Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
You have to shim and pre-load the side bearings, put the proper torque on the pinion gear nut (using an inch-pound torque wrench) and then measure the backlash on the ring and pinion and adjust as necessary using some prussian blue dye and a dial indicator.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
No, seriously, it all depends on your skill level and/or your ability to find the right info and right tools. It's not a job you want to do twice. I've done a few simple transmissions, but never a differential. I'd have a go at it I think if I didn't need my vehicle in service for a while. It's something I'd really take my time with.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Otherwise, I'll just go in, pull the differential and ring gear (leave the pinion alone), remove the ring, install it on the new diff, mount it, shim it, check the backlash again, and close it up. Twenty is a fast speed for this truck, so if it hums a little at 40+, I don't really care.
The more I look at this stuff, the more I think I'm probably going to put selectable hubs on it when I'm done. I'm pretty sure that the reason this differential's spider gears failed is due to the full-time 4WD. This isn't like a modern AWD rig with clutch packs to deal with speed differentials on dry roads. Running 4WD on this thing is like any other part-time system in that running dry puts a lot of stress on the system. My grandparents used this truck ALL the time for at least the first ten years of its life, from daily driver to plowing to weekly trips down to Seward and Homer in the summer months while pulling a 25' cabin cruiser.
Not that I run dry much (if at all), but as long as I'm in there, why not improve things?
I'm going to chat with a neighbor who has experience with these and get his take on it. There are still a lot of things I have to tear apart before I'm at the point where I can even get the differential out. Man, I sure wish this had happened on the REAR axle instead!
I was able to make significant progress last night, removing both of the axle shafts and the steering link that crosses from knuckle to knuckle just fore of the axle housing. while it was not in the way to remove the differential cover, it would not allow the differential itself to come out.
I also found out that the gear ratio is 4.09 (45-11), and there was an interesting discovery in there as well: The ring gear has a manufacturing stamp on it of 2/14/77. That's rather curious to me because my grandfather purchased the truck in November of 1975, IIRC. He never mentioned anything about drivetrain work other than a couple of major engine issues.
But, if that is a manufacturing date on the ring gear, it cannot be original. Also, I discovered that making the system "part time" 4WD is not as simple as disengaging the wheel hubs, so I'm not going to buy selectable hubs.
The new differential is on its way! I settled on a Detroit Locker. In the meantime, I'm going to put new U-joints in the axle shafts and see if I can find shocks.
The Detroit Locker is a 100%-automatic locking differential that provides ultimate traction for mild to extreme vehicle applications. Its unique, bullet-proof design is engineered to keep both wheels in drive mode - even is one wheel is lifted off the ground.
During straight-line driving, the Detroit Locker captures 100% of available torque and sends it equally to both wheels. In turns and maneuvers, the internal components unlock to allow one wheel to spin faster or slower as necessary (free wheel). When the vehicle returns to a straight-line driving path, the components re-engage and provide power to both wheel ends.
Based on the operational description of many different types of locking differentials (I had no idea there were so many!), this seemed like the best fit for what I need.
I found the u-joints and shocks, so I now have work for tonight as well as being a few hundred poorer. :@
I do not, however, have such a modern beast! Considering how well my truck worked with open differentials (before this failure started taking hold of the front axle), I strongly suspect that the full locking front end will allow for maneuvering out of even ridiculous situations.
Happily, I've only managed to get my truck stuck a few times in the years I've been doing it, but every time it involves a long walk home and quite a bit of effort to recover. One time, I even had to call out a flat bed to recover it, which was pretty embarrassing since that cost about two driveways' worth of annual compensation. /sigh
The weather is being very kind to me; it was only a degree or two below zero last night. I was able to work out there (under two hours total) without significant regard to the temperature.
My differential still has not shipped. I'm starting to wonder what the term "expedited" means to these guys. LOL
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
In terms of working in the evenings (I was out there from about 2000-2200 last night, so I don't start real early), it's probably two days. I have a couple of trips coming up (one for a funeral, one for the holiday), so I'm really hoping to have it back to running prior to the holiday trip on the 23rd. If I don't get the diff by Tuesday, I don't think that will happen.
Great pics - next time you should include a thermometer.
It is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Apparently it shipped out from the midwest at about 0100 this morning, arrived in Anchorage at about 1000, and to Fairbanks in the early afternoon.
It's an amazing thing to live in the modern world! Thermometer.... Hmm. I'm really not sure I have one that could be used in this way. Embarrassing, really.
In Fairbanks, the restuarants offer raindeer and eggs. In Hawaii, it's spam and eggs!
For your amusement.....
For scale, this is a large screw driver on the right side of the frame (about 14" long). The pile of debris/shavings here is enough to describe as a "heaping handful."
Did you want another look at those spider gears? I caught their good sides here!
Hey, I'm not THAT backwoods!
That's a shoe in for the Darwin awards.
Why? He's go TWO supports, after all....
I've seen guys using cenent cinder blocks as jack stands. Talk about dumb!
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
As for the bearings, those in the differential are definitely in need of replacement. However, the Dana 44 front differential uses a sealed design that places driveshaft seals on either side of the differential itself (you can see them in the third photo I included previously) This is good, because it means that the wheel bearings use bearing grease and are isolated from the gear oil in the differential. And, the wheel bearings are just fine (I can find no fault with them, so they get to stay).
However, once I expanded the scope of my parts needs to, essentially, a full differential rebuild kit, rather than just the carrier bearings and races, I found that my local suppliers FAILED ME! Sadly, this means more shipping expenses and waiting. So, I ordered a full kit from Rock Auto with express overnight shipping (another $60, but that basically puts the kit on par with what it would have cost locally anyway) and hope to see it early next week. Sadly, though, this means little to no progress on the truck this weekend.
I didn't have a lot of things to do on the truck last weekend (which was good, as it was BUSY!), so I cleaned up the differential and removed the rear shocks. The new shocks and the rebuild kit came in on Tuesday, so I did some prep work on the new parts Tuesday night planning to get the bulk of the work finished last night.
Last night.... well, it was hit and miss. I was able to get the pinion gear installed, and it is smooth as butter in there now! That's the highlight. Unfortunately, the new differential is a couple hundredths of an inch larger (longer?) than the old one, so it actually doesn't fit in the differential housing as expected. Where it is different is anyone's guess, though, so I will definitely have to spend time on the shimming process to get that sorted out. I'm stalled right now though, because I don't have any way to get the bearings off with my current tool collection without destroying them. New bearings are ~$25 each, so I'm not entirely opposed to doing that, but I can only get two locally at the moment, so that gives me pause.
I'm going to see if I can find a bearing puller while I'm down south. If I don't have any luck, I may just break out the grinder and make that bleeping thing fit in there by shaving a bit off the back side of the races. Aside from that, though, it's been smooth sailing. I'm still confident that it will all come together; I'm just getting a little stressed about how long its taking me. More snow is an inevitability, and I hate to let my neighbors down.
Ran fine, although the new dash rattle and the weird noise when one revs and lets up are annoying me - guess I have next year's projects already lined up. The car got a compliment from a guy at a gas station. I got to use the horn a couple times, as people here are distracted/incompetent and I am impatient, always fun as it is loud.
Ah, getting ready for some Chicago or east coast driving
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I really enjoy ads that say worth $50 to $60k - am I supposed to offer $60k right off the bat?
I was expecting an XJ or something.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.