I plan on installing front TT and rear DT diffs soon. My question is this. With thr new diffs will I need to set the clearences on the ring gear or is this bolt it on and put it back together thing? Also is the 3rd member article in the tech good to follow?
Diffs
- Thread starter DiscoJon
- Start date
Try a search if that doesn't work I think the Rave Manual shows how to adjust the back lash. When I put in my arb locker there was a step by step on the net a guy put together when he did lockers on his defender. I'll try and find the link. if I remeber right I typed in land rover and locker.
I would recommend you pull the center sections from the axles and take them to a local off road or driveline shop. It will be an easy job for them and they will have the tools and experience to do it quickly and correctly. If you do the work of getting the center sections out and then in again I bet you only need to pay the shop for an hour or two of labor to install the lockers and I think that will be money well spent to save you the hassle and cost of some tools you might not need again. You will want to get a RAVE CD for reference when pulling axles and center sections and to get the torque specs for reassembly.
If you want to do this yourself you need to think about buying/making something to press on the diff bearings, buying a dial indicator for setting backlash, and buying/making a tool for the diff adjusters. A big vice that can hold the diff steady while working on it will help a lot as well.
If you still want to do it yourself there are how-tos on the web, the Toyota center sections are similar so you could look at those as well as LR how-tos. Brief instructions are remove bearing caps, remove diff, remove ring gear, fit ring gear to new diff, clean bolts, apply loctite, torque, press bearings on new diff, install diff, install bearing caps "snug", check/adjust backlash, torque bearing caps, check backlash one more time. When adjusting backlash you need to make sure you are getting proper preload on the diff bearings. The LR book method for this is to adjust until you just remove the backlash, then crank on the adjuster opposite the ring gear until you reach the desired backlash, this will get the bearings preloaded properly. In my case this took about 100-120 ft lbs on the adjuster. Another tip is to whack the bearing caps a few times with a hammer each time you make an adjustment, this will help seat the bearing cups against the adjusters and caps. Be sure to put some gear oil on the new bearings so they are not spinning dry during adjustment. Optionally use gear marking compound and check pattern but if you do not mess with the pinion this should not be necessary.
Brief instructions on rear axle - support on stands, drain diff, remove wheels, unbolt axles and slide out 6 inches, disconnect driveshaft from diff, remove diff bolts, jack under front of center section to pop it free, remove center section. I suggest laying the center section on a crawler to get it out, it is heavy to mess with while on your back under the truck. If you have access to a lift then use it, it will be much easier. When putting it back together use RTV or a gasket on the diff, consider replacing 10 nylock nuts on diff and 4 on shaft (3/8 inch fine thread, 22 cents each around here so cheap insurance), install axles, install wheels, fill diff.
Brief instructions on front axle - same as rear except unbolt the entire swivel assembly and slide it out 6 inches instead of going through the trouble to disassemble the front hub/swivel to et the axles out. You will need a good, fairly long, 12 point 14mm wrench for the swivel bolts, be sure the clean these and loctite them when reassembling. Use some milk crates or something similar to support the hub/swivel assembly when you slide it out and take care not to stress the brake or ABS lines.
If you want to do this yourself you need to think about buying/making something to press on the diff bearings, buying a dial indicator for setting backlash, and buying/making a tool for the diff adjusters. A big vice that can hold the diff steady while working on it will help a lot as well.
If you still want to do it yourself there are how-tos on the web, the Toyota center sections are similar so you could look at those as well as LR how-tos. Brief instructions are remove bearing caps, remove diff, remove ring gear, fit ring gear to new diff, clean bolts, apply loctite, torque, press bearings on new diff, install diff, install bearing caps "snug", check/adjust backlash, torque bearing caps, check backlash one more time. When adjusting backlash you need to make sure you are getting proper preload on the diff bearings. The LR book method for this is to adjust until you just remove the backlash, then crank on the adjuster opposite the ring gear until you reach the desired backlash, this will get the bearings preloaded properly. In my case this took about 100-120 ft lbs on the adjuster. Another tip is to whack the bearing caps a few times with a hammer each time you make an adjustment, this will help seat the bearing cups against the adjusters and caps. Be sure to put some gear oil on the new bearings so they are not spinning dry during adjustment. Optionally use gear marking compound and check pattern but if you do not mess with the pinion this should not be necessary.
Brief instructions on rear axle - support on stands, drain diff, remove wheels, unbolt axles and slide out 6 inches, disconnect driveshaft from diff, remove diff bolts, jack under front of center section to pop it free, remove center section. I suggest laying the center section on a crawler to get it out, it is heavy to mess with while on your back under the truck. If you have access to a lift then use it, it will be much easier. When putting it back together use RTV or a gasket on the diff, consider replacing 10 nylock nuts on diff and 4 on shaft (3/8 inch fine thread, 22 cents each around here so cheap insurance), install axles, install wheels, fill diff.
Brief instructions on front axle - same as rear except unbolt the entire swivel assembly and slide it out 6 inches instead of going through the trouble to disassemble the front hub/swivel to et the axles out. You will need a good, fairly long, 12 point 14mm wrench for the swivel bolts, be sure the clean these and loctite them when reassembling. Use some milk crates or something similar to support the hub/swivel assembly when you slide it out and take care not to stress the brake or ABS lines.
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