Differential building!! Beginner lessons. (1 Viewer)

[sodafeld1]

More lessons! I buttoned up the diff with the drivetech crown and pinion using the vdj terrain tamer solid spacer and packing out the slop against the pinion shaft. Not ideal as a spacer which hugs the whole pinion shaft but seeming the torque is pretty high and held perpendicular to the shaft so is hopefully ok... Yet to test it but it should be ok for the front diff. I convince myself..

However rebuilding second diff for rear, terrain tamer bearing kit with solid spacer. Original crown and pinion. But the spacer supplied is too long if you need to adjust pinion shims for depth, this is accentuated by the updated replacement bearings supplied either by toyota or terrain tamer that are .3mm deeper. So i have to grind down the solid spacer to fit the new bearings. Terrain tamer needs to shorten their solid spacer to accommodate the updated bearing size. Would be better off manufacturing them too short and supplying many more shims to accommodate for pinion depth adjustment and deeper bearings.

No wonder diff pros charge so much! Many would just go a crush sleeve and if you never crack them open yourself, you would never know.

 

[sodafeld1]

And I can imagine auto manufacturers like the idea of a crush sleeve in case they need to change bearing depth. Which in turn makes many aftermarket specific manufacturing difficult to keep up with updates.

 

[Indestructible 47]

Most say if your using all new parts the terrain tamer solid spacer works out to be a perfect length. If you've reused your crown wheel and pinion it could be making things harder than they need to be. Also make sure your bearings have a coat of diff oil on them..... will change the tolerances very slightly as opposed to no oil.

 

[sodafeld1]

Most say if your using all new parts the terrain tamer solid spacer works out to be a perfect length. If you've reused your crown wheel and pinion it could be making things harder than they need to be. Also make sure your bearings have a coat of diff oil on them..... will change the tolerances very slightly as opposed to no oil.

yes, I have not heard of anyone saying or posting that the solid spacer is too long on the old pinion with updated bearings. But everyone would be using the same housing, so the gap between the two bearings is .3mm less at the least, I am yet to measure if there is a difference with the outer pinion bearing in depth, but it does render the solid spacer too long. Ah maybe I am just a whinger. Did put some lube for sure. 0 .3mm is a fair bit when it comes to pinion preload on a solid spacer.

I think I do have my head around it and kind of feel like pointing it out to terrain tamer. Wonder when they updated the bearing size. This spacer came with the tt updated bearing kit. Why hasn't anyone else encountered it?

I guess pros either turn down the solid spacer in this scenario or just use a crush.

Bit tricky to see in the pics but here are the races installed, I am holding the outer bearing with the tt solid spacer sitting in it. it protrudes past into the inner pinion bearing, which would be ok probably on the older oem bearing. A new pinion would not make a difference here.

 

[sodafeld1]

I appreciate your comments indestructable, would feel like I am babbling to myself otherwise!

 

[Indestructible 47]

Well I can feel your pain, at least you've stuck at it when most others would have long since given up. Is there somebody with a mill or lathe nearby? Machine shop? Milling that solid spacer down is super easy with a mill or even a lathe.

 

[sodafeld1]

Well I can feel your pain, at least you've stuck at it when most others would have long since given up. Is there somebody with a mill or lathe nearby? Machine shop? Milling that solid spacer down is super easy with a mill or even a lathe.

haha! just spinning evenly and slowly on an upside down low speed angle grinder with flap disc. One step up from bush mechanics. Much prefer variable speed grinders like flex or fein, more control. Getting there slowly, but I think my wife is loosing patience with me..
The fact the high torque force, 200ftpounds, more than a crankshaft, is perpendicular and the spacer is at least an excellent snug fit gives me much confidence.

Just got around to listening to a book reading of 'grapes of wrath'. I reckon chapter 16, just past midway, contains the best bit of bush mechanic writing on repairing a busted conrod bearing on a 1930's old dodge in the middle of nowhere with minimal tools or money, ever written. Awesome. Obviously drawn from real experience and understanding.
People have suffered way more with much less, and certainly were more capable and determined than most of today.

 

[sodafeld1]

And at least, it was not much I had to take off the spacer and still glad I got some shims, finicky setting it up for the preload. Funny too, tt sells the spacer alone for around $50aud but with 3 x shims like $85.. There is a clever local guy who custom makes shims, average around $4-5 each. It is worth having a wide range of shims 100%, even down to .05mm or .00197 inch !.
For interest sake, the old and updated bearings, new one is much steeper and a little deeper.

 

[sodafeld1]

Nooooooh!!! f it and sht. This is what happens when you mix two different aftermarket mobs. The flatter taper bearing which i made a slip bearing from is from drivetech, it is the original bearing toyota used. terrain tamer supplies the steeper one which toyota has updated to. I was using the flatter slip bearing in the steeper race, so of course it would not fit, any of it. Don't trust any fu@#'er, some gunho nob might post it on the internet like myself and send you up the garden path. At least tt does give a polite little note to check the bearings are the right ones!
Oh f it , have to hunt for another of these steeper bearings to make a slip and start again. I would not go drivetech again for diffs. Someone more experienced would not have assumed they all supply the same bearings.

Hopefully I have saved someone some grief from my lessons.

 

[sodafeld1]

And here is another little booby trap. Outer pinion bearing difference. tt supplies the koyo 30306 d jr -1, whilst toyota supplies the koyo 30306 d jr. there is .5mm difference in depth. 30306 d jr is readily available lots of places, but in oz only all 4x4 spares has it listed but it is out of stock..No wonder gearinstalls fellow has such a long list of bearings and notes. This is what comes with diff service price, is the experience. You really have to check and measure absolutely everything. geez! Whilst at least the depth should theoretically only end up effecting the pinion nut, a seasoned diff pro would be double measuring everything and referring to notes.

 

[sodafeld1]

ah ok applied industrial technologies has the 30306 djr -1 . I just really like making the slip bearings as getting them off once pressed on it is very difficult not to damage the bearing to adjust depth and preload..