Differential Issue

[TooManyHobbies]

After the last track outing my rear end clunking and popping is back. Time to dig into it and fix it for good. My original diff got the one wheel peel issue. I was able to pick up a GXP diff that already had a True Trac in it a couple years ago. I think the True Trac may be shot which would be very disappointing since it is an "upgraded" part. It is possible that the issue is the axle CV joints. I will check those for looseness first when I get the car up in the air.

The plan I have so far is to pull the diff down and open it up to inspect. If the ring gear and pinion gear look OK then maybe I will put a wavetrac in it. If the ring and pinion are shot then I pitch the whole thing and maybe put a wavetrac in my stock 2.92. Maybe I will get a Camaro diff with True Trac or JRE posi mod.

I have been reading the differential disassembly and reassembly instructions that Paul posted. If looks like I can handle the disassembly and getting the old differential unit out. I will not even need to mess with the pinion end at all. Only tricky part is figuring out how to get bearings back on without any special DT- tools. After that the reassembly instructions get into a bunch of fussy adjustments. Anybody have any experience with differentials and can tell me the following. Given that I am not touching the pinion end at all and just installing the ring gear on a new diff unit, will it be necessary to do any of those adjustments?

[G8 GT V8]

I have to believe that Phil might have some knowledge about diffs...

[Phil@PnP Tech]

These diffs are a little tricky to setup because the cover doubles as the carrier cap. Kind of makes it hard to properly measure backlash without a fancy tool. At least they make it easy to determine pinion depth by marking the case and pinion gear so there is no guess work shimming it. I'd pull the cover and check the tooth wear. If it looks good, check backlash with a dial indicator before you dislodge the carrier from the housing. Spec is .003"-.007" and check it in a few places. You can swap the ring gear over to a new carrier with some new bearings. Key would be to get the backlash as close as possible to where it was running by shimming the carrier bearings in and out of the pinion. If it ran outside of spec for awhile, the gear set is probably toast. I'd be happy to give a hand over the holiday break!

[TooManyHobbies]

I am wondering if I can find a cheap borescope with a small enough head to insert into the drain plug hole to check for chunks?

[Phil@PnP Tech]

I've got a harbor freight one I bought to use around the house. The head is probably 5/8" in diameter though.

[STL_G8GT]

http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/plumbing/drain-cleaning-equipment/commercial-grade/rothenberger-roscope-500-drain-inspection-camera/p-1707618-c-7320.htm

Maybe? Good deal at 100

[tking]

You can borrow mine if you need to.

[Doug Hilliard]

Mine busted Saturday after my second pass; I put in a spare Rick had on the shelf. Hope you get it figured out and I'll be interested in the details!

[TooManyHobbies]

Mine busted Saturday after my second pass; I put in a spare Rick had on the shelf. Hope you get it figured out and I'll be interested in the details!

Oh No! I was wondering why I did not see any time updates yet. I won't have much if any time to dig into the car until after the holidays.