putting oil in now. I know it calls for around 2 quarts. You do keep adding until it starts dripping out the fill hole, right? I've put almost 3 quarts in and it hasn't starting dripping out. Is that just because I didn't have any old oil in the axle tubes? I'm sure I am suppose to keep adding until it runs out. Since I've already put almost 3 in little crap like this always makes me nervous and that's why I ask the pros.

Enough so you can touch it with one joint. Putting too much may cause the seal to leak or come out the vent.

Sounds good HT......Thank you

Well, another successful repair thanks to you guys. She's race ready again. I can definitely tell a difference with the Truetrac. Have to be easy on the gas around corners or else it will chirp the tires. I wish I had some snow to play in.

Once again, thanks for all of the help and advice!

Trust me friend you are remarkable. Many full blown shops send this crap out around where I am anyway. Time and space plus the tools limit even dealerships. Thread is so long now I'm sorry for any repeats. Stuff like this didn't get fixed up but whole units replaced on off warranty vehicles. One day and you have your vehicle back again hopefully the yard dogs know which ones are good - they do around me.

Speak for myself but bet many. This was a virus to be so finely involved in specialty area even in the trade. More power too you. Glad this site and it's regulars had tons more info than I could muster for this.

Great going MG and all the guys involved.

It's now a five star thread and now would take a lot of ink to print it all out.

Congrats again buddy,

Tom

Thanks Tom. You know I probably wouldn't have even attempted it without the help I get here. I just wish I would've came across Carjunky a long time ago. I always got my vehicles up and running but repairs would've went much smoother.

I had my "service airbag light" come on yesterday. Come to find out one of my kids left the rear push out window cracked and some rain got the carpet wet under the driver's seat. There's a module down there that gets wet and can cause the light to come on. Guess it's somewhat of a common problem if the floorboards get wet. I'm drying out the carpet now. I pulled the front seats and lifted up the carpet. I'm also going to clean the connector and put some grease in it. It's always something. Oh well, the truck is getting a good cleaning now.

Anyone know how long I should go before changing the gear oil after a rebuild? I was thinking about changing it at 500-1000 miles. I felt I did a good job keeping my work area and parts clean but I'm sure you can't keep all of the bad stuff out such metal dust. Good idea or is it a waste of money?

Good job! Tom's right, most shops would sub that out because it takes too much time and most don't have the tools for pinion checking.

You could make some money at the race tracks. Someone looking to change gears in their rear ends. A non-integral rear end should be cake walk for you.

Thanks DS....Hey, this thing works for now but who knows how it will be working after I put a few hundred miles on it! If I'd worked at the track I'd end up having all kinds of drivers after me. I'm sure everything's fine but I never get my hopes up.

Do you HAVE to have the special tool to measure pinion depth or do you just use it for a starting point for the pinion shims? I read that it really just saves time, but in the end, you go by the gear pattern. If that's true you don't have to have it but it would save you hours and hours of work. I do realize you have to have a dial indicator to check backlash properly. When I was researching I read some guys would use feeler gauges but I don't think I'd trust that.

Tom, I think I will change the oil at 500-1000 miles. Probably doesn't need it but figure it won't hurt. It does have a magnet already, but if I pull the cover to check it, there's no way I'd reuse the oil. Never have, never will.

I finished it up just in time. I go back to work tomorrow morning. At least it happened when I had 10 days off between jobs.

Put in some overtime. You owe all of us a few beers now.

Nick - I'm sure you can find some unbroken ones in this mess. MG didn't work on that truck!

Tom

I owe you guys more than a few. I think Nick might've caused that wreck during his last high speed police chase!

I was the only one who wrecked on my last one. Well you do a couple more projects like you've been doing you may as well open up your own shop. Tell you what, I'll truck my tools out to you and you get wrenching. I'll take your truck with the new diff out on the road and go weld for you. Then we both get a break from work.

You were probably the only one who wrecked because you fell for their trap. "Hey, the heck with the nail strips, he'll keep driving on the rims. Let's throw beer bottles all over the road and make it look like they're there for the taking. Warner will be flying down that road at 100+, see the beer in his rearview after he scoots by, slam on the brakes, and end up in the ditch"!

We could make some big bucks with a mobile welding service around here. There are a couple dirt tracks within an hour of here. Not to mention, the farmers would keep us busy almost all year. I know welding is work for me but I could keep that hood flipped down all day and be happy. It kind of relaxes me. It would be nice to weld half the time and turn a wrench the other half though. Best of both worlds.

My last rollover was 90mph locked in on radar by the nearest squad in the pursuit. They didn't need nail strips, I couldn't see much. Glasses got knocked off me and I am so blind I couldn't even clearly see my speedo.


I also enjoy the days its just a weld/fab project. Lot easier than trying to diagnose a driveability issue. I just throw in earplugs, bust out the grinder and the rest of the time drop them hood. Not a bad way to spend the day. Not much welding in fixing cars aside from exhaust but lots in trucks and equipment. Had a Toyota forklift in a neighboring bay with broken bolts that retain the mast. He got it off the lift but bolts weren't coming out and broken below flush. Ended up drilling through the whole works with a 5/8 bit and filling it in with weld. It was easier to start over and machine it myself at that point instead of deal with the bolt that liked where it was.

I'll weld half the time and tell you what to do the rest of it. Then I can be happy all day long.

Changing out the gear oil? IDK - couldn't hurt but don't think it's generally called for. For that matter I'm still a bit shocked it needed anything to begin with unless it suffered some very hard use which I think you said it did. After all the work of doing it I guess I probably would and perhaps thin it and run it thru a coffee filter to see what you get. All that even if it prooves perfect just if you missed some debris somewhere? That or put a real strong magnet on outside of the cover as low as possible maybe now and see what it looks like.

Still not into reuing oils no matter what antics you go thru, - Tom

Gear Case oil level: Said already I haven't been where you have on this. The basics are for the fill hole in whatever like that is when it can run out of filler hole is right. In this case I'd check again after a run and it will/should be fine.

Dang stuff isn't being pumped around it just sits there and splashes around. Near life long have bent a Q-Tip in many and if close leave it alone short of noting a leak anywhere. If you could and you could overfill one it would be a problem,

T

There's always a smart @ss in the bunch...actually, on here, it would be.... there's always a bunch of smart @$$es in the bunch. Between you, HT, and Nick. Need I say more? Tom even throws a good comment in there on occasion!

After adjusting backlash my pattern sucks. I'm too far on the toe. I think I went twice as much as I should have. Once I go back a bit I'll check the pattern and post pictures.

It sounds like the spider gear broke off some teeth. Now you have to open it up ASAP and pray those loose parts didn't get caught in the ring and pinion and damaged them. Spider gears are no big deal but they can damage a lot of stuff by driving it that way.

Have to admit so few were ever a problem I can only speak for grease seals and outer bearing when possible. GMs used to use the axle as the bearing race. N/A but some Fords used a removable carrier that could eat bearings - not that hard on those.

Just one totally replaced as person backed into something and actually bent the housing! Used one did fine on that one. As HT said if this is really trashed your efforts may be wasted.

I'm lost as I can't even know for sure how to tell without wild work if it's hopeless now or not. Were too cheap used to fuss with as I said if trashed and almost none failed,

T

Thanks guys. I heard the one clunk at the store and drove the half a mile home. Yesterday I drove maybe 1/2 a mile total. It really started making the noises when I pulled into the driveway. It has been parked since.

From what I can tell it's only the spider gears. I let the truck roll forward so I could inspect the whole thing. I know I won't know for sure until I pull it apart.

My garage isn't very big so I'd like to leave the truck in the drive while doing this. Should I pull the whole rear end and get it into the garage or just do all of the work in the drive? I've heard it's easier to check backlash if the axle is removed just because you have to keep installing and taking it back out until you get it into the correct specs. If it is just the spider gears do I even have to set the backlash again? If not, I guess it would be easier to just do it all under the truck.

So, I guess right now I need to know if I should pull the rear end or just pull out the internals to inspect. I guess I could always drop the axle later if need be.


This might be a stupid question but I want to double check. Am I okay to support the truck with jack stands on the rear axle when removing the diff components? I know I'd probably be better off supporting it using the frame but the truck sits up pretty high. I have some railroad ties I could cut up as blocks for under the jack stands if need be.

Limited space that would be a good trick if you can wrestle the thing into your garage. I know you are good at finding parts so price out stuff.

That may help you make up your mind on the approach as you already know spider is cooked. Why the heck that happened by surprise eludes me as it's not all hydraulic stuff going on and what the heck that washer is remains a mystery?? Not thrilled about finding shavings right now,

Tom

There are a decent amount of small shavings. From what I can tell everything looks good except the top and bottom spider gears.

I think I'll be okay just replacing the spider gears, bearings, and seals. I guess I'll know more once I get the carrier out. If the whole thing does need redone I think I pretty much have everything I need except for gear marking compound and an inch pound dial indicator torque wrench. I don't have a press but could make one out of my bottle jack or I do have access to one at my stepdads or the hall. I didn't have any brass drifts but did order some yesterday and they will be here tomorrow.

If I only have to replace the spider gears are there sort of adjustments that need to be made?

Tom....I've heard that it's a pretty common problem in these gm rear ends. I guess what gets them is if the tires are kind of spinning on gravel or ice and then all of a sudden it grabs. They say that's what usually chips the teeth. When I bought the truck, and changed the gear oil, the teeth already had some chips.

I think I may just do it all under the truck. It's going to be kind of a pain supporting it since it's a bit high. The weather is great right now. We're in the 50's and suppose to be in the upper 60's next week.

Thanks for all of the help. I always appreciate it and couldn't do half the stuff I do without your help.

Generic pic............


IMO - everything (gears) that touches the bad gear should go. That kind of hardenened metal will take defect and harm anything touching it. NO - I did not know of this being a common problem but if so there should be tons of info that I don't have for you.
Hey - hope the better weather lasts. 55F right now after mid 20's last night - wild!

Again this stuff if not just a bearing or seal would not be my thing. Just watch the bucks spent as already said, -- Tom

I've heard that replacing the carrier with a Detroit Truetrak is the way to go. I don't want to throw a bunch of money at it right now. The dentist recommended braces for our daughter and insurance will only cover $750 of it. Probably be around $8000. Her teeth look perfect but guess there's a small overbite or something. I don't like financing anything so that's why I want to go for a cheaper fix if possible. If not, oh well. I can get the spider gears for about $150. If I go with the truetrak I'm looking at $500 for plus you have to buy a special bearing kit for $150. Not to mention seals and whatever else I'll need. We'll probably see how just new spider gears workout for now. If not, I'll be eating that $150 for them. I hate half @$$ing anything and rarely do but I think we'll be okay on this one. Before making a final decision I'll have to see how everything looks when I get it apart.

Always wild weather this time of year. About 10 days ago we had mid 40's one day. The next day we got 10 inches of snow and a place an hour away got 17 inches. It melted in two days though. We got married on April 8th of 2000. The night before our wedding we had 8 inches of snow. I almost bolted out of the church thinking is was a sign from the Man upstairs!

If the ring and pinion didn't get damaged and you had no whining noises, bearings and spiders will do it.

I got it apart and the ring and pinion look fine. The pinion is still in but looks fine. I need to get it out so I can get the so called "washer" out. I know what it is. It is the c clip for the left axle! When it came off it had to have slid down the top of the diff, since the opening is bigger, and landed on the bottom. How and the heck did that happen? I wonder how long it has been like that? Isn't that what keeps the axle from sliding out?

The pinion shaft doesn't want to budge. I'm using a drift and hammer so I don't damage the threads. Is there any kind of trick to get it out? I removed the nut but does the yoke and seal have to be removed first?

You have to get the yoke off. If its seized on there you can make a puller for it. Get a piece of thick steel plate and drill it to match the bolt holes your yoke straps go into. In the dead center of that drill and tap it to a larger fine thread, maybe 1/2-28 or so. Make a grade 8 forcing screw, you'll need a fully threaded bolt and put a taper on the very end to pilot it into the dimple on the end of the pinion shaft. That should get it off. Then pop the seal and get the outer bearing off. Shaft will come off for you at that point.

Sucks to get hit up with the dental bill. But on the upside she'll have nice teeth and you to thank for it. Truetrac is definitely the way to go but for now the spiders will work as long as there is no other damage. That $150 kit that you need to put a Truetrac in is just the average reman kit for any carrier. Has the bearings, seals and shims. Maybe look at it in the future once the dentist gets paid off.

The c-clip is indeed what keeps the axle from sliding out. The cross shaft that holds the carrier spiders keeps the shafts from moving in far enough to toss the clip. If it came out intact, you need to find out why that through shaft moved and check close for other damage.

Thanks Nick. Hope things have been going well for you.

That cross shaft, if I'm thinking of the same thing, is held in with a bolt. There's no way it moved. When I bought the truck the kid knew about the chewed up teeth. Makes me wonder if he screwed around with it. Then again, would that axle have stayed in place for the 6000 miles I put on it since August? I know that shaft didn't move so I don't see anything that could've cause the clip to come off. Is there anything else that could've caused it? I'm looking at the carrier now, and besides the spider gears, it all looks okay to me. Then again, this is the first one I've ever messed with.

Got the yoke off with a puller and removed the seal. How in the heck do you get the bearing out with the pinion shaft being in the way? There's no way a slide hammer will fit anywhere. Shouldn't the pinion come out if the bearing is holding it in place? What's the difference of pulling the bearing off first or just smacking the pinion through the bearing? It should work okay that way, right? You'd then have room to knock the bearing out from the inside. I'm not questioning you I just don't see how I can get that bearing out. Maybe I'm just missing something.

You can drive it through with the drift and hammer. If the C-clip broke or the little end on the axleshaft did that would cause this. C-clip failures are known to happen, thats why off-roaders and racers install either full-floating axles or put c-clip eliminator kits on their semi-floating ones.

Thanks Nick....am I okay to beat the hell out of the drift? It seems to be in there pretty tight. Is that normal? I just want to make sure there's not some clip or something that's holding me back before I really start whaling on it. If it wasn't for the c clip being where it's at I wouldn't even remove the pinion. I guess it would be a good idea to replace the seals and bearing though.

Hey, would a air hammer help loosen it up?

I got it. Just needed to keep whacking on it. Normally I'm a pretty good whacker due to my years of experience.

I assume you have already removed the ring gear and guts before you are pounding on that pinion.

Don't get the carrier shims and caps mixed up.

Just curious, but why not put another rear end in it. One that has a locker?

HT...Yes, everything was out except the pinion.

DS....I've got the paint stick and baggies ready to go. Getting ready to drop $8000 on braces for my daughter. Since only the spider gears are stripped I figure it'll be cheaper to just do them for now. I thought about putting in a Truetrak but going to hold off for now. Plus, it's always more fun tearing deeper into stuff.

Heck, we do braces at our shop cheap. Safety wire and some Q bond cement. We could have her fixed up no time flat.

If the pinion bearings are ok, leave them be for now. Otherwise you have the fun of setting proper pinion depth which requires special tooling. To put the inner bearing on you would also need either a hydraulic press or a cheap pizza oven. By not having to deal with that, you only have to worry about getting the pinion bearing preload correct, which is easy. Same thing with the carrier bearings. If they aren't damaged you are back to pizza oven or press.

Somehow I think your daughter would be less enthusiast with you making some braces for her than she already is about having to get them.

Ha...I'll use the $8000 to party in Florida while she's at your shop. Mind keeping her for a week? I had braces for about 8 months in high school. During a football game someone's foot came up under my facemask and drilled me. It knocked off about 4 or 5 brackets. My mom and dad were in bed when I got home. I thought I was being nice by not waking them up and took care of it myself. A couple minutes with some wire cutters took care of it. They weren't too happy about that one! I told them I didn't want them to begin with so they went ahead and let me get them off. To this day I don't think my dad believes me that it happened in the game. He was in the stands so I don't know how he didn't see the wire hanging out of my mouth the rest of the game.

I jacked up one of the carrier bearings trying to get it off. I thought I had to remove them in order to replace the spider gears. Darn...wish I would've checked on here before starting.

Do you have any tricks for getting the bearing off? I tried a slide hammer with no luck. I thought about taking a burr to it and slowly work towards the center. Once I get close I could move to the dremel. That's what I did for the bushings and some seals on the tranny. I do have access to a press or I thought about rigging one up using a bottle jack. Man I wish I wouldn't have messed with that bearing. It would've been nice just swapping the gears. I guess that's what you get when you don't know what the heck you're doing.

I'm going to go get parts tomorrow. I'm guessing they'll have to order them so should get them Saturday. At least I know I don't have to buy the bearing kit, just one bearing for now as long as they're all okay. They seem fine though.

Are the ring gear bolts reverse thread? I thought I read that somewhere but can't find where I read it. The last thing I want to do is break one off!

You don't need to remove the ring gear and i suggest you don't. You can press bearing on and off with it in place.

Thanks HT.

I think there might be a little more damage. I'm not sure what the part is called but here's a picture. It's not that great of a picture but hopefully you can tell what I mean.

It looks like there are a couple long splines broke off on this.



There's the small toothed gear on the inside and it has a couple teeth that are broke off. Not a very good picture here either.




What do you guys recommend. A used rear end from the salvage yard, a Truetrak, or any other idea?

You might be inheriting someone elses trouble with a junkyard rear. You already need to replace the carrier bearing you damaged. I'd bite the bullet and get the Truetrac.

Ring gear bolts aren't reverse thread. They're just on tight.

If you have a bearing splitter and a hydraulic press you can get that bearing off. If you were to try to use a torch you'd have to be surgical with it, if you tried to use a carbide you'd be at it forever.

There's a rebuilt assembly on ebay for $250. It has new bearings, new updated clutch packs, new races, new shaft, and is guaranteed against chips, pits, etc on all gears. What do you guys think? It would be nice just being able to toss it in.
I believe I have a G80 but need to check the glove box. Is there any other way to tell exactly what diff I have such as by counting splines?

Not sure what the green and orange marks are. They were already there.

Forget the post above. The one on ebay is the wrong one.

I did count the splines and have the 3.73. Looks like the Truetrak is the way to go unless I can find the parts I need. Probably end up costing more than the Truetrak though.

I ended up ordering the Detroit Truetrac. I went ahead and got the ring and pinion installation kit too. It comes with all bearings, including the carrier bearings needed for the Truetrac. It also comes with ring bolts, shims, all seals, crush sleeve, pinion nut, gear marking compound, etc. It only set me back $600..ha. I did call some local salvage yards and only one had what I needed. They would only sell the whole rear end and wanted $750. If I look at the bright side I should have a better diff for less money than what a used one would've cost.

Since I won't be getting the carrier until Monday or Tuesday I'm thinking about replacing the rear main seal while the truck is out of commission. It has been leaking oil pretty good over the last so many months and is getting a little worse. I've had to add a quart about every 1500 miles. I'm pretty sure it's the rear main. Our driveway is at a very slight angle and you can definitely tell oil is running down the back of the engine somewhere. It's even running all the way back to the transfer case. I guess my questions are....Is there anywhere else oil could be leaking as bad as it is from the rear of the engine or is it likely the rear main? Also, how difficult is it removing the tranny on this truck? Compared to the Venture is it any easier? Any special tools, tips, etc?

I wish I had your ambition................LOL

It's either work on something or hangout with the wife. I head in to take a shower at 10:00 and in bed by 10:30. She falls asleep around 11:00 which gives us about a half hour of "quality" time before she falls asleep. I've got it down to a science. Although, I could probably head to bed around 10:58.

I don't have that nice Florida weather to enjoy so nothing better to do.

I talked to Nick and he mentioned checking the oil sending unit before I start tearing into the rear main. Seems like they are notorious for leaking. The oil is kind of running down the left hand side of the bell housing so hopefully that's what it is. If I pull the tranny the exhaust is in the way. (Remember my ordeal with changing out the tranny filter?) I'll have to get my hands on a torch. I have everything but the bottles so thought about just renting some for awhile. If not I can borrow my stepdad's.

Just about the torch: They make the small cans of oxy/mapp gas that is supposed to be able to cut, weld close to oxy/acet. I want that kit for portability but states lasts about 20 min only but cheap - like $40 or so. Can't be as good as what I have just pony oxy/acet with spares and real Victor set which was pricey but couldn't have worked without it. Wanted the pony size for portability. Cut up a mess of boat trailer for my bro in ME and it fits in the trunk!

You know the game - rust city only really cooperates with glowing heat or to cut up an exhaust system if needed to get it out. Too funny but need to cut up a broken 40' extension ladder to dispose of and a pipe flag pole ----- who said I was normal?

Tom

I really need to get some tanks. The small ones would be plenty for me because it's not something I'd use all that much. There have been a few times where a torch would've saved me gobs of time.

I'm glad I talked to Nick because I'm not so sure it is a rear main. nothing is wet inside the bell housing. At least from what I can tell. The left hand, outside of the bell housing is completely wet. It looks to be coming from higher up than the oil pan gasket although it looks like it could be leaking a little too. You can tell that the front driveshaft threw some of the oil around from when I had it in 4 wheel drive during the last snowstorm.

It's hard to tell where it's coming from. I took a mirror and it looks a little wet around the oil sending unit but would that much oil leak from it? There's even oil all the way back on the transfer case.

Any idea where it's coming from? If it was the rear main shouldn't I see more oil inside the bell housing and just not on the outside?

Tiny torches: Haven't bought them yet to see how well they can work. Hey - your rust situation looks good to me! That the deal with heat as you know. Get a real tough nut or bolt you just get it glowing fast and act fast right away and the nastiest will cooperate. So many times for whatever - brake lines and dumb stuff WILL come out without breaking what you need if done right.

If they do work I'd be real psyched for assorted crap and takes up no room - there's the deal. NG if you do tons of stuff you bite it and get the real stuff.

Shoot, would be great to have them to just put in my trunk like nothing for stupid crap away from shop. Done with biz long time now but things still come up that I will do.

Smile - not good for gas lines, duh! Kinda causes a commotion.......


Solves that problem whatever it was

_______________________________

Just out as it's near snow free now in a stored car for Winter. Sooooo nice as I drive a Chev 2500 w HD suspension all Winter that rides like it has no suspension and roads here really suk. Ride counts, -- Tom

Yeah....you just saw the front driveshaft. It looks good because I sand blasted and painted it when I did the transfer case pump rub kit awhile back. The underneath has some rust but isn't completely horrible. What is horrible are the rockers. It's rusted through in a few spots. I already bought matching paint for it. I just have to figure out what the best approach is where the metal is rusted so bad. I thought about trying to form own but not sure how it would look. It's not a very wide piece and you can't really see it being that most of it curves under the truck. I'd just like to prevent the rust from continuing. I've heard of people cutting out the old metal, using the spray foam, bondo on top of that, sand and paint. That just sounds too "rigged" to go that route. Gonna wait until it warms up a bit more before I pull out the sandblaster. I figure I had better do something or else it might end up looking like that truck in your picture above!

I'll probably just end up renting some oxy/acet bottles, but if I pick up the tiny ones, I'll let you know how they work. I'd really like to find some of those small oxy/acet bottles to buy. Then again, if I get the big ones I probably would only have to fill them about every 20 years. Unless I decided to start my charcoal with it. I usually use the propane weed burner for that though. The charcoal is ready in less than 5 minutes.

What's all that oil on the outside of the bellhousing? Looks like you have oil sender or valve cover issues. Always repair oil leaks from the top down.

That pic was worth a thousand words. Your rear main is fine. That leak is either the sending unit, intake or distributor o-ring. My money is on the sending unit. It only leaks when the engine is running obviously. Your flexplate and torque converter are dry. A rear main leak would make them wet. This is a 1 piece bellhousing on the trans. There is no way for oil to get inside unless it comes from inside.

Feel free to mention over and over again how talking to Nick helped. My ego is having a good day and its not my birthday until tomorrow.

HT....that's exactly what Nick said when I talked to him earlier today. A few months back I looked up top but didn't see anything. I now realize I didn't look close enough. The oil sender does have quite a bit of grime around it. You guys have no idea how much extra work you have saved me since joining this forum. Then again, you guys give me the confidence to dive into more than what I use to so you might be causing me more work! I'm having fun though and it's saving me quite a bit of money so that's a good thing.

Nick...You're darn right talking to you helped! If you wouldn't have called I probably would've had the tranny pulled and would've headed to the parts store for the rear main. You saved my butt on this one!

Is there a way to start the truck with the driveshaft unhooked and not loose fluid? Would it hurt to just duct tape the opening in the t case and let it run long enough to verify the oil sender is what's leaking? It leaks good enough to where I should be able to see it or at least notice wetness. The intake doesn't look to be leaking but it is tough to see back there.

If you are in park the t-case isn't turning. You don't need the driveshaft in there and will harm nothing. If you need a confirmed kill on this one get a bottle of oil dye from the parts store and a black light. If you don't have one you can get a black light bulb at spencers and put that in a trouble light. Add the dye to your oil and run the engine. Get the area you are in dark and turn on the black light. The dye glows under black light. It will show you for sure what is going on.

I didn't know if the fluid would still leak at or not. Guess I have my answer. Man, you guys won't let me use duct tape for anything.

I have a black light I bought for doing ac systems. It has been leaking pretty good. When I stopped the truck at the store or somewhere I could already see a few quarter size areas by the time I opened the door and looked underneath. As bad as it's leaking I bet I can see it without dye but it would make it much easier. I think I'll pick some up tomorrow. I'll be happy when that leak is taken care of. It has been bugging the crap out of me. I've been putting it off thinking it was the rear main. Maybe I ought to stick to welding instead of this mechanic stuff! Then again, I've got you guys to figure everything out for me. Now if I could only get you to drive the hundreds or thousands of miles to do my work.

I wouldn't get too crazy with the dye just yet. Just get a real good flashlight and maybe a mirror and you should be able to follow that trail to it's origin. I would be very surprised if the valve covers were not a player in this.

If you do have to resort too dye, I would get the engine real clean of all old oil first.

I took a flashlight and mirror to it yesterday and it does look pretty grimy around the oil sender. Due to where it was parked, and with the sun shining, it was kind of tough to see due to the sun blinding me. It didn't seem like the valve covers were leaking but I I'm not positive on that one. I don't think I've ever seen you get one wrong so will definitely take a better look.

Is the oil sender sticking straight up and down on the back left side of the engine? I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right thing.

Suppose to be 68 today and 70 tomorrow so we're starting to catch up to your Florida weather. (Standing by for some smart @$$ remark! )

Thanks HT.

IDK - if suspect I'd toss it. I've seen some blow engine they blast oil out so bad and fast. I believe it takes a special socket and uses plumbing thread for the seal but who knows? It came from the "zone" - $40

/

Tom

Where do they normally leak at? If at the threads couldn't I just install another o-ring or Teflon tape? If not, my local CARQUEST has one for $41.99. If it comes down to just replacing the whole thing while having it out I don't mind having to do it again down the road if I just seal the threads. I know a shop would recommend replacing the whole thing so the customer won't have to deal with it again. I also don't mind buying a new one if that's definitely the way to go.

I believe you're right about the socket. I saw carquest has one for it. I wonder what's special about it. I've got a bunch of loose sockets laying around so wonder if I could make one? It looks like a spark plug socket. It seems like on my truck a regular socket and extension would work.

It could also be a valley cover leak. Done quite a few of those.



Not like the one in your picture, but we had one in the shop we could of swore the rear main was leaking. Ended up being the cam sensor, so beware of those.

It's definitely the oil sender. I got it all cleaned up with parts cleaner. I had my mirror and light ready. The second I started it, and took a look, you could see oil instantly seeping out. It was seeping out pretty good. The valve covers seemed to be fine.

I'm sure glad I didn't start tearing into the rear main before checking with my mentors! It's a good thing I'm younger or else I'd feel obligated to put you guys into my will! Then again, I'd be leaving you with vehicles that seem to always need some sort of work.

Anyone know what size bolt it takes to install the power steering pulley? My belt is worn on one side and I'm pretty sure that's it. I must not have tightened it down enough when I replaced the pump a few months back. I had to take my dog to the vet that day, and was cutting it close on time, so I know I rushed it a bit. The belt is towards the back on it and towards the front on the alternator.

Thanks again for all of the help.

I detached all the replies referring to brakes and moved them over to the brake section. We have to avoid getting that far off topic.

Sounds good. I thought about starting another thread before we even got on the topic about the oil sender that way this one stuck to the diff. I just didn't expect it to get so far off topic. Whenever I start working on one thing I always seem to find something else that needs done. Next time it happens I'll start another thread from the get go.

MG - you were working on drivetrain and I personally don't mind asking about getting at or removing the trans for what was thought as a rear main leak along with the other drivetrain work on same truck. You are or done with most of that I think.

Hope you had a good anniversary dinner or whatever, - T

I'm cleaning all of the sludge and shavings out of the rear end now. Do you need to worry about completely pulling out the axles and cleaning in there? If so, what's the best way to clean it? Take the seal out, use parts cleaner, and blow it with air? Since you can't really get in there I'd be worried about not being able to get all of the parts cleaner out that mixes with the little amount of gear oil that's still in there.

Use the wife's mop, soap, and water. Shove the mop through the axle tube and swab it like your packing a cannon...LOL

Lots of parts cleaner and compressed air works well.

With the amount of shavings you have and the fact you already have it apart, change the wheel bearings and seals. You need a tool that screws into the end of a slide hammer to pull them. Once the bearings are exposed to shavings you can't trust them. They aren't that expensive. Its not like the truck needs braces too.

Happy anniversary. Hope she made the night worth your while. After all, her van doesn't fix itself.

Our anniversary isn't til tomorrow but at least I got the dinner part out of the way!

It sounded like you were well on your way to a great birthday!

I was kind of thinking about doing the bearings. I have a slide hammer with the two little prongs that fit inside a bearing. I've never had much luck with a slide hammer though. How about an 8' stick of round stock. I could stick it all the way through and smack away! Huh, I said that screwing around but I wonder if it would work?

I guess with the bearings out I could put a rag on the end of a broomstick to clean it axle tubes. Either that or I could stick that same broomstick up our cat's @$$ and use him. His fur would probably grab more of those shavings than a rag. Better yet, do you think Tom would loan me his cat for a day? I hate giving our cat a bath.

With the carrier out, the round stock would work. Good luck getting Tom to loan out the cat though. If you need an easier way to wash you cat, HT has come up with one.

How to wash a toilet
This was simply too much of a time saver not to share it with you.
1. Put both lids of the
toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him
... towards the bathroom.
3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and
close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.
4. The cat will self
agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the
toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet
three or four times. This provides a 'power-wash' and rinse'.
6. Have someone open the
front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the
bathroom and the front door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.
8. The cat will rocket
out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he
will dry himself off.
9. Both the toilet and the cat will be sparkling clean.
Yours Sincerely,
The Dog

Lol....I honestly think that would work.

When I ordered the Truetrac I ordered the deluxe ring and pinion install kit which comes with all bearings and seals including those for the axle. It'll pretty much be a brand new rear end by the time I'm done. My only concern is getting the bearing off of the pinion. I have a bearing splitter, and tried practicing on the old carrier, and it keeps popping off. It's definitely the right size splitter too. The rounded out groove in the splitter matches the circumference of the bearing. I guess I just need to torque the crap out of the nuts. I think that pinion bearing is the only one that I have to use a splitter on. I grabbed my stepdad's press today so I'm not worried about installing them.

When you go to install the new ones, get a pyrometer gun and a cheap pizza oven. Makes life easy.

I've had parts in the kitchen oven. As long as I do it when the wife's not we're okay. I also put it on the cleaning cycle once I'm done heating the parts.

250 degrees max, right?

You have to understand "Nick speak"

I believe he means to use a small torch. There would be no benefit to heating the entire unit. The goal is to heat the bearing and race to expand it off the hub that it's pressed on to without heating the hub.

You can try my Kitty but you'll end up with more cat hair in there than the shavings and who knows how to get that out! Not real sure of the best way to clean it out. Probably wrong but I might consider kerosene and wild air pressure and volume? Then all that has to be dry. IDK as I'd have tossed the whole differential from the get go.

One thing is true, those filings and bearings are not going to get along well,

Tom and Kitty!

I would just get a large telescoping magnet and run it up and down the bottom of the tube.

Tom, a little bit of fur won't hurt those new gears. Go ahead and ship Kitty UPS overnight and I'll reimburse you.

I'd kinda figured he meant heating the bearings. Couldn't I just toss the bearings in the oven? Maybe I'll throw a pot roast in there today too. Since today is our anniversary I could get some brownie points.

If the oven is a good idea, and you think I should use a torch, would mapp gas get it hot enough? I'm guessing the bearing would cool too much on one side as I'm going around. I think I might look into getting some tanks today anyways.

I have a real strong magnet that's about 3" long, 1/2" wide, and about 3/4" tall. It has a small handle on top. I could wire that to a rod or something.

When cleaning the diff housing last night, I used the magnet, and there were all kinds of metal shavings right where the axle tube starts. Some were probably a 1/4" long but only maybe 1/64 thick. I'm sure there are more deeper in the tubes. I kind of wish I would've pulled the whole rear end. I could've stood it up on end to make it easier to clean. I guess I could just do my best cleaning it but then do a couple of fluid changes after a couple hundred miles in hopes that the magnet will catch any that I might've missed.

I think HT's magnet idea would get most, if not all of the shavings. I'm sure if any got way back in there they would be very small anyways.

A can of Brakekleen with a straw nozzle would help wash it down.

I have some hose that is used for a fish tank. I'll rig that to the end of the nozzle. I'll drop one side of the truck a little lower so it runs towards the middle and then do the other side the same. Gonna run the magnet through first so I can get most of the bigger shavings.

Great ideas HT.

I got my parts today. All brand new bearings and seals along with a bunch of shims, gear marking compound, and new ring bolts. I didn't think I had a torque wrench that measured in inch pounds but I do. Also, one of my other torque wrenches does do left hand threaded bolts. My 3/8" drive torque wrench doesn't but my 1/2' drive does. I think I have all the necessary tools for this job. Had to go to the dentist this morning for a cavity. Nothing like a numb face. Drives me nuts. I'll probably spend the rest of the day installing bearings, seals, and cleaning everything up real good.

I would rather see you shoot straight from the can. You won't have any pressure if you put a hose on the end. Just aim the can with a straw on it.

Like usual, I overthink everything. With the seals and bearings out, and shooting straight from the can, it's completely washing everything out. I can tell because after I blew air it dried it all and don't see anything shavings or sludge. I used an 8' stick of black pipe to remove the bears and it worked like a charm. Took about 30 seconds. After removing them I noticed that metal shavings made it all the way to the bearings. Those spider gears really blew. I changed the gear oil back in October and cleaned everything up. Didn't take long for them go.

The install kit I got came with both axle seals. It also came with the seal for the back of the housing for the pinion. There's another seal on the yoke but that didn't come in the kit. Do you think it's necessary to replace that seal? It seems like the other seal would stop the oil so not sure what the point is of the one on the yoke.

That's not a seal. It's just a slinger and dust cover.

Thanks.

All of the new bearings are the same size as the old except for the bigger pinion bearing. If you lay them flat side by side one is about 1/4" higher than the original. I called a few minutes ago and they said they've never seen this before and that the one that came in the kit is the one that is called for. He double checked on their system. What the heck do I do about this? Purchase the original size or go with the one that is called for? I'm going to call the dealership to see if they can tell me anything. It's the bearing that will affect the distance of the pinion to the carrier. I still have to review stuff but is there an adjustment you have to make for the pinion depth? If so, would 1/4" be too much to where even if I make the adjustments it could still be too tight on the ring gear?

I'll tell you what. Nothing ever goes smooth for me. I always seem to run into crap that nobody has ever seen before. I guess that's how you learn new things though.

I called the dealership and got a part number that they show being on my truck. 9418356

I called locally and they were able to cross reference it with a John Deere but they sell the cone and bearing cup separate. The cone number is JD9043 and the bearing cup is JD9109. Now I'm trying to find the measurements of the bearing so I can figure out what the dealership says should be on my truck.

After cross referencing the bearing that the dealer said should be on my truck the old bearing which is on the pinion is incorrect and the one that came with the kit is correct. I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that someone had been inside that diff before. Maybe that's why it failed at only 83,000 miles.

Do you think I should use the bearing that everyone says is correct? I guess once I get it all together, and take the measurements, I'll know if it has the wrong size bearing, correct?

I'm not positive yet because I haven't removed the bearing from the pinion yet but I think I see the problem. Well, if it's even a problem. I think I see two shims. A very thin one and then one that's about 1/4". I wonder if this diff was once repaired and they added a thicker spaced instead of getting the right bearing. Then again, GM did declare bankruptcy so maybe they got a deal on the other bearings.

I'll know more once I get the bearing off.

Don't mess with those shims. They set the pinion depth into the ring gear and that is critical.

If I don't mess with the shims the correct bearing that should be on there is going to push the pinion 1/4" closer to the ring gear. Not sure if you read through my posts above but I checked with a few different places, including the dealership who went by my vin, and the old bearing on the pinion is supposedly the wrong one. I'm thinking the diff may had been opened up in the past, someone used the wrong bearing, and added a very thick shim.

What do you think I should do about this one? I did get a bunch of different size shims with my install kit so can adjust if need be.

Scratch that last post. There isn't a thick shim. The old bearing on the pinion is 1/4" shorter than what everyone says should be on there including the dealership who went by my vin. What do you recommend I do here? Stick with the original size or go with what should be on there?

I don't know what you're dealing with there be you absolutely cannot change the pinion depth even .010 of an inch or the gears will howl. There is specific setup equipment that you will need if you cannot re-use the exact same setup.

I did a search and found that the original bearing number is also used for my truck. Maybe someone had put a new rear end in that was different from the original and that's why the vin doesn't match what's in there. If I used the bearing the dealership said to use, that would be 1/4" more and would probably be so tight up against the ring gear it wouldn't move. I'm sticking to the original and feel confident about it.

So I don't have to even mess with pinion depth? I'm okay just leaving the shim in place and calling it good? What about backlash and preload?

Backlash can be set with a dial indicator. If you re-use the shims at the carrier nuts, you shouldn't even have to mess with it. I usually check it by feel.

That dust slinger on your yoke keeps dirt from chewing the new oil seal. If you get a new yoke you would want to transfer it to it.

The pizza oven is for putting on the new bearings. Put the carrier and pinion shaft into your freezer overnight, or get a cooler with dry ice in it and let it sit at least an hour or two. Take the new bearings and blast them real good with brake cleaner. You need to get the light oil they are packed in off so it doesn't burn and leave carbon residue. Put them in a cheap electric pizza oven or if the wife is going to be out for a while use the house oven. Get them heated to 250-300 degrees. Thats where the pyro gun comes in handy. Moving quickly, set your pinion upright and grab welding gloves (I know you have plenty of those). Grab the bearing and drop it on. Should drop right down. Keep a hammer and punch nearby unless you have to give it a small tap. You don't have a lot of time before the heat begins to equalize and the fit gets tight. Then move on to the carrier, repeating the process. You want to have the parts in the freezer or oven up until the last possible second to make this go smoothly, so don't get it all out at once.

Once you've done a few rearends setting backlash by feel is easy. For you, I'd use the dial indicator to be sure.

A torch works well to get the old bearings off, but since you are changing the carrier the pinion bearing is the only one you need to mess with. Cut the cage off so it and the rollers are out of the way and you can deal directly with the inner race.

I believe he has a press Nick.

Thanks for the info Nick. My stepdad has a small press he made using a porta-power so I grabbed it yesterday.

I have some gear marking compound and some pictures of what the pattern should be. I'm hoping it's like you said and I won't even have to mess with it. I'm still going to check it with the dial indicator.

I wish I would've thought to do a search of the original bearing before I called the place where I ordered the Truetrac. The way he made it sound that other bearing being on there was way off. Then again though, the dealership confirmed it. After searching the net I see that there are all kinds of the exact same bearing that are used in GM diffs. I think on my truck the G80 was a special order diff so maybe that's where things got off track.

I've got the carrier bearings installed. Tomorrow morning I'm gonna run to a local implement shop and pickup the correct bearing for the pinion. I thought about just leaving the old one alone, but with all of the metal shavings, I probably shouldn't risk it.

It's always something isn't it.

The gear marking compound is basically a final double-check to be sure all is good after you set backlash. I'd agree with changing that bearing too. When I see a bunch of metal shavings in a diff, all the bearings get tossed for new. Its not worth the chance to have one go out later and undo all your work, especially since that one bearing costs little in relation to the rest of the parts you already have out.

Getting this on some sawhorses helps, so next time you do one you may want to pull the rearend out of the truck. I'm sure you can fab up some frame stands pretty easy. Stacking wood blocks with a jackstand isn't sturdy enough. Since you're good with steel, its also pretty simple to make an adapter to hold the rearend onto an engine stand. I'll send you a blueprint after I make one up for mine.

My jack stands were tall enough to where I only had to use two pieces of 2x10 so it's only 3" of wood. I also have a 2' log that's about the size of a metal trash can under the hitch. I have two more logs, one on each side, of the frame just forward of the rear axle. I don't screw around when it comes to supporting a vehicle. Not that it would matter but during the day there's no one else here so I'd be screwed if it fell on my legs and I left the phone on the bench.

I almost did pull the whole rear end. I'm sure my stepdad has some taller stands. I still could've done it with mine by lower each side of the truck separately but I think it might've been a pain. Ha...I considered driving right next to the basketball pole, wrapping a chain around it, and using my come-along to lift it up. The post is 6x6 which is filled with concrete and is poured in 4'x4'x4' of concrete. I figure if I would've gotten right up next to it it probably would've worked. Once I got the rear end off I could've lowered down onto jack stands. I decided against it. I think the results would've been one of those pictures you see in an email.

I don't know if you read my previous posts above but I had some confusion about the bearing on the pinion. You know, that's the worse part about working on my own stuff. I really enjoy but I don't have enough knowledge to be able to push through concerns that come up. With you guys helping me out I can normally get it figured out but crap like that drives me nuts. I still don't get how the dealership also had a different bearing listed. There were some markings on the old carrier so it makes me wonder if this diff was ever swapped out with another. With only 83K I don't see it but who knows. I'm just glad I'm back on track. It seems like it's always one little thing that makes me jump through hoops.

With the big trucks we can't order parts by a year make and model of a truck. When I'm in a rearend job I have to get the manufacturer's model and serial number. Even then, I've seen Spicer and Rockwell catalogs have bad listings so I use the bearing numbers the most.

This is the fun of working on vehicles. There is ALWAYS one little thing on any project you do. Glad you didn't try the basketball hoop idea. I thought I was reading the introduction to a Darwin Award at first. Right when you think for sure it will hold, snap!

What really got me was that the dealership showed the same thing that the company I ordered the diff from said. Plus, with the gears being as bad as they were, I kind of wondered if someone did install the wrong bearing and that's what caused the failure.

Yeah, wasn't gonna do the basketball pole but it sure sounded good! I would've used a the chain on the vertical part of the pole and allow the weight of the truck allow the chain to grab it. We have to fly in certain things at work like that and they weigh tons. Then again, they have a much bigger insurance policy than I do. Another thing they don't have there is an old lady bitching about it the whole time.

Can't wait to see what HT has to say about the pole idea. I might just get another....."Oh mg, mg, mg" I always brainstorm ideas but hardly ever follow through on them if safety is a concern. Now if I didn't have kids that would be another story.

I'm sure you know how the Truetrac works but I was wondering how it worked going around curves or if one tire hits ice. I found this video on youtube that shows how it works. Seems like a pretty slick system with a very low failure rate. My rear end ought to last the life of the truck after this or at least I hope so.There's just not much to break. I never drive the crap out of it so I'm sure it will last. I wish it was still winter so I could see the difference it snow.

From what I've hear about it from offf-road guys who have put it in is that it lives up to the advertising. Cornering with a locker sucks and chews up your tires. Factory posi units are inherently weak and use clutches that burn up. Detroit knew people were looking for an in-between for the work truck that saw some trails but was a daily driver and this is what they came up with. On ice it is still a limited slip, so you won't have a one-legged rear end. I've noticed in trucks I've owned with a posi they tend to always want to walk out in one particular direction when you break traction. But it'll be a lot harder to get stuck on it for sure.

Let me know how this feels for you after you drive it a bit, I'm thinking of putting one into my truck. It has open diffs and thats not much good when I get off the pavement.

I pulled the bearing off of the pinion shaft and the new and old are pretty much identical. They have the same measurements except the rollers on the bearing that came with the install kit are a tad longer. I don't see why the bearing that came in the kit wouldn't work since width, height, and thickness are the same.

Even thought the rollers are a bit longer so you think it's okay to use the one from the kit or do you still recommend picking up one that exactly matches the original?

Here you can see where they are different.

As long as it has a matching race it should be fine, assuming it doesn't effect the pinion depth..

It does have a matching race. When I compared the two, with their races on, they were exactly the same thickness. I'm positive it won't effect pinion depth.

When I called the dealership the guy gave me 4 different numbers, each one superseded the last. Also, I was going to purchase the old bearing this morning just to keep things the same but two different places couldn't cross reference the bearing. The bearing is a Timken so should've been an easy cross reference. I assume that GM went with a different bearing? They must've made that change the second my truck went off the assembly line. They probably did that knowing that one day they would confuse the heck out of someone and that someone was me. I had the same issues with that tranny. It was made right around the time where it might've had some updates or might not have. Oh well, good learning experience.

Do you use red or blue Loctite on the ring gear bolts? Also, on the pinion shaft spline and on the splines on the yoke, I noticed some white hard stuff. I assume it was just dried up white lithium grease?

Red loctite on the ring gear bolts. You don't want them coming loose. Blue on the bearing cap bolts and pinion nut.

White stuff is likely grease residue, possibly a bit of sealant if someone had a bit of seepage through the yoke splines.

Went without loctite on a Rockwell once. Used the torque wrench and everything per the book, couple days later the main bearing caps loosened and trashed the whole works.

I pretty much have everything cleaned and ready to go. I just have a few questions on checking everything.

I made some setup bearings in order to double check pinion depth and backlash. I've read 3 different things on 3 different tutorials. I've read to leave the crush sleeve out, use the old, or use a new one. (I do know that for final installation you have to use a new one) I know I have to set preload, then backlash, and finally pinion depth but I didn't know if the crush sleeve would affect anything.

I always try to search the net before I ask questions so I have a little bit of an idea first. But, unless it's obvious, I don't trust anything until I hear it on carjunky.

Any other helpful install hints would also be appreciated.

Do not blow of the crush sleeve. That's what determines the preload on the pinion bearings so you need to use a new one. Once they are crushed they can't be re-used with new parts,

This is a real long thread so it might have been already been mentioned or will be mention but I'll just add a quick note since I've seen it happen too many times...

When you are reinstalling the shims, it's going to be very tight......Don't tap them with a regular hammer.....Use a brass or dead blow hammer.......A regular hammer will break the shims......

Timken was once one of the best & I think one called BCA, either made in US or Canada they are good. Watch out big time for Chinese bearings.

Loctite: Read the package as I'm not sure if anything changed. Not for this application but when I have serious worries in other things I will nick the threads (bad trick but can work) and they will not rattle loose. Again not for this job.

Truth is and with experiments used ''thread lock'' as a test on a new nut and bolt, let it set for days and had no trouble undoing it. Worries me.

I'll tell you MG - you have some amazing tolerance for details (necessary too) and I just know this job will come out fine, - Tom

Thanks Tom. I can thank my parents, and the Marine Corps, for my attention to detail. They really embedded that in my head in the Corps. Plus, I hate things to come back and bite me. One little miss and I could end up having to buy all the parts all over again. I don't mind redoing things. I just hate the cost of mistakes.

I'm pretty sure I should use the red but want to make sure. I don't plan on ever having to remove them again. At least I hope so! I too haven't had too much trouble removing bolts with the red. An impact usually rattles everything loose. If not, a 6' cheater bar works too! I've heard a little heat will melt that red Loctite anyways.

I'm just glad that bearing deal panned out.

The red is permanent and the blue is semi-permanent. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't use anything. Just tighten them to the correct torque unless you find it was used from the factory when you removed them. I doubt it.

I have that and near fired at a shop for taking too long for something sensitive whatever it was. Got good at the carbs and dash work. Re-calibrated a mechanical speedometer - stuff like that. No choice - antique vehicle and no just find parts so easy. Takes forever but can be done.

Loctite: Yes, just propane torch heat if spot allows it's defeated. FYI - too hot on a special hardened bolt wrecks it for its intended strength - if you get one to glowing it's not ever the same. Doesn't matter for some things like exhaust bull which is the crudest plumbing really. Certain brake bolts I'll do anything not to use heat.

Side topic but I'm a skinny thing and not real strong so depend on the tools and thinking. Somewhere along with doing enough you also just feel how much force you can put on something before you snap nuts, bolts, screws and fasteners all over vehicles. There are torque specs for about everything but you do get a 'feel' for what's right. In this job guessing isn't good enough, you have to know.

Back several, Nicks pizza oven and freezer really does work for certain things, - Tom

Oven is more fun. Then you can get lunch started at the same time. Just don't get them mixed up or you'll have pepperoni for pinion bearings and be going back to the dentist after a bite into a Timken sandwich.

I think thats a 3/8-24. You use an install tool that has a thrust bearing and nut to allow you to press it on all the way. Your parts store may have a pulley puller/installer kit for loan. Otherwise a backyard thrust bearing can be made if you have about 5 fender washers. Put grease between each one and use a nut to turn it while holding the bolt still.

Glad you caught the sending unit before ripping things apart.

No, the oils comes right through the switch and out the plastic and it's under pressure so it can empty a crankcase in short order. There are 2 different sockets, a deep one and a shallow one. I suspect you will need the deep one. Check the valve covers real good at the lower corners and lower edge.

List Price $8.23 Your Price $7.64 Item Number KD 2569 Mfg KD Tools Part No 2569

In stock: Yes

Suppose to be 68 today and 70 tomorrow so we're starting to catch up to your Florida weather.


That's like the dog chasing the car. You ain't ever going to catch it. I'll let you know when we hit 95-100 for 2 months straight.

I didn't study those pics as well. I think you and HT are right. Not the rear main at all but something up higher, - Tom

You might be able to rock it back and forth and walk the bearing out but you still have to remove the pinion to drive the race out. There is a collabsable spacer in between the bearing that gets crushed to a specific torque to get you the correct preload on the bearings.

"C" clip fell out! Yikes. If like any I ever knew of they would or should be trapped in place if installed properly. Yes - those keep axle from sliding out.

I'll just watch this for a while as something went real wrong IMO for that to happen, -- Tom

Tough choices! IDK - perhaps do the gears and seals are cheap usually and if it blows up you are only out that much. Keep your motor club active so you can get towed home if it doesn't work out properly and know you want it perfect.

I CERTAINLY can't advise on how you spend your funds! Rock and hard place now never mind the truck, -- Tom

Drop the back cover and go in with a magnet and see what it picks up. If there are a lot of shavings, you'll be doing the whole thing and it requires some special tools to set up the pinion depth.

I know you could do it MG but it might be a waste. Check out a whole good used one is my suggestion for now. Make sure it's the exact same with same gear ratio and any features if you do that.

Others may have other ideas or exacting info on it. May need to know more about exactly which one,

T