Drive Pinion and Ring Gear Identification

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 8 other vehicles, including the 2011 GMC Yukon XL, 2011 GMC Yukon, 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, and 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche. 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 will produce a square pattern from the toe to the heel of the (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 the toe to the heel and from the top to the bottom. For the proper gear tooth wear pattern, refer to Gear Tooth Contact Pattern Inspection .