HELP!gear pattern check

Ok, Ive been playing around thinkin, "I can do this". I think I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew here. Could someone please tell me if this looks acceptable or do I need to spend some more time on this.

Dana 44 rear axle with spicer 4.88's.

Drive side

coast side


Can some one please help me? what do you think? ok or make changes?

Thanks,

Aaron

did you just install a new carrier so you're only trying to setup the ring gear, or did you actually change gears, so you are trying to setup the ring and pinion???

it's not a "perfect" pattern, but if you ever look at gear setup instructions, there are several "acceptable" patterns which are all ok.

i'd say yours is in the pretty good range. how much backlash do you have???

and congrats on trying to setup your own gears. it's not nearly as hard as people say. but you have to be willing to spend the time and be VERY PRECISE. that's definitely not something you wanna do half assed, because it could be dangers or even deadly if it breaks on the highway.

Pinion appears to be a tad deep. What is the shim thickness under the pinion?

What's your backlash set at? Try mixing a bit of gear oil in with your marking compound. It makes for an easier to see pattern.

scorpio_vette said:

did you just install a new carrier so you're only trying to setup the ring gear, or did you actually change gears, so you are trying to setup the ring and pinion???

it's not a "perfect" pattern, but if you ever look at gear setup instructions, there are several "acceptable" patterns which are all ok.

i'd say yours is in the pretty good range. how much backlash do you have???

and congrats on trying to setup your own gears. it's not nearly as hard as people say. but you have to be willing to spend the time and be VERY PRECISE. that's definitely not something you wanna do half assed, because it could be dangers or even deadly if it breaks on the highway.

Click to expand...

I changed gearing fron spicer 4.56 to spicer 4.88 so i'm trying to set up up both ring and pinion

Backlash is set @ .007

I reused the same pinion shims from the previous setup and did not measure thickness

Carrier preload is good and tight, shimmed to .039 pinion side and .052 ring side.

I think I can get it a little closer but this pattern is a little confusing to me. What do you gear guys think I should try first?

well you should have checked the new pinion. there should have been a +/-number stamped on it telling you how much you might have to add/remove in shims. but that's just a guideline.

i think the pinion could probably come forward towards the carrier a little more, but it's still an "acceptable" pattern, and your backlash is good. it's really your call how much of a perfectionist you want to be. i generally try for the best i can get.

but i do have to warn you. if you are new at this, there is a good chance you'll damage some shims/bearings taking it all back apart. so you might want to make sure you have some extras on hand. it really sucks being down to your last shim and not having enough after figuring out what you need.

Thanks Guys,

I think I can get it a little closer. I'll post up ;ater

Aaron

Any new pattern pics?

I would say pull a thou or two from under the pinion, set the backlash accordingly, & run it.

Then I noticed that happened 4 days ago, so for all I know it's already driving the rig.