Front ARB 3rd install HELP!

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oilbrnr

oilbrnr

10 Year
Joined
Jul 31, 2013
Threads
43
Messages
757
Location
Scottsdale
So I got a front/rear pair of loaded 3rds with 4.88's and air lockers from JT's. Rear was TJM which is what I wanted on both ends, but they were out of stock on the front so we went with ARB. OK, fine.
Got the rear in, though the carriers were a tight fit into the housing.

Front is a total no go. Way to wide. Calling JT's this this AM, they said it was not uncommon to need to clearance the housing opening to clear the carriers. WTF. OK, fine.

What is my best, quickest, cleanest way to do this? I've got very limited time to get this sucker in, and the front re-assembled for an upcoming UT trip.

Also, the way that the copper air line is routed over the very top of the ring gear, as in towards the oil pan, seems like even with clearing the carriers will make insertion difficult unless I really angle and twist the 3rd in. Is that normal, or should the line be crossing the ring more towards the front of the ring gear? I know it can't get too close to the housing cover...

Thanks in advance!
 
I used a dremmel on mine, didn't have to take much off at all, was testing fit to see how much more i should take off and it popped right in.
 
I have a die grinder, but the only stones I have are so soft that they just wore out before making much of a relieve. Should the die be metal or stone?
 
oilbrnr said:
Also, the way that the copper air line is routed over the very top of the ring gear, as in towards the oil pan, seems like even with clearing the carriers will make insertion difficult unless I really angle and twist the 3rd in. Is that normal, or should the line be crossing the ring more towards the front of the ring gear? I know it can't get too close to the housing cover...
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Here is a couple pics sent to me from ARB showing the proper routing
1214.webp 1215.webp
 
yes everything what you are saying is completely normal. get a grinder and clearence the housing. done.

/thread
 
Cool beans. LCPhil was nice enough to lend me a grinder and metal cutting dies today, so I will be notching tonight.
 
Hobies said:
yes everything what you are saying is completely normal. get a grinder and clearence the housing. done.

/thread
Click to expand...

Thanks for being the thread police :rolleyes:

The die that LCP loaned me did a nice job cutting through the housing and like he warned me, the filings were flying! I packed the housing with towels and then went in with a magnet first to get the major stuff out. Then about half a can of brake cleaner and rags. Should be good enough for the initial break-in oil period.

I could have put it on my transmission jack last night and attempted a stab, but I decided to wait for my neighbor to help me tonight and do it by hand. Instead I spent the rest of the evening at the parts washer cleaning the rest of the front end parts. :mad:

Two of the PS knuckle studs were sheared, so I just ordered and picked up a new knuckle yesterday. I don't have the time now to fiddle-fart around with extraction.
image.webp
 
oilbrnr said:
Thanks for being the thread police :rolleyes:


Two of the PS knuckle studs were sheared, so I just ordered and picked up a new knuckle yesterday. I don't have the time now to fiddle-fart around with extraction. View attachment 893724
Click to expand...


haha, its just an expression. ;) doesnt really mean, dont post in this thread.

hey keep that knuckle too in case you were thinking of tossing it. someone will need it and will do the extraction then.

glad you got it installed
 
Hobies said:
haha, its just an expression. ;) doesnt really mean, dont post in this thread.

hey keep that knuckle too in case you were thinking of tossing it. someone will need it and will do the extraction then.

glad you got it installed
Click to expand...

Well she ain't in yet. Have some additional hands coming over tonight. Dont want to disturb the airline.

And Im keeping the knuckle for sure. It was just more a matter of time vs. money at this point. Plus it is nice and clean! :-)
 
That's quite a bit of material you took off there! Mine needed just a little bit taken off to clear these parts:

vP9aowd.png



a9iiYkf.png
 
did you really need to cut out that much from the housing? or was that to make install really easy? do you have any before the grinding
 
the reason I ask is because i am torn between TJM and ARB as well....ARB has a leaking problem from what everyone states...and I for one do not want a leak.....but then are the TJMs proven to be reliable and strong as well? no one will give a definite answer....all the retailers will try and sell what they have!
 
jtwopark said:
did you really need to cut out that much from the housing? or was that to make install really easy? do you have any before the grinding
Click to expand...

See my post above.

jtwopark said:
the reason I ask is because i am torn between TJM and ARB as well....ARB has a leaking problem from what everyone states...and I for one do not want a leak.....but then are the TJMs proven to be reliable and strong as well? no one will give a definite answer....all the retailers will try and sell what they have!
Click to expand...

You're generalizing quite a bit there. They can leak when things aren't done correctly or when you tighten things down too much. The problem mainly is with the installers and not the product.
 
jtwopark said:
did you really need to cut out that much from the housing? or was that to make install really easy? do you have any before the grinding
Click to expand...

Well, maybe/maybe not. I did my best estimated based on markings that I made when I had help to hold it up there. I didn't have the time or help to keep nibbling away at it to get a perfect fit. Besides, each carrier adjustment is going to be a bit different, so I'm not sure one could over generalize the exact amount needed to be removed.

None the less, she ran great with no issues on the trip. Lockers were not needed to get into the Doll House in CanyonLands, but the re-gearing was a subtle improvement that made the entire journey more enjoyable.
 
jtwopark said:
the reason I ask is because i am torn between TJM and ARB as well....ARB has a leaking problem from what everyone states...and I for one do not want a leak.....but then are the TJMs proven to be reliable and strong as well? no one will give a definite answer....all the retailers will try and sell what they have!
Click to expand...

Well TJMs are proven elsewhere, you just don't see much mentioned yet here in the states as their distribution pool is small compared to ARB. It is a very simple design when you see one in person, and the servo is easy to replace should it have an issue compared to the ARB. Air line routing is better IMHO too, as you don't have to worry about deflecting it into the ring gear when you stab the 3rd in.

JT's sell both and guys that work there mix and match the units for their own rigs is what they told me. Also as mentioned above, the ARB failures tend to be from improperly setup units, at least from what they have experienced. They just happened to be out of stock on the TJM front 80 units and I couldn't wait. BTW, they were great to work with and ship time was quick. Now to box up the cores and send back, ugh!
 
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