Re-shimming carrier / gears?

[tonybolton]

I've got an inner axle seal seeping on my front LP60(the NEW D44 of the offroad world). So that means all that junk'll hafta come outa the housing and yadda yadda to fix....I'm sure everyone knows that.

Was wondering if anyone has had to re-shim their gears(in really any axle) after years of wheeling? There's some small slop I've noticed, not horrible, but I've seen a lot tighter in other reliable / well built rigs on the trail. I wanna say this rig has been together / wheeled for probably 5+ years. The gears are 4.88's so at least the pinion doesn't have like 4 teeth like stuff in the 5.XX's.

I don't think i'll tackle that inner axle seal this year, probably add it to the "new season of wheeling maintenance day" stuff I do around March. My plan was to mark the gears and just swap some shims from one side to the other if it showed. I've just never heard of anyone doing this type of thing before.

 

[jeeppoor]

Before you pull it apart I would check the pattern first. And if it is good then I would try and shim it tight right where it is. Then check the pattern again after you have added shims.
Do you have all the necessary to do the job?
Dial indicator, case spreader?

 

[TBItoy]

It's common in the Toyota world to tighten up the preload on the carrier bearings (easy because they are spanner nuts).

Unless your pinion bearings are sloppy, I'd put it back together just like it came apart. If the carrier bearings are sloppy, replace them of course.

 

[tonybolton]

Re: Re: Re-shimming carrier / gears?

Before you pull it apart I would check the pattern first. And if it is good then I would try and shim it tight right where it is. Then check the pattern again after you have added shims.
Do you have all the necessary to do the job?
Dial indicator, case spreader?

That was my plan check/document before disassembly. No I do not have all the fancy tools. Jus gear marking compound and edgumakated eye.

It's common in the Toyota world to tighten up the preload on the carrier bearings (easy because they are spanner nuts).

Unless your pinion bearings are sloppy, I'd put it back together just like it came apart. If the carrier bearings are sloppy, replace them of course.

Yea....the spanners would great for this. Isn't that what the 14bolt has?

The pinion is actually in great shape. My old d44 would get rattley bout once a year. I think that was mainly a crush sleeve issue.

 

[jeeppoor]

Make sure you check the back lash. you can have a pattern on the gear mesh but the back lash will be bad.
With all the people you know you should be able to borrow the FANCY tools for a weekend.
It is not hard. Just time consuming. Don't be in a rush and you will do fine. It we lived closer I would give you a hand.

 

[Jody Treadway]

You won't be able to run an accurate pattern with the gears being used. The drive side will have worn to the point where it won't be a fair representation. The coast side may still be readable, but doubtful.
Assuming the gear mesh was correct upon initial installation, about all you can really do at this point is to verify backlash and carrier preload. I would check backlash prior to removing the carrier. I would also take note to how easily the carrier comes out of the housing. As the carrier bearings wear, you will lose preload which is imperative to keeping an axle alive in our sport.
If the backlash is in spec and the carrier takes some work to remove, leave it be. If the backlash is good but the carrier falls right out, add equal carrier bearing shims to each side. Start with about 0.005" per side until you have to tap it in with a deadblow hammer.
If the backlash has opened up above spec, add enough shim(s) on the ring gear side to bring back into spec and them repeat the above "not so scientific" approach to verifying preload.

 

[86chevota]

Take it to the pholmann compound and don't worry about it. All it will cost you is 17 cases of Michelob ultra :****:

 

[jeeppoor]

Also make sure you mark the bearing caps and put them back in the same side and position.

 

[TBItoy]

Re: Re: Re-shimming carrier / gears?

You won't be able to run an accurate pattern with the gears being used. The drive side will have worn to the point where it won't be a fair representation. The coast side may still be readable, but doubtful.
Assuming the gear mesh was correct upon initial installation, about all you can really do at this point is to verify backlash and carrier preload. I would check backlash prior to removing the carrier. I would also take note to how easily the carrier comes out of the housing. As the carrier bearings wear, you will loose preload which is imperative to keeping an axle alive in our sport.
If the backlash is in spec and the carrier takes some work to remove, leave it be. If the backlash is good but the carrier falls right out, add equal carrier bearing shims to each side. Start with about 0.005" per side until you have to tap it in with a deadblow hammer.
If the backlash has opened up above spec, add enough shim(s) on the ring gear side to bring back into spec and them repeat the above "not so scientific" approach to verifying preload.

Yeah, this ^

I didn't want to type all that out on a phone.

 

[tonybolton]

Re: Re: Re-shimming carrier / gears?

You won't be able to run an accurate pattern with the gears being used. The drive side will have worn to the point where it won't be a fair representation. The coast side may still be readable, but doubtful.
Assuming the gear mesh was correct upon initial installation, about all you can really do at this point is to verify backlash and carrier preload. I would check backlash prior to removing the carrier. I would also take note to how easily the carrier comes out of the housing. As the carrier bearings wear, you will loose preload which is imperative to keeping an axle alive in our sport.
If the backlash is in spec and the carrier takes some work to remove, leave it be. If the backlash is good but the carrier falls right out, add equal carrier bearing shims to each side. Start with about 0.005" per side until you have to tap it in with a deadblow hammer.
If the backlash has opened up above spec, add enough shim(s) on the ring gear side to bring back into spec and them repeat the above "not so scientific" approach to verifying preload.

Well now that just sounds,down right doable! Thanks

 

[tallnate]

You won't be able to run an accurate pattern with the gears being used. The drive side will have worn to the point where it won't be a fair representation. The coast side may still be readable, but doubtful.
Assuming the gear mesh was correct upon initial installation, about all you can really do at this point is to verify backlash and carrier preload. I would check backlash prior to removing the carrier. I would also take note to how easily the carrier comes out of the housing. As the carrier bearings wear, you will loose preload which is imperative to keeping an axle alive in our sport.
If the backlash is in spec and the carrier takes some work to remove, leave it be. If the backlash is good but the carrier falls right out, add equal carrier bearing shims to each side. Start with about 0.005" per side until you have to tap it in with a deadblow hammer.
If the backlash has opened up above spec, add enough shim(s) on the ring gear side to bring back into spec and them repeat the above "not so scientific" approach to verifying preload.

Yep I agree as well. If you've been wheeling your lp60 for 5 years and haven't had any r&p issues then you had a good initial setup, but she's bound to have loosened up a hair since then. I gave my lp60 a full p.m. about 8 months ago and I'm glad I did. Ended up adding a tad of carrier shim to each side and I found that my pinion bearings were pretty dang wore out, especially the inner. I would venture to guess that this was because my driveshaft and pinion yokes take such a beating on the rocks. Probably doesn't help that my driveshaft is a few hairs off of being perfectly straight either.