1 / 2 -Inch Ring Gear A X Le - GMC 1989 Light Duty Truck Repair Manual

4B1-2 71 fe AND
CHECKING THE AXLE
BEFORE DISASSEMBLY
I?
Inspect
• Remove the axle cover from the rear axle and drain
the axle lubricant into a suitable container.
1. The ring g ea r b a c k la s h . R efer to " B acklash
Adjustm ent" in this section. 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 come 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
+-► Rem ove or D isconnect (Figure 1)
Tools Required:
J 8107-2 Differential Side Bearing Remover
Plug
J 22888 Side Bearing Remover
J 8614-01 Pinion Flange Remover
J 25320 Rear Pinion Bearing Remover
• Place the rear axle in a suitable support.
1. The differential cover bolts (35) and the differential
cover (34).
• D ra in th e g e a r lu b ric a n t in to a p ro p e r
container.
2. Axle shafts (2). Refer to the proper service manual.
3. Outer wheel bearings and seals. Refer to the proper
service manual.
4. Pinion shaft lock screw (30).
5. Pinion shaft (29).
6
. Differential pinion and side gears (26).
• Roll the pinion gears out of the case with the
pinion thrust washers (27).
• Remove the side gears and the side gear
thrust washers (28). Mark the gears and the
differential case as left and right.
7. Differential bearing cap bolts (32).
8
. Differential bearing caps (31).
• Mark the caps and the housing as left and
right.
N OTICE: Be c arefu l w hen prying the d ifferen tial
case o u t o f th e a x le h o u s in g so as n o t to
d a m a g e th e c o v e r g a s k e t
differe n tia l case m ust be s u p p o rted w hen it is
b eing rem oved to p reven t the case from falling
and d am aging the case.
9. Differential carrier (24).
• Pry the case from the axle housing at the
differential " w indow " (figure
10. Bearing outer races (22), shims (21), and spacers
(23).
7 8
s/ -INCH RING GEAR AXLES
s u r f a c e . T he
2
).
• Mark the races and the shims as left and right,
and place them with the bearing caps.
11. D iffe re n tia l side b e a rin g s using J 8107-2 and
J 22888 (figure 3).
• The jaws of J 22888 must pull from beneath
the bearing cone and not the cage.
12. Ring gear bolts (25).
• Ring gear bolts use left-handed threads.
NOTICE: Do n o t pry the ring g ear from the case.
T h is w ill d a m a g e th e r in g g e a r a n d th e
d iffe ren tial case.
13. Ring gear (20) from the differential.
• Drive the ring gear off with a brass drift if
necessary.
i?
Inspect
• Drive pinion bearing preload (figure 4).
• The pinion assembly for looseness by moving
it b ack and fo rth . (L o o s e n e s s in d ic a te s
excessive bearing wear).
14. Pinion fla ng e nut (11) and w asher (12) using
J 8614-01 to hold the pinion flange.
15. Pinion flange using J 8614-01.
16. Pinion (20) from the axle housing.
• Thread the pinion nut halfway onto the pinion.
• Replace the differential cover (34) with two
bolts (35) to keep the pinion from falling to the
floor.
• Drive the pinion out of the housing with a
hammer and a soft drift.
• Remove the cover (34) and the pinion (20).
17. Collapsible spacer (17) from the pinion (figure 5).
18. Outer seal (14) and outer pinion bearing (15).
19. Inner bearing (18) and shim (19) from the pinion.
• Press the bearing off the pinion using J 25320
(figure 6 ).
• Remove the shim.
20. Bearing cups (15) and (18) from the axle housing
using a hammer and a punch in the slots provided
for this purpose.
• Work the cups out of the housing evenly,
moving the punch back and forth between one
side of the cup and the other.
CLEANING
Do not steam clean drive parts having ground and
polished surfaces such as gears, bearings, and shafts.
These parts should be cleaned in a suitable solvent. All
parts should be disassembled before cleaning.
Parts should be thoroughly dried imm ediately after
cleaning. Use soft, clean, lintless rags. Parts may be dried
with compressed air. Do not allow the bearings to spin
while drying them with compressed air.