Well, after 40+ years of wrenching and owning two service stations, I finally rebuilt a diff! Don't ask me why, but for some reason I always regarded the process as some sort of dark art or voodoo magic. Terms like 'pinion preload' and 'crush sleeve' and 'backlash' just didn't sit right with me, haha.
But a few week ago my 8.8 diff was getting really noisy, so I took the cover off, saw metal in fluid, along with chipped teeth on spider gears, so I knew it was time to dive in. I have a 4-post lift, plus 20-ton press and all the tools. The only tool I had to buy was a beam-style inch-pound torque wrench.
And now, after giving the inside of the housing a thorough douche, and after taking probably three times as long as a real pro, every moving part (except the like-new Moser axles) is brand new. I really took my time and was meticulous about the install. Backlash, pinion depth, runouts, preloads, contact patterns... all set right on the button. YouTube was my best friend on this job! I've done a couple of test drives and it's beautiful... quiet as a mouse.
But a few week ago my 8.8 diff was getting really noisy, so I took the cover off, saw metal in fluid, along with chipped teeth on spider gears, so I knew it was time to dive in. I have a 4-post lift, plus 20-ton press and all the tools. The only tool I had to buy was a beam-style inch-pound torque wrench.
And now, after giving the inside of the housing a thorough douche, and after taking probably three times as long as a real pro, every moving part (except the like-new Moser axles) is brand new. I really took my time and was meticulous about the install. Backlash, pinion depth, runouts, preloads, contact patterns... all set right on the button. YouTube was my best friend on this job! I've done a couple of test drives and it's beautiful... quiet as a mouse.