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April 29, 2004
1.5 hours

Rear Axle Exploration

I finally had the time to open up the differential and see what was going on inside. I hoped that it was in the same excellent condition as the innards of the transmission. The first thing I did was remove the drain plug in the differential cover. No oil came out--uh oh... Next, I scraped off some of the gunk caked on the differential housing, mostly a mixture of mud and differential oil. The good news is that this mixture pretty much preserved the bolts and differential cover in perfect condition. The 9/16" bolts were not very tight, and after breaking them loose with a wrench, I could remove them by hand. I found that the lower bolt holes go all the way through the housing, and when I removed them, oil started leaking out. So it wasn't totally empty, fortunately for me.

At least there was some oil in the diff. If you know what differential
oil smells like, imagine that it's decades old--killer.

I pulled the cover off and was pleased to find that the gears are in remarkably good condition, just like the transmission. The teeth were strong and solid with the machining marks still visible on the edges. The carrier shows signs of having been repaired in the past, however, as the screw holding the spacer block is pretty chewed up. I was somewhat surprised by the rough casting of the carrier, but impressed by the robust bearing caps on either side. This is a pretty stout rear end.

Differential is in excellent shape. The only reason I have to take it
apart is to replace the bearings and seals, which it obviously needs.

I read the manual on disassembly, but it doesn't mention removing the spacer block (in the middle of the carrier in the photo above), or how it is done. There are two C-clips holding the axles in the carrier, and these cannot be removed until the spacer block comes out. I'm guessing that the aforementioned chewed-up screw is a sort of set screw holding the carrier block in position. I'm going to ask around before I start, just in case. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. E-mail me!

Ring gear still shows clear markings. Anyone know what these
mean? I'm guessing that I have a 3.90 gearset, but it could also
be the optional 3.6s. Will these numbers tell me anything?

Teeth are in excellent condition. Note the original machine tool
marks on the ring and spider gears.

Red arrow is the chewed-up screw which I believe is a set screw
for the spacer block pin (black arrow).

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E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net

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Last modified on 02/06/2005

Thanks, Fidget!