the last three years i worked at a dealership i did axles. we replaced the clips when they broke out of warranty because it was an easy $700 repair using $12 in parts and about two hours real time labor.
these are not c-clips which are a part of the axle and are needed. i dont know why everybody calls them c-clips? these are clutch pack retaining clips and are used to hold the lsd clutch packs in place while setting the ring and pinion. once the ring and pinion are set they have no real purpose as the lsd or the clutch packs cannot go anywhere. they would only be needed if you pull the ring and pinion.
when my father in laws 2003 ram had a clip fail i just pulled them all out. this was in 2008 and hes put at least 50,000 miles on that truck since without a problem and yes the lsd still works. up to you to replace or just pull them out but if it were me id pull them out. odds are the replacement clips are gonna break and you will be driving around without them in place anyway before you pull the diff cover and notice it. only difference is then they are floating around in there tearing up the differential.

 

I take it you didn't see the picture Blue posted up there ^^^^^ post 27 showing that the tabs will work through the soft carrier and end up breaking through and just turning inside the carrier, have you? His did and in a short time I must add, so making an assumption that it wont do anything without anything to prove your case means noda. Again look at the picture above and tell that to me it won't do anything?

I didn't call it a C-Clip, I called it a clasp, which is what it is.

clasp/klasp/ 1. A fastening, such as a hook or buckle, used to hold two or more objects or parts together


And again, those clasps or "clutch pack retaining clips" as you call them do not retain anything other then "hold" them together and take the brunt force of the tabs within the softer carrier body, which I already explained and proved in my other posts. They simply sit on the clutch disk tabs non compressed and as you lower them into the carrier they can just slip off so the reference to watch them carefully in the manual.

Yes I agree with you when you say "odds are the replacement clips are gonna break and you will be driving around without them in place anyway before you pull the diff cover and notice it. only difference is then they are floating around in there tearing up the differential". It was a shoty design, but there are better ways of taking care of the issue like installing a lunch box locker or other. To simply pull them out and call it a day is like putting duct tape on hole in the oil pan, it's gunna break out, just time.

 

I dunno 'Shocker, I've personally known guys who've pulled them and gone 40,000 miles plus with them just yanked. That builds a pretty strong case in my book as proof for yanking them out. Must be some pretty strong "duct tape" LMAO... The alternative - putting new clips in just to break I doubt would last the same 40,000 miles. It don't take long for a broken clip to take out the entire carrier.


But I agree, it's a quick/cheap fix - a band aid if you will. Nothing is gonna beat pulling the whole POS LSD out and getting a properly designed aftermarket unit. I never gave mine a chance to fail, yanked it at 19,000 miles when I did 4.56 gears and replaced it with an Auburn LSD.

If I didn't have the $ to replace it with an Auburn or DTT, I'd yank the clips rather than take a chance with them in there, myself. I really don't like the idea of throwing money at the POS stock LSD...

 

When Mine went the tabs gouged as well, that metal is soft. Thing is, when it does gouge out what's going to happen, well the packs will just spin then and/or possibly send a chunk out into the diff. Regardless, the metal that the diff's are made out of are not as hard as those clips hints the reason they are there in the first place. Had they tried a better metal in the first place and a larger tab they would have never needed them in the first place. Have you ever seen a picture of the carrier with 40k on it with no tabs, my guess is no because they would be just in there spinnin.

Got any part numbers for the Auburn LSD?

 

Hey Hydra.... thanks for the advice on the pinion nut deal.

The part number for the clip set I got at the dealer is 05183722AB

Unfortunately I havent been able to do anything (and wont be able to) for the time being. Until the beginning of November most likely. But I will pick up where I left off with this diff and get it all back together. Id like to get this truck on the road before any winter weather.

Here is a can of worms to open ha ha..... Ive literally been doing all this work with half of a tool set.... half my sockets and wrenches are missing.. What would your recommendation be if a novice like me were to throw some money down for a compressor and some pneumatic tools. I don't want to break the bank on this stuff (auto mechanics is more of a hobby for me) but I also dont like to buy things twice.. know what I mean? So I've been looking at Kobalt and Craftsman stuff... and both are affordable..... but would they be a waste of money? I know there will be a lot of opinions about whats good and whats not... but Id like to hear them before I jump on this one. Thanks in advance.

 

About the gouging.... Unfortunately I think its a "damned if ya do... damned if ya dont" type scenario with this diff. If its assembled with new clips in I run the risk of them breaking again and the pieces really doing a number on the big expensive parts of this diff... if I dont put the new clips in the clutch disks will continue to gouge into the housing and eventually dig deep enough to either create enough metal pieces (through the destruction they will cause) to do the damage instead of the clip parts. So either way because of the crappy design of this trac loc diff... i think its days are numbered.. and the real fix is to get a new axle and a more robust diff.

 

Sorry no pics but.....20K+ miles and no gouging without Clutch pack clips in place.
I can only speak as I find.
Al.