Yukon Grizzly 3rd member bearing fail / replacement (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Threads
14
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Location
Lyndonville NY
Purchased a Yukon Zip Locker 3rd member from Marlin in Dec 2017 - Installed it and all was great for a while. I don't drive the my cruiser very much... and recently, with less than 5k miles on the 3rd member, a howling started to emit from the rear end and got worse very rapidly.

I jacked it up and the wheels spin smoothly with no resistance... plenty of oil in the dif. I dropped the drive shaft and when I tried to spin the yolk by hand it got hung up pretty bad in a few places, almost unturnable. No significant metal in the oil when I drained it.

Called Marlin and with 5k miles on their 3rd member build... yea, "sorry, out of warranty" was all I got. Ouch.

I have removed the 3rd member now and I need to get it fixed. I'm not sure I have the tools / skills for this fix myself. I'd like to ask for some advice:

1. I'm in Atlanta and Southern Gear wants $500 labor plus parts and a 2 week wait. Is that standard?

2. Should I order the parts and attempt the repair myself? I've read through some threads but I'm unclear if I will have to reset the backlash if I pull it apart and replace the bearing? Or are all the required shims already there?

3. Can I diagnose this definitively before I disassemble? Ido not see any damage to the Dif gears or the Pinion Gear. They look brand new.

4. Where should I order the parts - Pinion Bearing and what else? Not thrilled with Marlin right now.

I'm willing to learn, but I may not have the equipment to do the job.

What cha think?
Don
 
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I would check and see if it is a solid pinion spacer or a crush sleeve. If it is a solid pinion spacer, you should be able to just change the bearings and reassemble it providing marlin set it up properly the first time. You will need to re-set the backlash on the ring/pinion gears. Not that difficult, but I would suggest you do it with someone who is familiar with the process the first time you try to do it.
I would be questioning whether it was setup properly given the fact it is currently in a malfunctioning state. If it is a crush sleeve it is a bit more tricky to set up but not really that hard. I would get quality name bearings , I prefer KOYO to the others.
 
Hard to tell what's going on from a verbal description. Do you have any pics? I would (and have) spend a ton of time reading at gearinstalls.com. Zuk is a master and the site is 100% Toyota. If I was paying someone else to do it it would be him. Shipping instructions are on his site.

If you're not comfortable doing it you probably shouldn't. But read up over there and make your own decision.
 
@Prairie Swamp / @too tall - Appreciate the suggestions guys. After doing to some more reading, I've decided not try to take this one on my self... just dont have the workspace and tools. I connected with Zuk and feel like sending the dif to him is the best path to getting my truck back on the road (and hopefully without further issues). Thanks!
 
Shane Proctor up in Calhoun can do this for you. He's done thousands of Diff's all makes and models.
Proctor Garage & Wrecker Services
1367 US-41 N, Calhoun, GA 30701
(706) 629-7264
 

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