Assembly Inspection And Adjustment

• Drain the differential gear oil before inspection and adjustment. Refer to Changing Differential Gear Oil .
• Remove the axle shafts (RH) and (LH) before inspection and adjustment. Refer to Removal and Installation .
• Disconnect the propeller shaft from the rear final drive assembly and support the propeller shaft with suitable wire. Refer to Exploded View 3S1355 (VQ40DE), or Exploded View 3S1415 (VK56VD).
• Remove and install the carrier cover as necessary for inspection and adjustment. Refer to Removal and Installation .

Total Preload Torque 

1. Rotate drive pinion back and forth two to three times to check for unusual noise and rotation malfunction.
2. Rotate drive pinion at least 20 times to check for smooth operation of the bearing.
3. Measure total preload torque using suitable tool (A).

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   Total preload torque

   : Refer to Preload Torque

   NOTE: Total preload torque = Drive pinion bearing preload torque + Side bearing preload torque

   • If the measured value is greater than specification, adjust as necessary.
   • Adjust the drive pinion bearing preload torque first, then adjust the total preload torque by selecting side bearing adjusting shims.
   • The differential gear case assembly must be removed to adjust the drive pinion bearing preload.

   If the preload torque is greater than specification
   On drive pinion bearings:	Replace the collapsible spacer.
   On side bearings:	Use thinner side bearing adjusting shims by the same amount to each side. Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

   If the preload torque is less than specification
   On drive pinion bearings:	Tighten the drive pinion nut (only on new assembly).
   On side bearings:	Use thicker side bearing adjusting shim by the same amount to each side. Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

Tooth Contact 

Checking gear tooth contact pattern is necessary to verify correct relationship between drive gear and drive pinion. Gears which are not positioned in proper arrangement may be noisy and/or have a short life. Check gear tooth contact pattern to obtain the best contact for low noise and long life.

1. Apply red lead to drive gear.

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   NOTE: Apply red lead to both faces of three to four gears, at four locations evenly spaced on the drive gear.
2. Rotate the drive gear back and forth several times. Then check for correct drive pinion to drive gear tooth contact as shown.

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   CAUTION: Check tooth contact on drive side and reverse side.
3. If the tooth contact is improperly adjusted, follow the procedure below to adjust the pinion height (dimension X).

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   • If the tooth contact is near the face (face contact), or near the heel (heel contact), use a thicker drive pinion height adjusting washers to move the drive pinion closer to the drive gear.

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     Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

   • If the tooth contact is near the flank (flank contact), or near the toe (toe contact), use a thinner drive pinion height adjusting washers to move the drive pinion farther from the drive gear.

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     Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

Backlash 

1. Fit a dial indicator to the drive gear face to measure the backlash.

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   Backlash:

   Refer to Backlash

   • If the backlash is outside of the specification, change the thickness of each side bearing adjusting shim.

   If the backlash is greater than specification:

   Make drive gear back side adjusting shim thicker, and drive gear tooth side adjusting shim thinner by the same amount. Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

   If the backlash is less than specification:

   Make drive gear back side adjusting shim thinner, and drive gear tooth side adjusting shim thicker by the same amount. Refer to Disassembly and Assembly .

   CAUTION: Do not change the total thickness of side bearing adjusting shims as it will change the total preload torque.

Companion Flange Runout 

1. Rotate companion flange and check for runout on the companion flange face (inner side of the bolt holes) and companion flange inner side (socket diameter) using suitable tool.

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   Runout limit:

   Refer to Companion Flange Runout

2. If the runout is outside the runout limit, follow the procedure below to adjust.
   1. Rotate the companion flange on the drive pinion by 90 deg., 180 deg. and 270 deg. while checking for the position where the runout is minimum.
   2. If the runout is still outside of the runout limit, replace the companion flange.
   3. If the runout is outside of the runout limit after replacement of companion flange, possible cause could be an assembly malfunction of drive pinion and drive pinion bearing or a malfunctioning drive pinion bearing. Repair as necessary.