Drive Pinion and Ring Gear Identification

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 6 other vehicles, including the 2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2004 GMC Envoy XUV, 2004 GMC Envoy XL, 2004 GMC Envoy, and 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Production drive pinion and ring gears are manufactured by using a 2-cut or a 5-cut method. The 2-cut drive pinions and ring gears can be identified by having a groove cut into the outside edge of the ring gear and a ring on the stem of the drive pinion. The gear tooth contact patterns that are produced from each style of gear set differ slightly. A 2-cut gear will produce a pattern that is bias from the toe to the heel of the tooth (drive side), while a 5-cut gear set will produce a square pattern from the toe to the heel of the tooth (drive side). When diagnosing the gear tooth contact pattern, regardless of what type of gear set it is, a correct pattern will be centered within the area of the tooth, from toe to heel and from top to bottom.