Inspection After Carrier Disassembly

All Axles

Thoroughly clean all parts. Synthetic seals must not be cleaned, soaked or washed in cleaning solvents. Always use clean solvent when cleaning bearings. Oil the bearings immediately after cleaning, to prevent rusting. Inspect the parts for wear or damage. Clean the inside of the carrier before rebuilding it.

When a scored gearset is replaced, the axle housing should be washed thoroughly and steam cleaned. This can only be done effectively if the axle shafts and shaft seals are removed from the housing. Inspect individual parts as outlined below.

Gears

Examine the pinion and ring gear teeth for scoring or excessive wear. Worn gears cannot be rebuilt to correct a noisy condition. Gear scoring is the result of excessive shock loading or the use of an incorrect lubricant. Scored gears cannot be reused. Examine the teeth and thrust surfaces of the differential gears. Wear on the hub of the differential gear can cause a chucking noise known as chuckle when the vehicle is driven at low speeds. Wear of splines, thrust surfaces or thrust washers, can contribute to excessive driveline backlash.

Bearing Cups and Cone and Roller Assemblies

Check bearing cups for rings, scores, galling, or excessively worn wear patterns. Pinion cups must be solidly seated. Check for seating by attempting to insert a 0.04mm (0.0015 inch) feeler between these cups and the bottoms of their bores.

When operated in the bearing cups, cone and roller assemblies must turn without roughness. Examine the large roller ends for wear. If the original blend radius has worn to a sharp edge, the bearing should be replaced.

If inspection reveals either a worn bearing cup or a worn cone and roller assembly, both parts should be replaced to avoid damage.

U-Joint Flange

Ensure that the surfaces of the flange have not been damaged in removing the driveshaft or in removing the flange from the axle. The end of the flange that contacts the front pinion bearing inner race or slinger washer, as well as the flat surface of the pinion nut counterbore, must be smooth. Polish these surfaces, if necessary. Roughness aggravates backlash noises and causes wear of the flange and pinion nut, with a resultant loss in pinion bearing preload.

Carrier Housing

Ensure that the differential bearing bores are smooth (if applicable). Remove any nicks or burrs from the mounting surfaces of the carrier housing.

Differential Case

Ensure that the hubs where the bearings mount are smooth. Carefully examine the differential case bearing shoulders, which may have been damaged when the bearings were removed. The bearing assemblies will fail if they do not seat firmly against the shoulders. Check the fit (free rotation) of the differential side gears in their counterbores. Ensure that the mating surfaces of the two parts of the case (if applicable) are smooth and free from nicks or burrs.

Traction-Lok Differential Parts

Inspect the clutch plates for uneven or extreme wear. The dog-eared clutch plates must be free from burrs, nicks or scratches which could cause excessive or erratic wear to the internally splined clutch plates. The internally splined clutch plates should be inspected for condition of the material, and wear. Replace the plates if their thickness is less than 1.5mm (0.058 inch) or if the material is scored or badly worn. Inspect the plate internal teeth for wear. Replace them, if excessive wear is evident.

Plates should be replaced as a set only. Examine all thrust surfaces and hubs for wear. Abnormal wear on these surfaces can contribute to a noisy axle on cone-type traction-lok differential.