Richmond sells a pre-ground pin for many common differentials, or you can grind yours. Yukon and Motive also sell pins, I believe

If you choose to grind yours, make sure you are grinding the side that will be at either 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock when pin is installed and the lock bolt is in place, if you grind at the 3 or 9 0'clock positions it can allow the axle to come in far enough for the c-clip to fall off the axle.....with bad results.

 

You have gone too far at this point and you are going to have to undo some of the work that is already done. When you grind the shaft you do not grind it from end to end. You only grind enough of it so that it will slide off center enough to clear the end of the axle so that the c clips can be installed. You have to do this before the gear is installed on the differential. After the shaft has been ground you install it in the differential and then install the ring gear. With the gear installed you should be able to slide the shaft out just far enough to get the c clips on the axles.

You will need to grind a flat on the shaft that will be parallel to the face of the ring gear when the retaining bolt is installed. If you grind it perpendicular to the face of the ring gear then the forces on the shaft will cause it to move in the case and wallow out the holes. Only grind off enough to allow the shaft to pass by the teeth of the gear. The more material you take off the weaker this will be.

 

I've seen a ring gear tooth ground down to make round for the pin to slide pass

 

Yes, sometimes that works too, as long as it doesn't make the tooth weaker. You have to be sure that you don't grind into the contact area. Anytime you start grinding on heat treated parts you have to be careful about getting them hot. You can damage the strength of the metal by getting it hot.

 

I'm assuming that this is going in a 4X4 truck by what I see in the pictures. I'm also assuming that because this is a standard differential case that you will be using a mini spool or a Power Trax locker. If this is the case then grinding a ring gear tooth might be the only thing that will work. I don't think a ground cross shaft will work with a mini spool or locker kit. I'm also wondering if there is going to be enough room to get the locker or mini spool parts in the case with the ring gear being that thick.

 

I've done exactly what you are trying to do and ended up grinding on a tooth or two to get the clearance necessary to let the pin enter the carrier. I was very careful and did dress the edges of the grinding point on the teeth to knock off sharp edges.

I buy my ring & pinion sets from Pyle Brothers out of Baytown Texas and they recommended I grind the tooth (teeth) and it worked. Good luck with your project!

 

Thanks for everyone's input. yes the differential is a stock 10 bolt 8.5" with a richmond minispool. It sounds like grinding the ring gear is the best bet. Makes me nervous to have to do that but I guess we'll see how it goes.

 

Here is a video of the gears. There is a very small amount of back and forth play on the pinion gear. I'm guessing this is because the new crush sleeve needs more crushage. It is a very small amount of play but it's there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sfupZUO_pY&feature=youtu.be

 

I'm guessing that you don't know how to set the pinion depth, bearing preload and backlash. The pattern on your gears is way off.

 

hey big gear head. are you here to help out or to act like a cool guy who knows it all? just curious. yes this is my first rear end gear job and it is not done. but hey thanks for the "really helpful" feedback. cheers!

 

Big gear head was pointing out the obivious. Since your down to the point of worrying about the center pin it would seem your about ready to button it up and call it good in the normal procedure.

But he is correct.. you need to do a pinion depth change or those gears will not last.

 

for those who are interested and here for the right reasons, I went ahead and called richmond gear and ordered the modified carrier pin for $15 which should complete the job once I get the tooth pattern right. Big thank you to those who are here to share and help. cheers.

 

Did you reuse the pinion shim from the previous set up? if so how thick was it?

When setting up gears.. Leave the crush sleeve and pinion seal out during set up. Set the pinion Preload with the pinion nut.

 

Further, Big Gear Head really knows what he is talking about and you should APPRECIATE that he is here offering his advise and guidance for free.

He was only trying to help you avoid a costly mistake by running your gears with an incorrect pattern. If you took offense to the way he was trying to help you.. Well, maybe you should take a step back and breathe before getting worked up. Remember YOU came here & posted on a public forum asking for help/advise.. You got really good answers. Be thankful. Be happy. When you get it all buttoned up and it's done right, you will have more reasons to be both happy & thankful.

 

Not trying to be cute or cool, I was just pointing out that you are no where near having this ready to run. You don't have the pinion depth set, the bearing preload on the pinion and differential are way off, you could not have checked the backlash and the pattern is no where close to what it should be. If you want to do this right I'm more than willing to help with step by step instructions. I've helped around a hundred people do this for the first time by email or on forums like this. By what I heard on the video you thought that the pattern and backlash were good and you were ready to button this up if the shaft would fit.

 

thanks gear head. I do appreciate your help. based on what you saw in the video, what kind of shimming needs to be adjusted to get the tooth pattern right? Did you notice the little play in the pinion shaft? A buddy of mine who has done a lot of gear jobs says there is supposed to be a little play there but I'm not sure. It is a very small amount of movement back and forth.

The pinion bearing, ring gear bearings, shims, and crush sleeve are all new.

p.s. I am a software engineer for Microsoft so gears are far from my forte but I do my best and enjoy the work

 

I need to read my posts sometimes and word them differently. I'm not trying to piss you off or act like I'm something I'm not. I just cut to the point to quickly or don't pay attention to how someone might take what I had to say. I'm sorry about that. I'm not trying to piss you off or show off. I was just pointing out what you had done wrong so that you would go back and correct the problems before it cost you a lot of money. I will help if you want it, or just but out if that is what you want, but you need to take everything apart and start from the beginning on this one.

 

thanks gear head. I do appreciate your help. based on what you saw in the video, what kind of shimming needs to be adjusted to get the tooth pattern right? Did you notice the little play in the pinion shaft? A buddy of mine who has done a lot of gear jobs says there is supposed to be a little play there but I'm not sure. It is a very small amount of movement back and forth.

The pinion bearing, ring gear bearings, shims, and crush sleeve are all new.

p.s. I am a software engineer for Microsoft so gears are far from my forte but I do my best and enjoy the work

I will take it apart and start over. What do you suggest I do this time around?

 

Frist, that shaft that you ordered won't work with a mini spool. That shaft is designed to slide about 2/3 of the way out the side so that the c clips can be installed on the axles. It works great with gears in the differential because they can be installed with the shaft before the ring gear is in stalled. A mini spool must be assembled out of position inside the differential case and then rotated into position. You can not do this with the shaft 2/3 installed in the case. You are going to have to grind the gear for clearance. Hopefully it will only talke a very small amount to get it to clear.

There are a few things I need to know before going any farther. Do you have access to a preload gauge or very small beam or dial type torque wrench that reads from 0 to 30 inch pounds for measuring the bearing preload? Do you have a press and a bearing seperator for removing and installing the pinion bearing? Do you have a dial indicator with a magnetic base? Do you have a micrometer for measuring shims? I'm assuming that you have a larger torque wrench for torquing the bolts and a shim set for setting the pinion depth and backlash.

Go ahead and take everything out of the housing and remove the crush spacer from the pinion. You won't need it until the final assembly. Use a .001 feeler gauge to check the differential bearings and the pinion races to see if they are completely seated. If the feeler gauge will slip behind the races or bearings then you need to get them completely seated. I've seen many people get screwed up because of this. I don't know what shim you have behind the inner pinion bearing, but the original shim is usually a good place to start. If you don't have it then start with about .030 and see how close that is. Put some gear oil on the bearings and put the pinion back in the housing without the crush spacer. Tighten the pinion nut until you feel drag on the bearings. This is where you are going to need the bearing preload gauge or small torque wrench. Tighten the nut until you have 20 inch pounds of preload on the bearings. When you are at this point let me know and we'll go to the next step.

 

The shaft I ordered is made for the richmond mini spool with gears 5.13+ to accommodate the thicker ring gear. The tech who sold it to me said the pin is modified to allow it to fit? When I ordered it, they said the shaft was specifically made to resolve my issue. Was he incorrect?

I do not have a couple of the specialty tools you mentioned for checking the preload. Is that absolutely necessary? I have already checked the new bearings clearances and are they are good. They were pressed on by a machine shop. This is an off road truck and thus very seldom gets full traction so I should be able to make due with a non-absolutely-perfect configuration? No?

So I am taking everything apart tonight. I think the reason the pattern is off may be a result of the fact that I have yet to torque down the crush sleeve and set the pinion preload. I figured I should do that last. Perhaps I should start with that? Can you suggest an order of installation for me?

Pics of the truck and rear end:
https://flic.kr/p/oPWfm9

https://flic.kr/p/pn9BYt (this it the 3.73 ring/pinion which was working normally)

 

You can try the shaft, but I'm pretty sure that you are going to find that it won't work with the mini spool because of the way it has to be assemlbed inside the differential case.

The pinion bearing preload is much tighter than what you think it will be. The only way you are going to know exactly what it is will be to measure it. If you can borrow a small torque wrench from someone it will be much better. Most people don't get the bearings tight enough and then after a while they get really loose. They loosen up as they get used and if you don't start tight then they get too loose and allow the pinion to move around and cause problems. This is a pretty important thing to get right. Do the best you can to find one of these and use it. The preload needs to be around 19 to 21 inch pounds.

You are no where near being ready to crush the spacer on this. Lets get through the first few steps and see how it goes. I think you are going to need to make some shim changes before you get a good pattern. Do you have a good shim set for the pinion and differential?

The first step is to get the pinion installed without the crush spacer and get the bearing preload set right. Then the differential goes in and the backlash and bearing preload gets set on it. If you don't have a dial indicator then you must buy or borrow one. You can not do this without a dial indicator. Then you do a pattern check and see what the pattern tells you. Then you take it all apart and chanfge shims to correct the pattern. This takes a lot of time and patients, but it's worth doing right the first time. It gets expensive if you try to take shortcuts.

 

carrier pin shaft I ordered.
http://www.summitracing.com/cart/add/RMG-8002721

 

yes I ordered a full set of shims for this differential which I have ready. I also have a buddy letting me borrow an in lbs torque wrench.

 

I have a bazillion amount of shims.. All I do all day is differentials.

If you need any shims let me know and I can mail ya some.

 

That looks like a normal shaft. I'm not familiar with it. It doesn't look like it has been cut to clear the gear. Maybe that's just not a good picture of it. We'll see how it looks when you get it.

 

I think the Richmond shaft will work, its got a relief cut in the middle and a flat blade slot on one end so you can turn the relief to point at each axle and insert the c clip.

 

But with a mini spool you have to put the c clips on the axles before you put the blocks in the center. Once the blocks are in place you have to rotate the mini spool to line up the holes in the differential case before the shaft can be installed. I just don't think this is going to work, but we'll see.