HELP !!! Rear Diff is DOA - Long Post

[Busted Knuckles]

Hey folks ,been a long time . I've been dealing with Tornado Damage and now Flooding . The fun just keeps growing !
I got my 96' Tahoe last March and put in a lot of work . It was and is a Mechanical Night Terror !
I drove up to St. Louis this past Sunday . I noticed the left rear brake was grabbing (new everything) . Tonight I took my wife across one of our creeks to show her our Log Jams from last weeks floods that I've been cutting up and yarding out for the last few days . Well,,, A bunch of noise from the rear end started as we came up and out of the creek .
I pulled the Rr. Lft. drum and found gear lube on the shoes , so I pulled the Rt. Rr. as well . The axles have a fair amount of end play and some up and down "play" as well . The Rt. axle "skips" and then seizes up when I turn it by hand .
Once I got the diff. cover off and turned the gears at the axles and the yoke , I noticed the pin in the carrier moves side to side in it's bore . There is spalding(?)-Galling on the spider gears and the side gears . There is also alot of wear on the teeth . The Ring and Pinion look great .

Is there a special axle bearing/seal (Bearing Buddy,Axle Saver) availeable
Where the bearing rides on a different section of the axles ?
I remember them availeable for Classic Cars but it's been years .

As far as a new Diff Carrier I've been looking at Eaton True Trac . But what type of Limited Slip should I get ? I've seen Cone Type , Clutch Type . But nothing like the L/S that's in the Hoe' (Weighted Type) .

How do I remove the retainer and pin so I can pull the axles ?

This is our major transportation vehicle nd it can't be down long . Especially with the weather getting worse by the day .
Thanks in advance ,
Steve

 

[black95]

removing rear axles

when looking the the carrier their is little 8mm black bolt
1)take out that black bolt
2)slide the large pin out
3)push both axles in(will only move a little)
4) go in the housings and remove the two c -clipps (will lift right off)
5)pull each axle straight out without turning them a large amount

installing rear axles

1)push axle straight in all the way(till they stop)
2)go in housing replace c-clips on shafts
3)pull out axles until they stop(after placing the c-clips back in)
4) reinsert the big pin
5)reinsert the 8mm black bolt

 

[Busted Knuckles]

DOA Diff.

Thanks for the help . It ends up it's just like an "open diff." (8.2"/8.5") .
Now I just need to choose between Eaton or an Auburn . Ain't life grand !
This couldn't have happened at a better time .
Steve

 

[Rollin Thunder]

Sorry I cant help with your issue, but damn sorry to hear about all the shit going on in your home life. Good luck and were always here if you need a life boat sent out to ya. And damn tornados this late?????

 

[Busted Knuckles]

Good luck and were always here if you need a life boat sent out to ya. And damn tornados this late?????[/QUOTE]

Thanks !
The Tahoe is still dead , I can't decide on an Eaton L/S ,Eaton Locker, or Eaton Tru-Trac or an Auburn L/S High Bias . We live in the woods in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of a"Holler" .
GM wants $1400.00 for a new carrier and set-up . Screw that !!!!!!!!!
I've been turning wrenches for 35 years so I can do this . Gotta buy a Pinion
Depth Gauge and I have access to Dial Micrometers etc. I'll be into it for around $800.00 .Not cheap but a better than stock unit for just over half the price .

As far as the Tornado we took a Glancing Blow (about 75' away) in May it downed 15 trees alongside our house . Couldn't see the SOB it was "Rain Wrapped" , trees started dropping as we watched the rain and wind out our front door . Several trees were well over 50' tall and some 70-80' old growth Walnut and Oak . I tried yarding out a few with the Hoe' and I screwed it up royally , used my neighbors Tractor and damn near broke it in two !
I traded my 08' Honda 4x4 Rancher ATV in about a month ago and got a used 74' Allis-Chalmers 185 2whl.dr. with a 7' Koyker Loader . It weighs in at 6 tons (maybe a tad more with water filled tires nearly 5' tall) , it's powered by an A/C 6cyl. diesel .
"Alice" pulls the trees up and out without a sneeze or snort . I've yarded out 5 of 7 humoungous trees that were over the creek and made a Log Jamb from Hell . It turned our lower and south field into a white water river last week . Our neighbors to the north and south were land-locked .
The water rose 8' and was 3'-4' from our driveway and house foundation . Weather has been changing for the worse every year in the last 5 years of being here .Last year we had 60" of rain and so far we've had 50" to date .
Gotta get the Hoe' fixed and soon !
Steve

 

[ravingmadman]

If you aren't changing the ring/pinion, you'll probably get away with not having to reset/reshim the backlash. I don't think it matters which posi you put in there, any of them are going to outlast the rest of the rig. Napa makes an axle saver bearing, but they're very hard to come by. It replaces the axle, and the seal, and moves the contact point of the axle and bearing to a different point on the axle. Check out the link in my signature for a list of everything I've replaced...


Stout rig now though.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

DOA Gov-Loc

Man what a quandary ! I nailed down Micrometers and even a Pinion Depth Gauge . So that is all good to go . I keep wanting to go to KC, Mo. to a Pick-n-Pull angd get a complete rear but hell , they probably are getting worn as much as mine . Plus they won't tell you what they have in the yard . It's just under 400 miles for a "maybe I'll find one" .
In Nevada we call that a "Crap Shoot" or a "********" .
The Tru-Trac looks like what I'll go with as far as a new unit .
I've seen some good prices at "Drivetrain.com" .Better than Summit and Jegs is usually higher than them .
Guess I need to pull my head out and just get er' done !
I appreciate the help you all have given . I'll let you know how it goes .
Steve
The Desertrat