Trac loc rebuild

Got my rebuild kit in, I have two questions. Everything says to soak the plates in friction modifier, but I use that castrol with the modifier in it and other places say not to add extra modifier if you are using that type of fluid so do i just soak them in the gear oil im going to be using, or do I do it in modifier? Also all the rebuilds I have looked at removed the carrier, but I've seen where people say it can be done in the axle but havent seen anyone actually do it, so can it be done? I'd rather not run the risk of screwing up something in the carrier bearings if i can help it!

Seems like it's not much more work to pull the carrier since you have to pull the axles out anyway. I would think it would be much easier to reassemble on the bench.

lawsoncl said:

Seems like it's not much more work to pull the carrier since you have to pull the axles out anyway. I would think it would be much easier to reassemble on the bench.

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I just replaced my carrier with a trac-loc (Dana 35) and would recommend two things:

1) If you remove the carrier, pay close attention to the shims AND the bearing caps!! The gear backlash is set through these shims and the left will be different than the right. DO NOT mix them up! Similarly, the bearing caps are specific to the side they came from and must be oriented properly. The easiest way to do this is to use a punch to mark the top of the bearing cap before you remove it (and just to be sure, also place a similar dot pattern on the gasket face of each side of the pumpkin so you are sure). I put one dot on the left and two dots on the right to make sure I could visually confirm correct alignment. I used a different carrier which meant I had to re-shim anyway but trust me that you REALLY don't want to have to do this.
2) Once you fill the pumpkin with friction modifier and oil let it sit for a day. This is how I "soaked" my new carrier. I am not going to dispute your data that suggests soaking the clutch packs but this wasn't really practical with a brand new carrier so I simply installed it into the differential, filled it with gear oil/friction modifier and let it sit for a couple of days. It has been working GREAT!

The job isn't really that hard but in order to get the new clutch packs installed you will have to compress the spider gears connected to the clutch packs and use the resulting clearance to spin the other two spider gears into place. Each of those spider gears has a small washer that has to fit behind it and if you don't compress the clutch packs, it will be very challenging to get these installed. Most of the pictures I have seen where this is done they simply use large bolts that pass through the spider gears to compress them. The only way I can see to do this while the carrier is installed would be to use a long threaded rod and try to compress the clutch packs through the axle shaft hole. This is probably doable but would be a pain and you would have to play a bit of trial and error to find a way to get a firm base at the axle seal side. Plus, you risk damaging the seal if anything slips.

As for the carrier bearings, I didn't find this too difficult. The bearing cups do tend to slip around but if you seat them well while it is on the ground and hold them firmly when you lift the carrier into place, they will tend to stay in place. Since I had to reshim, I had my carrier in and out a half dozen times and seating the bearings was one of the easier parts of this job.


While not mandatory, I found that a carrier spreader made all of this MUCH easier. This is the one I used: https://torqueking.com/product/1032...reader-for-dana-25-to-dana-80-axles-usa-made/



HTH
Todd

I decided to do it in the axle and im glad I did. Without a vice it would of been much harder to man handle the spider gears back into the carrier. It was still very difficult; when the online instructions say the spider gears are hard to get in they are not kidding! The axle being out and on the bench made it easier, under the jeep would of added a degree of difficulty. I coated the plates in the castrol limited slip 80-90 right before I put them in, added 1 or 2 ounces of friction modifier, then filled the carrier to capacity and left it overnight before installing it this morning. I drove it about 60 miles today and so far working perfectly. No chatter or inside wheel skidding, but nail it in anything loose and 2 perfect tracks!