Before Disassembly

1. Inspect the differential case and drive pinion prior to removal from the rear axle assembly. These inspections can find the cause of the concern and determine the resolution.





2. Wipe the lubricant from the internal working parts and visually inspect the parts for wear and or damage.
3. Rotate the gears to check for any roughness, indicating damaged bearings or gears.
4. Check the teeth of the ring gear and pinion for signs of scoring, abnormal wear or nicks/chips.





5. Set up the Dial Indicator/Magnetic Base or Dial Indicator with Bracketry and check the backlash of the ring gear and pinion, using the Clutch Housing Alignment Adapter for the indicator tip.

NOTE: Backface runout will have to be performed with ring gear removed. A backlash variation of more than 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) indicates incorrect runout.

6. Check the ring gear and pinion backlash at three equally spaced points, with dial indicator.
- Backlash tolerance is 0.13-0.20 mm (0.005-0.008 inch) and cannot vary more than 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) between points checked.
- High backlash is corrected by moving the ring gear toward the pinion.
- Low backlash is corrected by moving the ring gear away from the pinion.
- These corrections are made by changing the differential bearing selective shim thickness.





7. To check the backface runout of the ring gear and pinion, mount the Dial Indicator/Magnetic Base or Dial Indicator with Bracketry on the rear axle differential carrier so the tip of the dial indicator, and the Clutch Housing Alignment Adapter, contacts the backface of the ring gear and pinion. The backface runout should be no more than 0.101 mm (0.004 inch). If more than 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) difference in backlash is measured at adjacent points, the total runout will be beyond specifications.