Checking The Axle Before Disassem Bly; Disassembly Of The Rear Axle - GMC T Series 1994 Repair Manual

The axle is sealed at each axle shaft end, at the
differential pinion, and at the differential case cover.
All corporate axles are identified by the alphabetic
broadcast code on the right axle tube near the carrier.
The carrier cover does not have a drain plug.
CHECKING TH E AXLE
BEFORE DISASSEMBLY
Inspect
• Remove the axle cover from the axle and drain the
axle lubricant.
1. The ring gear backlash. Refer to " Backlash Adjust­
ment." This information can be used to determine
the cause of the axle problem. It will also help
when setting up the shim packs for locating and
preloading the differential case.
2. The case for metal chips and shavings. Determine
where these chips and shavings came from, such
as a broken gear or bearing cage.
• Determine the cause of the axle problem before
disassembly if possible.
DISASSEMBLY OF THE
REAR AXLE
Remove or Disconnect (Figure 1)
Tools Required:
J 2619-01 Slide Hammer
J 22813-01 Axle Bearing Remover
J 8107-4 Differential Side Bearing Remover
Plug
J 22888 Side Bearing Remover
J 8614-01 Pinion Flange Remover
J 8612-B Rear Pinion Bearing Cone Remover
• Place the axle in an approved support.
1. Differential cover bolts (14) and cover (12).
• Drain the gear lubricant.
• Refer to " Checking the Axle Before Disassem­
bly."
2. Pinion shaft lock bolt (15) (figure 2).
3. Pinion shaft (17).
4. " C" clip (34) from the button end of the axle shaft
(33).
• Push the axle shaft (33) in towards the center
of the differential case (24).
5. Axle shaft (33) from the axle housing (1).
6. Seal (28) using an oil seal removing tool.
• Be careful not to damage the housing.
7. Bearing (27) using J 2619-01 and J 22813-01.
• The tangs of the tool should engage the bear­
ing outer race.
8. Pinion gear(21) and side gears (22).
• Roll the pinion gears out of the case with the
pinion thrust washers (20).
• Remove the side gears and side gear thrust
washers (19). Mark the gears and the differen­
tial case as left and right.
9. Bearing cap bolts (18).
10. Bearing caps (10).
• Mark the caps and housing as left and right.
NOTICE: Be careful when prying the differen­
tial case out of the axle housing so as not to
damage the cover gasket surface. The differ­
ential case m ust be supported when it is
being removed to prevent the case from fall­
ing and damaging the case.
11. Differential case (24).
• Pry the case from the axle housing at the differ­
ential "window" (figure 3).
12. Bearing outer races and shims.
• Mark the races and shims as left and right, and
place them with the bearing caps.
13. Differential side bearings (8) using J 8107-4 and
J 22888 (figure 4).
• The jaws of J 22888 must pull from beneath the
bearing cone and not the cage. Use the slots
provided for the puller.
14. Ring gear bolts (23).
• Ring gear bolts use left-handed threads.
NOTICE: Do not pry the ring gear from the
case. This will damage the ring gear and dif­
ferential case.
15. Ring gear (7) from the differential case.
• Drive the ring gear off with a brass drift if nec­
essary.
L*
Inspect
• Drive pinion bearing preload and record for ref­
erence upon reassembly (figure 5).
• For looseness of pinion assembly by moving it
back and forth. (This indicates excessive bear­
ing wear).
16. Pinion flange nut (35) and washer (36) using
J 8614-01 to hold the pinion flange (figure 6).
17. Pinion flange using J 8614-01 (figure 7).
18. Pinion (7) from the axle housing.
A. Thread the pinion nut halfway onto the pinion.
B. Replace the differential cover (12) with two bolts
(14) to keep the pinion from falling to the floor.