Pontiac FIREBIRD 1972 Service Manual page 341

NON TYPE C DIFFERENTIAL
4A- 1 7
9. Disconnect upper control arms at axle housing.
10. Disconnect lower control arms at axle housing and
remove rear axle assembly from under car.
REPLACE
CAUTION: See cautjon on Page 1 o f this section
regarding the fastener referred to in Steps I
through 8 below.
Rest car solidly on stands placed under frame side
members, with rear end of car high enough to permit
working underneath. Position axle assembly under
car.
Connect lower control arms to axle housing but do
not torque.
Connect upper control arms to axle housing but do
not torque.
Place rear springs in position and jack axle housing
upward until shock absorbers will reach.
Connect shock absorbers and tighten nuts to 65 lb. ft.
Tighten upper and lower control arm bolts to 110 lb.
ft. or nuts to 80 lb. ft.
NOTE: Upper and lower control arms and
lowei shock absorber nuts must be torqued
with suspension loaded.
Install new axle housing to brake backing plate and
outer retainer gaskets, then place backing plates in
proper position and install axle shafts and wheels.
C AUTI 0 N: When installing drive shaft, U-bolt
nuts must be torqued as specified, as over-tight-
ening will distort bearings and cause, early
fail-
ure.
Connect rear universal joint to companion flange.
Install U-joint retaining bolts. Tighten bolts evenly to
12 lb. ft. on single cardon joint or 70 lb. ft. torque on
double cardon joint.
Connect rear brake hose to top of housing and bend
tabs over brake lines on housing.
Fill rear axle with specified gear lubricant.
Bleed rear brakes as outlined in Sections 5 and 5E.
DIFFERENTIAL CASE
REMOVE
sure the checks under pre-repair investigation
have been completed.
With rear wheels off floor, rotate rear wheels and tap
brake backing plates with a soft hammer to ensure
that brakes are free.
CAUTION: Use care not to crush exhaust sys-
tem "kick-under'jpipe on B Series station wag-
ons when using an axle engaging hoist.
Remove both axle shafts.
Remove retaining bolts which hold rear universal
joint to companion flange. On standard propeller
shaft with single cardon joint, use a heavy rubber
band or tape to hold bearings onto journal to prevent
loss of bearing rollers when joint is disconnected if tie
wire has been removed (Fig. 4A-6).
Thoroughly clean differential housing cover and sur-
rounding area of axle housing to avoid dirt entering
housing or falling on the gears.
Drain oil by loosening all cover attaching bolts and
breaking loose cover about 1 /8".
Allow oil to drain thoroughly, then remove attaching
bolts and cover from housing.
Remove the four bearing cap bolts and reinstall bear-
ing caps, using four (7/16"-14 x 4 1/2") bolts finger
tight as a safety precaution. Bearing caps are not
marked for identification. Use punch marks to iden-
tify, as the caps are not interchangeable.
NOTE: Ring gear to case bolts have left hand
threads.
Remove two ring gear to case assembly bolts. Install
ring gear and case remover J 21322, left hand bolt
NOTE: Before removing case from housing, be
Fig. 4A-19 Removing Differential Case