pinion seal replacement trouble

[Isaacmacleod]

If i was smart i would have left everything alone…
But I went ahead and changed every bearing and seal in the axle.
The old carrier bearings were a reallll pain to get off. Broke three different two jaw pullers.

I put my bearings in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes and the diff/ pinion gear in the freezer to get the bearings on.

After the fact, I read that heating bearings to 400 degrees is detrimental to the bearings.

EFF me But I can’t worry about that right now The bearings are replaced and I’m running them for now…

The other thing is My backlash changed!!

before my backlash was an even .7 at three seperate spots.

Now after all my work it’s at an even .10
I know this is just out of spec, But i decided to keep it!

Also here’s some pictures of my gear pattern before and after:




Before:

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After:

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[Isaacmacleod]

My question for the wise elders is:
Why did the backlash change so much.
The pinion should be at the same depth with the factory shim right

why Did my backlash and gear pattern change ?

Also i got the pinion to spit at 22 in lbs with the seal in place and some gear oil on the bearings.

So i’m pretty happy with that.

 

[Schurkey]

You have re-used gears that have already developed a wear pattern.

If the pinion depth and/or backlash changes, you screw-up the wear pattern.

This is why I told you that the less you change, the lower the chances of creating new problems. Different bearings "could" have different thickness inner or outer races. Pinion or differential case "could" move around.

Are you sure you measured correctly? Same dial-indicator set-up?

 

[Isaacmacleod]

You have re-used gears that have already developed a wear pattern.

If the pinion depth and/or backlash changes, you screw-up the wear pattern.

This is why I told you that the less you change, the lower the chances of creating new problems. Different bearings "could" have different thickness inner or outer races. Pinion or differential case "could" move around.

Are you sure you measured correctly? Same dial-indicator set-up?

yes i’m pretty sure i’m at a .010 inch backlash now
Before changing anything i was at .007
I checked at three different spots.
What about my gear pattern can anyone confirm or deny that that’s an acceptable pattern?

I reallllllly don’t feel like tearing this thing apart again, i didn’t use a set up bearing, and i crushed my new sleeve already,
so if i’m making adjustments then i’m basically gonna be one sad camper

 

[Supercharged111]

yes i’m pretty sure i’m at a .010 inch backlash now
Before changing anything i was at .007
I checked at three different spots.
What about my gear pattern can anyone confirm or deny that that’s an acceptable pattern?

I reallllllly don’t feel like tearing this thing apart again, i didn’t use a set up bearing, and i crushed my new sleeve already,
so if i’m making adjustments then i’m basically gonna be one sad camper

It's almost like Schurkey knew what he was talking about about when he warned you about going down this rabbit hole.

 

[Schurkey]

If this were me--and it isn't, because like I said, I'm really allergic to dicking with the pinion--I would pop the differential case back out, remove about .003 worth of shim from the right side, and put .003 worth of shim on the left. That moves the ring gear .003 closer to the pinion without changing bearing preload. (I'm assuming that you got the bearing preload right already.) Your backlash drops from .010 to the .007 you had before, and you hope 'n' pray that the pinion depth is the same as before because otherwise the wear pattern is gonna be...interesting.

Fill it up with gear lube, and drive it until it gives you actual problems. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for a 9.5" axle of correct width and gear ratio, and in generally-good condition.

 

[Isaacmacleod]

If this were me--and it isn't, because like I said, I'm really allergic to dicking with the pinion--I would pop the differential case back out, remove about .003 worth of shim from the right side, and put .003 worth of shim on the left. That moves the ring gear .003 closer to the pinion without changing bearing preload. (I'm assuming that you got the bearing preload right already.) Your backlash drops from .010 to the .007 you had before, and you hope 'n' pray that the pinion depth is the same as before because otherwise the wear pattern is gonna be...interesting.

Fill it up with gear lube, and drive it until it gives you actual problems. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for a 9.5" axle of correct width and gear ratio, and in generally-good condition.

Thank you.

It seems like the cast iron shims on the carrier are not great for reuse.

I do have some carrier shims that came with my pinion kit from timken.

I’ll do just what you said and report back with the new gear pattern and backlash i get.

I read somewhere else that the pinion shims are pretty consistently 0.035 inches, even on rebuilds, with the 8.5 10 bolt.

But the cast iron carrier shims are not recommended to be reused, maybe that’s all i have to do, I pray

 

[Isaacmacleod]

Also i checked the pinion bearing preload with some lube on the bearings
Seal installed with grease
Nothing else in the housing but the pinion
I had to ask to borrow my company’s big impact to get the crush sleeve crushed.
If you ask me i almost ended up on the news trying to do it with my floor jack and some harbor freight breaker bars.
Sketchy stuff

But after impacting it down i managed to read a rotating torque of about 22 in pounds