Gear installation "tricks"

[Reposting this here because i didn't get a response in the OEM section...]

Over the summer i'm planning to upgrade to 4.56 gears on my XJ. I have a D44 rear and a D30 front. I have done gears before in the D44, and i did a pretty good job (they are pretty quiet and have a good pattern). I've got about 15k miles on them, but i question whether i did a good enough job for them to last 200k miles, if that makes sense.

So long story short, i keep reading people's comments like "if you know the tricks you can make the gears stay quiet forever". In looking at the swap to 4.56 gears i'm wondering what i can do better.

So...Any tips, tricks?

Is a case spreader really necessary to do it right? (I just got the last setup so it was tight in the case, and required a few taps with a mallet to get it in, seems okay? :dunno

Is the D30 much different than the D44? (HP ABS from a '96)

Is there an easy way to determine pinion preload with a cheap(ish) tool, or just go by feel? That's what i did last time.

I've heard of people using a fishing scale to test the pinion preload. Never done it before so I don't know how well it would work. A case spreader isn't necessary, but can be helpful. If your buddy has one borrow it, but I personally wouldn't go out and buy one.

I had actually thought of doing something like that, but i wasn't quite clear on how to do it. IIRC it's like 25 inch-lbs, so my guess is you would put a wrench on there and if the wrench was 6" long, you would expect to see ~4 inch-lbs on the fishing scale (25/4)?

setup bearings

make a set of em'

X2 on the setup bearings!

The Dana 44 is easier to setup since theres no stupid little crush sleeve on the pinion

Borrow an inch pound torque wrench with a dial indicator

I have a set of setup bearings i made for the '44. I was told only the '00-'01 LP D30's have the crush sleeve--anyone confirm?

Good call on the inch-pound torque wrench with a dial indicator!

Porch951 said:

I was told only the '00-'01 XJ's LP D30's have the crush sleeve--anyone confirm?

Click to expand...

Yes,plus all TJ's.

Other than setup bearings I actually made a race for the inner pinion so ididnt have to keep driving it in and out to adjust shims.

Ah, that's a good idea. Getting the race in and out was kind of a PITA...

Have a bunch of these on hand, you pretty much ruin it every time you drive out the pinion race to change pinion depth.

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=5769

rkates said:

Other than setup bearings I actually made a race for the inner pinion so ididnt have to keep driving it in and out to adjust shims.

Click to expand...

I use a case spreader when I do gears. When were talking Dana 30 with redic amounts of case flex under load it's quite important to get the preload right. Well it's important to get the whole thing spot on. IMO
And this above info is great

whitexj98 said:

Have a bunch of these on hand, you pretty much ruin it every time you drive out the pinion race to change pinion depth.

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=5769

Click to expand...

It is much easier to mic the baffle and use a shim of the same thickness until your pattern is acceptable, then just before final install with the regular bearings take out the shim and put back the baffle.

Tips? USE THE CORRECT TOOLS. If you want things set up correctly, always use the correct tools, don't try to use a fishing scale to set preload when you really need a beam or better dial in-lbs torque wrench.

ktm racer 419 said:

setup bearings

make a set of em'

Click to expand...

x3 on the set up bearings, definitely necessary unless you have the nice and expensive clamshell type bearing puller.

rkates said:

Other than setup bearings I actually made a race for the inner pinion so ididnt have to keep driving it in and out to adjust shims.

Click to expand...

A set of "set up bearings" should always include both carrier bearings and the inner pinion race, since they are the main things that need to be removed for shim set up.

I even have heard of people making a set up outer pinion bearing, so that the pattern and pinion depth can be set up, without having to drive the outer bearing onto the pinion every time shims are changed. This also prevents the installer from having to then tap the pinion out of the bearing, banging the bearing against the race every time. I did that and found it easier to remove the pinion each time.
Pinion bearing preload should obviously be adjusted with the correct bearing in there.

whitexj98 said:

Have a bunch of these on hand, you pretty much ruin it every time you drive out the pinion race to change pinion depth.

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=5769

Click to expand...

Shouldn't be needed, since driving the pinion race in should be one of the last things you do, and doing what ju82takata suggested with the shims is a good idea. Having to drive the race out each time with a punch can damage the shims, which would then need to be replaced. Most install kits don't come with enough shims to do this.

ju82takata said:

It is much easier to mic the baffle and use a shim of the same thickness until your pattern is acceptable, then just before final install with the regular bearings take out the shim and put back the baffle.

Click to expand...

X2

ok i have a kind of newb question. when everyone is talking about setup bearings, what do you mean? do you mean to buy a whole new set of bearings just to use for install? also how do you make a race for the pinion so you don't have to use the crush sleave?

i've never set up gears before and would like to do it when i do my axles.

aintright said:

ok i have a kind of newb question. when everyone is talking about setup bearings, what do you mean? do you mean to buy a whole new set of bearings just to use for install? also how do you make a race for the pinion so you don't have to use the crush sleave?

i've never set up gears before and would like to do it when i do my axles.

Click to expand...

setup bearings are used so that you don't need a puller to take the bearings off everytime you need to adjust the shims.

go to your parts store, buy a couple bearings and grind the middle of them out until they will easy pop on and off the carrier, or what have you.

makes installation 10x easier if you dont have a puller

If you can manage to get your old bearings off without destroying them, and they aren't gross or trashy, then you can use them for set up bearings. I found it almost impossible to salvage mine without the hundreds of dollars bearing puller, and if I had that thing, then I wouldn't need set up bearings. I would recommend buying new bearings for the set up bearings, that way you know that the slop and tolerances on the new bearings are going to closely reflect the new bearings you will be pressing on at the end.

You grind the inner diameter of the bearing so that they are a slip fit on the carrier, rather than a press fit. This allows you to set up the gears, and change the shim stacks behind the bearings with ease, so you don't have to destroy the bearings each time if you don't have the correct set up.

As far as a set up race, grind the outer surface of the race, so that it is a slip fit, rather than a press fit.

rweaver138 said:

makes installation 100x easier if you dont have a puller

Click to expand...

fixed it.


you will need a decent die grinder and bit to do this effectively.

dont bother with sanding discs on yo dremel or a file, you will be there for centuries.


you can also buy setup bearings from many places that sell gears and intallation kits for a little more than the bearings themselves

I always used a dremel,took a couple minutes per bearing!
X2 on buying set-up bearings!

The easiest way I have found to make setup bearings is to mount a drum sanding attachment in a drill press at highest speed and wearing gloves, grind the inside of the bearing until it slips over the pinion or carrier boss. Remember to cool the bearing with water before you try it each time you grind a little more or it can get stuck on and require a puller to remove. Also grind the outer diameter of a inner pinion bearing race the same way only grinding the outside diameter.