Ring gear bolts

My ring gear bolts have come loose a second time. I've built a few rear ends (8-10) and haven't had this problem before. These gears have about 60,000 total miles on them. 8,000 miles since this problem began. It's a D35 non C-clip with an ARB and a 4:10 ratio that has been set up twice before within different rear ends with no problems. But now the bolts have come loose the second time in this unit. The gears were set-up using my Dana housing spreader. The mesh pattern is almost full width with little play and no tight spots. New ring gear bolts were use with Lock Tight red. When installing the ring gear all care was taken to wash the threaded holes clean with brake cleaner and Q tips.

My questions are; Can the bolt holes have to much wear from use? (I hope I didn't run a thread chaser down the holes during a brain fart!) Should I take it apart and try again and what lock-tight should I use? Do I junk the gears and start over? Can I use inside or outside star lock washers to stop the problem?

Yes, I wish I could afford an air locked Currie high pinion 9" narrowed rear end with disc brakes but I have what I have!

I'd try again. The holes could be damaged, but as long as the bolts will torque down without pulling through, they should stay put.
New bolts, red lock-tite.

Worst case: in 8000 miles, you will need a new carrier, or more likely a Cry. 8.25 or a Dana 44.

Good luck

If you want to clean up the holes, a thread chaser is better than a tap. A "thread-forming" tap is also an idea - they're designed for forming a full thread in soft materials, but can be used to clean up threads in harder stuff (it's basically an extra-hard tap with no cutting flutes. Be careful! You really don't want to break one of these - the result is a junked part. They're way much harder than drill bits... I had one that wouldn't even mill out!)

Make sure you're using "place bolts" (style that should have come with new gears - you can check tractor stores if you don't have new ones) and that they're new.

LocTite is indicated - #242 is the minimum grade I'd use. I don't recall the number for the red high-strength stuff offhand, I don't use it very often.

Washers? No. Not with place bolts. If you're using a standard SAE8, pull them out and get place bolts - they're also SAE8, but the head design is different (meant to help maximise shear strength and preload in situations like that, they're used on heavy equipment quite often.) Standard hex-head capscrews have a hard time having enough bearing surface to work for this sort of thing.

Ideally, you want enough "grip" (unthreaded shank) to just about go all the way through the carrier flange - about 1/2 to 1 full thread extending above the ring gear mounting surface. I believe new ring gears and ring gear hardware kits come with the proper screws for this - I know they do on heavy equipment (I've done a few of those myself. Try maneuvering a ring gear a foot and a half across into place...)

Again, do not use washers, and do not use standard hex head capscrews. Don't even use socket heads - the bearing surface is better than for hex heads, but it's not right for the application for long-term use. Get place bolts.

i used genuine install kit bolts and they seemed to be the problem. they were not thick enough for the carrier and allowed the ring gear to move around which caused the bolts to work loose.

problem solved for me with YUKON gear bolts(they had a "shoulder" on the bolts to allow for a tight fit to the carrier)

ill check again though to make shure it solved the problem.

BTW i have a welded carrier with genuine gears

I always lock tight the ring gear bolts. X2 on the Yukon bolts, I only use Randy's stuff.

Thanks guys, I think I'll try and get new large head place bolts and try again with lots of 242. I now recall getting place bolts once for a ring gear that had the bottom of the head (opposite the marked surface) with a serrated surface.

RangerRick said:

Thanks guys, I think I'll try and get new large head place bolts and try again with lots of 242. I now recall getting place bolts once for a ring gear that had the bottom of the head (opposite the marked surface) with a serrated surface.

Click to expand...

You may be thinking "flanged head" - a "place bolt" actually has a undercut under the head, and the bearing surface is separated from the shank slightly (for consistency, and so it doesn't "bear" on the bore it passes through.)

Don't bother with 242 - go the next stronger. 242 is "medium strength," and you'll certainly want more than that!

Re: Ring gear bolt

5-90, No what I've had casted on another ring gear bolt head was a saw tooth bottom side that's intent was to act like a locking devise (i.e. lock washer). But, alas (dramatic ain't it), after talking with a local 4by shop, I think the threads in the ring gear are stretched from the bolts being loose and wabbeling under torque and that may well be the cause of the loosening Lock- Thighed bolts. They said they seen it happen on Toyotas. So, my ARB is 20yrs. old with about 145k on it making it an old stile case, witch were known to flex a lot. Also I know the spiders have play in them.

So for now I thing I'll use the green lock tight and look for a different rear end while I'm waiting for this Dana 35 to blow-up!