man yal are a lot of hekp i really appreiciate it. now i gotta do some callin around. is there a tag on the rear to let me know what ratio it is and how do i know if it has limited slip?

 

Best way to determine the ratio is to count the teeth on the ring gear and the pinion. Then divide ring gear teeth by pinion teeth. Example: 40-tooth ring gear and 10-tooth pinion - 4.10 ratio. There may be a tag on the axle, but you can't be absolutely positive it's right.

To check for a limited-slip, turn one wheel by hand. If the opposite wheel turns the same direction, it's limited-slip. If it turns the opposite direction, it's not.

You can also check the ratio by turning the wheels and counting how many times the pinion yoke rotates. Divide pinion revolutions by wheel revolutions to get the ratio. If only one wheel turns, multiply pinion revolutions by two. Turn the wheels ten times for accuracy.

 

man sounds like you know ur stuff. i thank you. i will start my search tomorrow. cant stand my truck being down.

 

Good luck! Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

well i took the diff cover off and to my surprise not to bad. i looked all over the inside. ring gear and spider gears look fine. no pitting or excessive wear. the pinion gear looked good too. only thing i found was fine metal shavings in the bottom. i figure they are from that bearing. i am strongly considering just changing the bearing out. i am going to do some research and homework but my question is what should i expect when taking on this project? is it worth it? i am really worried about the shimming. i know i will need the outer pinion bearing but should i do the inner? and i know i will need to get a new seal.

 

If it were mine, I would just change the pinion bearings. You should be fine using the old shim. Just make sure you get the backlash set properly when you put it back together. If the rear pinion bearing looks PERFECT (as in flawless) and has NO roughness, you can reuse it. But chances are, you're going to want to change it.

You'll need a puller or a press to get the rear bearing off the pinion and a press to reinstall it (unless you have a piece of pipe the right size, a large hammer, and you're careful). You'll also need a special tool to turn the adjuster nuts for the carrier bearings, and an impact wrench is extremely helpful for tightening the pinion nut, since it takes a lot of torque to crush the crush sleeve (and ALWAYS use a new crush sleeve).

It's really not a terribly difficult job if you can read and follow instructions. But you can't take any shortcuts if you want it to last. If you take your time, and you have the few special tools required (dial indicator, press, puller, adjuster nut tool, torque wrench, impact wrench) and you have a clean place to work, there's no reason you can't do a good job.

 

new bearings might set the pinion at a different depth. and over tighten or loosen the the crush sleeve . my information is old school, i dont know if that way is still used. call someone like randys rings. i guess they will help.

 

ok im feeling confident on this project just one question how would i measure backlash?

 

You need a dial indicator. I use this one, which is actually designed for checking brake rotor runout, but it works perfectly for rear ends by threading the flex shaft directly into one of the cover bolt holes and not using the vise-grips.

 

is there a hick man way of doin it? im not sure how to even go about measureing it. i am feelin good bout everything else just not the backlash part. and where could i get the adjustment tool for the carrier bearings?