Questions regarding carrier replacement (for a locking diff) M1009

[RickTheEngineer]

Howdy folks! I have a question involving the replacement of a carrier for an aftermarket locking differential. I want to keep the ring and pinion gears since I want to keep the stock 3.06 gear ratio found on the M1009 in its stock configuration. I see a lot of information involving the the preload on the pinion. I should not have to worry about this since I am only replacing the carrier right? Also, I did see some lots of words of caution involving shimming the side bearings to make sure the contact pattern is correct between the pinion and the ring gear. How do I know if I have enough preload on the side bearings? (or am I getting something mixed up?) Also, I could not find a TM that went into great detail on the removal of the diff itself. I did see TM9-2320-289-34 Paragraph 6-1 and I still can't figure out how to do the entire process before I start (like what I have to remove before removing the side bearing belts). Any advice? Thanks a lot! (thinking about getting an OX locker).

EDIT- also does a GM 10 Bolt have axle shafts that slide out? Do I have to remove anything more than the tire for a job like this?

 

[cucvrus]

From reading the post above. IMHO. I think you should pay someone to put that center carrier in. You will need to dis assemble the entire axle assembly and it will need to be set up properly and reassembled correctly. Not to be a wise guy. But that is not an amateur job. Have a good day. Don't depend on the internet for all the right answers. A training manual or a GM manual would be more helpful. Good Luck. Wish you the best.

 

[Chaski]

That axle is probably one of the more difficult to set up, much more work than a Corp 14 bolt. I second what was allready said. Find someone with a solid reputation and pay them.

You would need the following expensive tools.
1) 0-75 inch pound dial type torque wrench.
2) Case spreader.
3) Clamshell style bearing puller.
4) .001" or better dial indicator with "gooseneck" style stand and clamp on base.
5) Press - 12 ton or larger.
6) Random bits of round stock for bearing and seal pressing.
7) 1/2" drive torque wrench (25-250 ft lb ish).


This is it in a nutshell.
Support rig. Remove wheels, calipers, rotors, hubs, spindles, axle shafts, front differential cover, pinion nut, yoke, carrier bearing caps.
Install case spreader, spread case no more than .015"
Remove carrier, and then the pinion.
R&R pinion bearing races, pinion seal, and axle seals in housing (note pinion shims).
Use clamshell bearing to remove inner pinion bearing on old pinion.
Press new bearing on pinion.
Use clamshell puller to remove carrier bearings from old carrier.
Note shim thickness.
Remove old ring from old carrier. Install ring on new carrier. Using the same thickness of shims the old carrier had Press new bearings with shims onto new carrier.
Install pinion in case with new bearings and same shims, install yoke and pinion nut (with correct preload checked with dial type torque wrench.
install carrier, remove spreader, torque caps.
check pattern and backlash.

curse, spread case, r&r bearings and shims until pattern, backlash and preload are all correct. You may have to take it apart and put it back together several times.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

I have overseen one of these projects where I helped out a buddy of mine regear his Wrangler. Only thing is that I did see why one might have to re shim the pinion side of things since these were straight up after market parts we are installing so tolerances need to be adjusted. However, since I am keeping the same ring gear, and obviously that will be centered on the new carrier, the only thing that I can imagine changing are the side bearing shims. I do not believe that I should have to touch the pinion shims since the pinion and ring gear are reused right? Or am I false in thinking this way? I see a lot of folks on youtube that keep the same gearing don't really touch the pinion at all.

 

[cucvrus]

YouTube. Enough said. You ask. In all respects do as you wish. It is not as easy as it seems. It may be fine for a trail rig. But an over the road vehicle. Not going to have much life if done incorrectly. Peace Out. Have a great day. That is a precision adjustment. Not an eye ball look and guess work. That is just about the same for any automotive part. To be done correctly it must be done correctly. Respectfully.

 

[Chaski]

Reusing the same shims because you are reusing the same gears is a starting point and a starting point only. The tolerances are not that tight on carriers and you will most likely find yourself with backlash (& patern &carrier preload) way out of whack. Another thing to consider is that the new bearings may be slightly different.

You need the tools I listed so that you can remove and install the bearings without damage to move shims. If you do not have proper pattern, backlash and preload it will self destruct. Another thing is that the carrier bearings must have preload. If you do the job without a case spreader and just use a mallet or worse yet set up the shims so the carrier just slides in you have no preload and it will deflect under load, causing your contact pattern to move and your gears to mulch themselves.

Not saying not to do it, just saying if you do don't cut any corners. There are hack ways to do it that will work too, the question is the longevity of the axle afterwards

HF 20 ton press $250
eBay or Tom's bronco Clamshell bearing puller set $300
eBay (some guys makes USA made ones that are nice) Case spreader $169
Dial type inch pound torque wrench $150-300
Seal and bearing driver kit $60-300
Dial indicator with flexible gooseneck vice grip mount $100-240

 

[Skinny]

Wow, I see a lot of misinformation here. One, the pinion can stay where it is at. It doesn't even have to come out.

First you are going to measure backlash and take a pattern as this is what we are replicating on the new carrier. Pull the carrier and remove the ring. Now place the empty carrier in the housing and add shims to each side so it has slight drag going in the housing, now add the correct depth of shims for the carrier preload. This gets the carrier bearing preload set correctly. Now put the ring on with all those shims. You will swap shims until the backlash is exactly the same as before. Now check the pattern, should be the same as before since the pinion depth has not changed.

Done...you are welcome

This is slightly more difficult than it sounds as you have a junk 10 bolt and it requires pulling carrier bearings to swap shims. A setup bearing kit would save you a ton of time as you can do all of this and then just hammer the new bearings on once the set up is done.

 

[Chaski]

True,
The 30+ year old pinion seal and bearings can stay in the case. I'd change them... But that is just me.

That is true about checking pattern, taking pictures and checking backlash before taking it apart. I missed that. Important when using used gears.

Also in my experince setup bearings are not all they are cracked up to be. Better be the same brand as the bearings you are using. I set up a 44 one time with setup bearings, then pressed the new ones on and found that the diffrence between the two was a few thousanths which messed up carrier preload. Had to pull the bearings off and redo the shims. The clamshell type puller is worth it's weight in gold. It allows you to pull the bearigns without damage.

Last thing is that a case spreader is a really good tool to use. Sure you can beat the daylights out of the carrier to get it in with proper preload without a spreader, but that is just hack.

If you want to watch a hack method youtube a canadian guy who has a channel name I can't put on the forum Channel name is Bull (name I can't say) Korner. He does gears in a jeep with a big hammer and an inch pound dial wrench.

Be sure to post pictures of the pattern you get.

Here is the last gears I set up...