4.56 gears in 8.25, crosspin not notched, argh

Shop should have known.



Son's 1997, 5spd, 4.0XJ, 8.25 rear. Bought gear set a couple years ago (good kit would have included notched pinion cross pin). Finally stripped and pulled the rear end and took to a shop for gear install last week. Got axle mounted to springs yesterday and went to pull cross pin to install axle shafts. No go. Guy at shop should have known we needed notched cross pin shaft. Or he should have ground the tooth so the pin comes out.


From what I can see very little grinding on one tooth would be needed.


Do I:



Grind in place under Jeep carefully sealing up case so no shaving get in? If I grind, which side, in other words, will cross pin come out either side? I didn't pay attention when I pulled it and seem to remember on my GMC it only comes out one way.



Pull the carrier? Remove ring and grind? I've pulled a Dana 30 and put it back in but believe you have to be more careful with the 8.25.


Pull the axle and take it back to the shop for notched pin?


Would have liked to get done this weekend, but will not rush if there is right way to go.


Thanks for any advice.


Edit: pictures or links to pictures one each side of shaft, one side I'd have to grind one tooth, the other two, but less.

Regardless of who does the work the carrier needs to come out. It's a easy job as long as you have a spanner tool or 36mm allen tip on a 3' extension!

NO...do not notch the cross pin......grind some of the high side off the gear teeth that are in the way...maybe 60 thou or so....maybe less.

It will not hurt the ring gear, as the area you grind down will never see load anyway if the gears are set up correctly, but notching the pin will weaken it.

Never understood why people do that.

To me, notching the pin instead of grinding the gears is like filing the crank shaft bearing journal instead of getting the correct thickness bearing.

I did mine installed, no issues at all, just be careful to cover everything and pay attention to which way the grinder is throwing the debris.

Got it out.


I did not pull the carrier. Don't have the tool and if I'm correct in my quick reading of FSM, whatever nut you loosen from the axle tube sets bearing preload and ring backlash. Shoot, that is what I paid the shop for. If I knew how to do that, I'd have installed the gears. (Maybe I should learn.)


First I removed all the assembly lube on ring facing rear as it would not be covered. I put masking tape all over the open housing and a shop towel in the space between ring gear and carrier. With dremel tool and grinding stone I could direct sparks away from housing anyway. Very little grindings and debris anyway. Easy.


Thanks for the responses.