Ford 2003 Mustang Workshop Manual page 369

The axle housing assembly consists of a cast center section with two steel tube assemblies and
a stamped differential housing cover (4033). The differential housing cover uses silicone sealant
as a gasket.
The hypoid-design gearset consists of 8.8-inch ring gear (4209) and a drive pinion gear (4209).
Two opposed tapered roller bearings support the drive pinion in the axle housing (4010).
A collapsible spacer (4662), located on the differential pinion shaft, maintains pinion bearing
preload. The pinion nut (389546-S100) adjusts the preload.
Differential bearing shims (4067), located between the differential bearing cups (4222) and the
rear axle housing, adjust the differential bearing preload and the ring gear backlash.
The differential case (4204) is a one-piece design with two openings to allow for assembly of
the internal components and lubricant flow. Two opposed tapered roller bearings (differential
bearings) (4221) support the differential case in the axle housing. Removable bearing caps
(4010) retain the differential assembly in the axle housing.
Inside the differential case, the differential pinion shaft (4211) supports two differential pinion
gears (4215). The pinion gears engage the differential side gears (4236), to which the axle
shafts (4234) are splined. The differential pinion shaft lock bolt (4241) retains the differential
pinion shaft in the differential case.
An embossed metal tag, bolted to the differential housing cover, contains rear axle
identification.