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diff questions

XJ=Fun

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Klamath Falls
So i pulled out the old busted locker today. Well i forgot to mark which sides of the endcaps were up or down, also i forgot to mark spots on the ring gear, so im not gona be able to put it back in the exact same way. Is this a big issue?
 
Ring gear-no,bearing caps-yes!
 
Most of the time the caps are stamped from the factory so you know which side they're on. If not, then you could definitely run into problems if you swap them.

Stamping looks similar to this...

Picture039.jpg
 
Well what im doing is installing an aussie locker, and replacing the shafts from my 98 297's into my 88 260's, so can i just use the carrier out of my 98 axle and slap the ring gear onto it. I will be sure to mark the endcaps.LoL is this possible? Also the axle has 4.56's
 
yeah, you need to use the bearing caps from the housing. they are machined as one piece.

as mentioned, they are usually marked from the factory. do you have a pic if inside the housing? it is usually a letter, one going up and down, and the other going left to right. at least on all the Dana's that i have they are that way.
 
So i looked closer and one of the T's is going straight up and down, and the other T is going from left to right what does this mean?
 
So i looked closer and one of the T's is going straight up and down, and the other T is going from left to right what does this mean?

It means you need to look on the surface the diff cover mates to and find the orientation of the T's stamped into there. Then match them up, and install bearing caps in said orientation.

Go back up and look at the picture MoparManiac posted.
 
The housing is machined for the bearing races with the caps installed and torqued down. swapping/flipping them would be like swapping/flipping main caps in an engine. The result would be an out of round race pocket, which would warp the bearing race. It would severely shorten the life of the bearing assuming the bearing would even rotate freely and true.
 
yeah, you need to use the bearing caps from the housing. they are machined as one piece.

as mentioned, they are usually marked from the factory. do you have a pic if inside the housing? it is usually a letter, one going up and down, and the other going left to right. at least on all the Dana's that i have they are that way.
O.K. I'm not sure of this but it seems to me that the factory is unlikely to machine the caps as a unit with the differential housing. It just seems like that would cost way too much. I'm not saying you're wrong, it just seems like they wouldn't put that kind of effort into a mass produced part. In the grand scheme of things the matching of the bearing caps is not that critical. The caps must be oriented a certain way because the inside surface of the cap is not machined to the right size the whole width, therefore you have to orient the cap so that the machined part of the cap is outboard to ensure maximum contact with the bearing race. If anybody has info that definitely proves that they are match machined from the factory I would really like to read up about it.
 
O.K. I'm not sure of this but it seems to me that the factory is unlikely to machine the caps as a unit with the differential housing. It just seems like that would cost way too much. I'm not saying you're wrong, it just seems like they wouldn't put that kind of effort into a mass produced part. In the grand scheme of things the matching of the bearing caps is not that critical. The caps must be oriented a certain way because the inside surface of the cap is not machined to the right size the whole width, therefore you have to orient the cap so that the machined part of the cap is outboard to ensure maximum contact with the bearing race. If anybody has info that definitely proves that they are match machined from the factory I would really like to read up about it.
Your reading it backwards,its easier to throw in caps as they come off the foundry then machine them in the housing.Its exactly the same with engine blocks.If you tried to make every part "truly" universal it would cost a fortune!
 
So, I have heard several different things that you can do if say you don't have the factory bearing caps. Example dana 44 with trac lok 1-you can steal a set off another from a different dana 44 or dana 60. 2-you can get a set and then you surface them by using extensions on a drill and use a piston cylinder hone to set them up. I have not done this personally yet but I am looking for end caps for a dana 44 out of a 89 xj chief that was given to me for removal of the cherokee.
 
So, I have heard several different things that you can do if say you don't have the factory bearing caps. Example dana 44 with trac lok 1-you can steal a set off another from a different dana 44 or dana 60. 2-you can get a set and then you surface them by using extensions on a drill and use a piston cylinder hone to set them up. I have not done this personally yet but I am looking for end caps for a dana 44 out of a 89 xj chief that was given to me for removal of the cherokee.
Honestly I don't think this is necessary. As long as the caps are oriented the correct way with the finish machined part in greatest contact with the bearing cup then it will be fine. The tolerances cannot vary enough for it to make a big difference.
 
Honestly I don't think this is necessary. As long as the caps are oriented the correct way with the finish machined part in greatest contact with the bearing cup then it will be fine. The tolerances cannot vary enough for it to make a big difference.

You're kidding, right?

Care to elaborate on this 'tolerance' you're talking about?

'Cuz I've had carriers that don't even spin after torquing down an unmatched set of bearing caps.
 
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