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Differential Bearings: Installation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Ford Pickup. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
    CAUTION: Do not omit the drive pinion bearing oil baffle; drive pinion bearing failure can result.
    Fig 1: Positioning Drive Pinion Bearing Oil Baffle On Special Tool
    G03928269Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  1. If removed, position the drive pinion bearing oil baffle on the special tool.
  2. Using the special tool, install the drive pinion bearing oil baffle.
    Fig 2: Using Special Tool To Install Drive Pinion Bearing Oil Baffle
    G03928352Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  3. Using the special tool, install the drive pinion bearing cups.
    Fig 3: Using Special Tool To Install Drive Pinion Bearing Cups
    G03928271Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    4. CAUTION: Use the same drive pinion bearings and the drive pinion bearing adjustment shim from the drive pinion bearing adjustment shim selection procedure for final assembly.
    NOTE: Install new drive pinion bearings without any additional lubricant since the anti-rust oil provides adequate lubricant without upsetting the drive pinion bearing preload settings.
    Fig 4: Assembling Special Tools
    G03961033Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  4. Assemble and position the special tools.
    5. NOTE: This step duplicates final drive pinion bearing preload.
    Fig 5: Threading Special Tool
    G03961034Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  5. Tighten the special tool.
    • Tighten to 2.2 Nm (20 lb-in).
    6. NOTE: The special tool must be offset to obtain an accurate reading.
    Fig 6: Rotating Special Tool Several Half-Turns To Make Sure Of Correct Seating Of Drive Pinion Bearings
    G03928274Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  6. Rotate the special tool several half-turns to make sure of correct seating of the drive pinion bearings and position the special tool.
  7. Install the special tool.
    1. Position the special tool.
    2. Install the differential bearing caps.
    3. Install the 4 differential bearing cap bolts.
      • Tighten to 105 Nm (77 lb-ft).
    Fig 7: Installing Special Tool
    G03928275Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    8. NOTE: Drive pinion bearing adjustment shims must be flat and clean.
    NOTE: A slight drag should be felt for correct drive pinion bearing adjustment shim selection. Do not attempt to force the drive pinion bearing adjustment shim between the gauge block and the gauge tube. This will minimize selection of a drive pinion bearing adjustment shim thicker than required, which results in a deep tooth contact in final assembly of integral axle assemblies.
    Fig 8: Using Drive Pinion Bearing Adjustment Shim As A Gauge For Drive Pinion Bearing Adjustment Shim Selection
    G03878604Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  8. Use a drive pinion bearing adjustment shim as a gauge for drive pinion bearing adjustment shim selection.
    • Notice the plus (+), minus (-) or zero (0) paint marking on the drive pinion stem and adjust the thickness of the new shim. If the marking is plus (+), subtract the number from the gauged shim thickness. If the marking is minus (-), add the number to the gauged shim thickness.
    • After the correct drive pinion bearing adjustment shim thickness has been determined, remove all of the special tools.
  9. Position the drive pinion bearing adjustment shim and the inner pinion bearing on the drive pinion gear stem.
    Fig 9: Positioning Drive Pinion Bearing Adjustment Shim And Inner Pinion Bearing On Drive Pinion Gear Stem
    G03913083Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    10. NOTE: You must use the same drive pinion bearing from the previous steps.
    Fig 10: Installing Inner Drive Pinion Bearing
    G03928278Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  10. Install the inner drive pinion bearing.
    • Place the drive pinion bearing adjustment shim on the drive pinion gear.
    • Using a suitable press and the special tool, press the inner drive pinion bearing until it is firmly seated on the pinion gear.
  11. Place a new drive pinion collapsible spacer on the drive pinion gear.
    Fig 11: Placing New Drive Pinion Collapsible Spacer On Drive Pinion Gear
    G03928265Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  12. Install the outer drive pinion bearing.
    Fig 12: Installing Outer Drive Pinion Bearing
    G03928015Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  13. Install the drive pinion oil slinger.
    Fig 13: Installing Drive Pinion Oil Slinger
    G03928281Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    14. NOTE: Coat the drive pinion seal lips with long-life grease.
    Fig 14: Installing Drive Pinion Seal On Special Tool
    G03928282Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  14. Install the drive pinion seal on the special tool.
    15. CAUTION: Installation without the correct tool can result in early drive pinion seal failure.
    CAUTION: If the drive pinion seal becomes misaligned during installation, remove it and install a new drive pinion seal.
    Fig 15: Installing Drive Pinion Seal Using Special Tool
    G03928283Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  15. Using the special tool, install the drive pinion seal.
  16. Lightly lubricate the drive pinion gear splines with rear axle lubricant.
  17. Position the drive pinion gear in the axle housing.
    Fig 16: Positioning Drive Pinion Gear In Axle Housing
    G04583053Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    18. CAUTION: Never install the pinion flange with a hammer or power tools.
    Fig 17: Aligning Pinion Flange To Pinion Index Marks
    G03960964Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  18. Position the pinion flange.
    • Position the pinion flange on the drive pinion gear.
  19. Using the special tool, install the pinion flange.
    Fig 18: Installing Pinion Flange Using Special Tool
    G03928286Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  20. Apply a small amount of axle lubricant to the washer side of the new pinion nut and install the new pinion nut.
    21. CAUTION: Do not loosen the pinion nut to reduce drive pinion bearing preload under any circumstance. If it is necessary to reduce drive pinion bearing preload, install a new drive pinion collapsible spacer and pinion nut.
    Fig 19: Installing Special Tool And Tightening Pinion Nut
    G03928261Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    Fig 20: Checking Pinion Bearing Preload Torque
    G03928225Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  21. Install the special tool and tighten the pinion nut. Refer to the TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS .
    • Rotate the drive pinion gear occasionally to make sure the drive pinion bearings are seating correctly. Take frequent drive pinion bearing preload readings by rotating the drive pinion gear with a Nm (lb-in) torque wrench.
  22. Press the left and right differential bearing on the differential case.
    1. Position the differential bearing.
    2. Using the special tool, press the differential bearing on the differential case.
    Fig 21: Pressing Left And Right Differential Bearing On Differential Case
    G03928371Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  23. Install the differential carrier.
    1. Position the differential bearing cups on the differential bearings.
    2. Lower the differential carrier in place.
    Fig 22: Installing Differential Carrier
    G03928292Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  24. Install a differential bearing shim of the thickness shown on the LH side of the differential bearing.
    Fig 23: Installing Differential Bearing Shim On LH Side Of Differential Bearing
    G03928293Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    25. NOTE: Apply pressure toward the left side to make sure the left bearing cap is seated.
    Fig 24: Installing Left Bearing Cap And Loosely Installing Bearing Cap Bolts
    G03928294Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  25. Install the left bearing cap and loosely install the bearing cap bolts.
    26. NOTE: Apply pressure toward the left side to make sure the left bearing cap is seated.
    Fig 25: Installing Progressively Thicker Differential Bearing Shims On Right Side
    G03928295Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  26. Install progressively thicker differential bearing shims on the right side until the thickest differential bearing shim can be inserted by hand.
  27. Install the right bearing cap and bolts.
  28. Tighten the 4 differential bearing cap bolts.
    • Tighten to 105 Nm (77 lb-ft).
    Fig 26: Tightening 4 Differential Bearing Cap Bolts
    G04637391Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  29. Rotate the differential carrier to make sure it turns freely.
    Fig 27: Rotating Differential Carrier To Make Sure It Turns Freely
    G03928297Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  30. Install the special tool at the 12 o'clock position.
    Fig 28: Installing Special Tool At 12 O'clock Position
    G03928309Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  31. Using the special tools, measure the differential ring gear backlash at 4 equally spaced points.
    1. Attach the special tool.
    2. Position the special tool tip centrally on a drive tooth.
    3. Zero the indicator.
    4. Turn the differential ring gear without turning the drive pinion gear. Record the indicator reading. The allowable backlash is 0.203 mm (0.008 in) to 0.305 mm (0.012 in) and must not vary more than 0.101 mm (0.004 in) between points measured.
      • To correct for a high or low backlash, proceed as follows.
    Fig 29: Using Special Tools To Measure Differential Ring Gear Backlash At 4 Equally Spaced Points
    G03927974Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  32. To correct for high or low backlash, increase the thickness of one differential bearing shim and decrease the thickness of the other differential bearing shim by the same amount. Refer to the following tables when adjusting the backlash.
    BACKLASH ADJUSTMENT AND DIFFERENTIAL BEARING SHIM SPECIFICATION

    Backlash Change Required Thickness Change Required
    mm in mm in
    0.025 0.001 0.050 0.002
    0.050 0.002 0.050 0.002
    0.076 0.003 0.101 0.004
    0.101 0.004 0.152 0.006
    0.127 0.005 0.152 0.006
    0.152 0.006 0.203 0.008
    0.177 0.007 0.254 0.010
    0.203 0.008 0.254 0.010
    0.228 0.009 0.304 0.012
    0.254 0.010 0.355 0.014
    0.279 0.011 0.355 0.014
    0.304 0.012 0.406 0.016
    0.330 0.013 0.457 0.018
    0.335 0.014 0.457 0.018
    0.381 0.015 0.508 0.020
    DIFFERENTIAL SHIM SIZE CHART - 4067 -

    Numbers of Stripes and Color Code Dimension A
    mm in
    2 - C-COAL 7.7978-7.8105 0.3070-0.3075
    1 - C-COAL 7.7470-7.7597 0.3050-0.3055
    5 - BLU 7.6962-7.7089 0.3030-0.3035
    4 - BLU 7.6454-7.6581 0.3010-0.3015
    3 - BLU 7.5946-7.6073 0.2990-0.2995
    2 - BLU 7.5458-7.5565 0.2970-0.2975
    1 - BLU 7.493-7.505 0.2950-0.2955
    5 - PINK 7.4422-7.4549 0.2930-0.2935
    4 - PINK 7.3914-7.4041 0.2910-0.2915
    3 - PINK 7.3406-7.3533 0.2890-0.2895
    2 - PINK 7.2898-7.3025 0.2870-0.2875
    1 - PINK 7.2390-7.2517 0.2850-0.2855
    5 - GRN 7.1882-7.2009 0.2830-0.2835
    4 - GRN 7.1374-7.1501 0.2810-0.2815
    3 - GRN 7.0866-7.0993 0.2790-0.2795
    2 - GRN 7.0358-7.0485 0.2770-0.2775
    1 - GRN 6.9850-7.0485 0.2750-0.2755
    5 - WH 6.9342-6.9469 0.2730-0.2735
    4 - WH 6.8834-6.8961 0.2710-0.2715
    3 - WH 6.8326-6.8453 0.2690-0.2695
    2 - WH 6.7818-6.7945 0.2670-0.2675
    1 - WH 6.7310-6.7437 0.2650-0.2655
    5 - YEL 6.6802-6.6929 0.2630-0.2635
    4 - YEL 6.6294-6.6421 0.2610-0.2615
    3 - YEL 6.5786-6.5913 0.2590-0.2595
    2 - YEL 6.5278-6.5405 0.2570-0.2575
    1 - YEL 6.4770-6.4897 0.2550-0.2555
    5 - ORNG 6.4262-6.4389 0.2530-0.2535
    4 - ORNG 6.3754-6.3881 0.2510-0.2515
    3 - ORNG 6.3246-6.3373 0.2490-0.2495
    2 - ORNG 6.2738-6.2865 0.2470-0.2475
    1 - ORNG 6.2223-6.2357 0.2450-0.2455
    2 - RED 6.1722-6.1849 0.2430-0.2435
    1 - RED 6.1214-6.1341 0.2410-0.2415
  33. Remove the 4 differential bearing cap bolts.
    • Remove the differential carrier.
    Fig 30: Removing 4 Differential Bearing Cap Bolts
    G04637391Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  34. Measure the thickness of the selected right and left bearing shims.
  35. To establish differential bearing preload, increase both the left and right differential bearing shim thickness by 0.203 mm (0.008 in).
  36. Install the special tools.
    Fig 31: Installing Special Tools
    G03928301Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    37. CAUTION: Overspreading may damage the differential housing.
    NOTE: Tighten and loosen the differential carrier spreader screw to normalize the housing spreader adapters prior to taking the final dial indicator reading.
    Fig 32: Spreading Differential Housing To Specification
    G03928302Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  37. Spread the differential housing to the specification.
    1. Adjust the special tool to zero.
    2. Tighten the screw until spreading the differential housing to the specification.
    3. Remove the special tools.
    38. CAUTION: To avoid galling the case, insert shims with a light coating of grease before installing the differential assembly. If not carried out in this order, the aluminum housing can be damaged.
    Fig 33: Placing Differential Bearing Shims In Differential Housing
    G03928303Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  38. Place the differential bearing shims in the differential housing.
  39. Install the differential carrier.
    1. Position the differential bearing cups on the differential bearings.
    2. Lower the differential carrier in place between the differential bearing shims.
    Fig 34: Installing Differential Carrier
    G03928292Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
    40. NOTE: Hand-tighten the differential bearing cap bolts prior to releasing the special tool.
    Fig 35: Installing Differential Bearing Caps And Differential Bearing Cap Bolts In Their Original Locations And Positions
    G03928385Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  40. Install the differential bearing caps and the differential bearing cap bolts in their original locations and positions.
  41. Loosen and remove the special tool.
    Fig 36: Removing Special Tool
    G03928306Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  42. Tighten the 4 differential bearing cap bolts.
    • Tighten to 105 Nm (77 lb-ft).
    Fig 37: Tightening 4 Differential Bearing Cap Bolts
    G04637391Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  43. Rotate the differential carrier to make sure it turns freely.
    Fig 38: Rotating Differential Carrier To Make Sure It Turns Freely
    G03928297Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  44. Install the special tool at the 12 o'clock position.
    Fig 39: Installing Special Tool At 12 O'clock Position
    G03928309Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  45. Using the special tools, recheck the ring gear backlash.
    Fig 40: Using Special Tools To Recheck Ring Gear Backlash
    G03927974Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  46. Apply marking compound and rotate the differential assembly 5 complete revolutions.
    Fig 41: Rotating Differential Assembly 5 Complete Revolutions
    G03928297Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  47. Verify an acceptable pattern check. For additional information, refer to DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING .
  48. Install a new retainer circlip on each axle shaft.
    Fig 42: Installing New Retainer Circlip On Each Axle Shaft
    G03928312Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  49. Insert the axle shafts and engage them with the differential side gears.
    Fig 43: Inserting Axle Shafts And Engaging Them With Differential Side Gears
    G03928313Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  50. Push in on the axle shafts until the retaining circlips expand in the differential side gears.
    Fig 44: Pushing On Axle Shafts Until Retaining Circlips Expand The Differential Side Gears
    G03928314Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  51. Remove the axle assembly from the special tool and place it on the bench.
    52. CAUTION: The machined surfaces on the differential housing and the differential housing cover must be clean and free of oil before applying the new silicone sealant. Cover the inside of the axle before cleaning the machined surface to prevent contamination.
    CAUTION: Install the differential housing cover within 15 minutes of applying the silicone material.
    CAUTION: Allow the sealant to cure for 1 hour before filling the axle with lubricant.
    Fig 45: Applying Sealant To Differential Housing Cover Mounting Surface
    G03928315Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
  52. Apply a continuous bead of sealant, of the specified thickness, to the differential housing cover mounting surface.
    • Use silicone gasket and sealant.
  53. Install the differential housing cover.
  54. Fill the axle assembly with the specified type and amount of axle lubricant.
  55. Install the rear axle assembly. For additional information, refer to AXLE ASSEMBLY .
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