Differential Swap Question

[Doubleup]

When swapping a complete differential do you need to disassemble the A-Arms and shocks to get the axles off the differential splines?

Reason I am asking is I have my car all apart doing Motons and am wondering if I should order gears now as I don't want to be assembling suspension that will be pulled apart for this soon anyway. Just get it all over with at once...

 

[j-rho]

Yep, to pull the halfshafts you either have to pop the ball joints, or unbolt them all from the chassis along with the rear brake calipers.

 

[Viper Specialty]

When swapping a complete differential do you need to disassemble the A-Arms and shocks to get the axles off the differential splines?

Reason I am asking is I have my car all apart doing Motons and am wondering if I should order gears now as I don't want to be assembling suspension that will be pulled apart for this soon anyway. Just get it all over with at once...

Remove the TOP Arm Bolts, and remove the Brake Line Bracket. You will *JUST* have enough room to swivel the knuckles around to remove the CV's from the diff. If you run into a stubborn side, you may have to pop the rear toe link ball joint as well, but you can usually go around this step. Of course, having the shocks out at the same time will help. When re-assembling, make sure you load the suspension before tightening the arm bolts to get them back approximately where they were before.

PS- while we certainly recomend checking the alignment after any suspension service, the above will almost always come back VERY close to where it was before disassembly, assuming the car was not apart before and was re-aligned without pre-load, etc.

 

[Viper Specialty]

PS- use big Zip Ties to hold the inner ends of the halfshafts out of the way when R&R'ing the diff, or prepare to invent new words when the damn things keep getting in the way and you only have 2 hands to deal with 3 items...

 

[Doubleup]

Thanks Guys!

I have not found a single post that covers this...

Anyone know what to torque the drive shaft?

 

[Viper Specialty]

Thanks Guys!

I have not found a single post that covers this...

Anyone know what to torque the drive shaft?

The universal strap bolts...?

 

[Just Enough]

I just completed a diff removal on my 06 for a gear swap. No need to pull any ball joints as Viper Specialty said, I just worked from the drivers side pulling the upper a-arm bolts and the tie rod to frame mounts (there are two bolts) along with the brake line bracket. The half shaft will easily release with a gentle pry between the outer sleeve and the diff case. Once the drivers side is free, the diff can be unmounted and the the passengers side half shaft can be released and the diff swung away from the passengers side. This can be done without removing anything from the passengers side, not even the wheel. I used a transmission jack with a thick piece of foam on it to allow the diff articulate in the weird angles it has to to come out. The rear of the car needs to be about 16 inches off the ground if you don't have a lift. Also as Viper Specialty stated, it is important to strap the e-brake cables and half shafts to keep them out of the way. The torque on the u-joint straps is 30 to 35 ft-lbs with loctite (small fastener pink) applied. Be careful not to over stretch your brake line and bend the hard portion. Also, when reinstalling the sheet metal screws that hold the e-brake cables and brake lines to the frame, put a thick washer or two on each one so they won't pull up past the threaded portion and become difficult to remove.

 

[Boxer12]

I just completed a diff removal on my 06 for a gear swap. No need to pull any ball joints as Viper Specialty said, I just worked from the drivers side pulling the upper a-arm bolts and the tie rod to frame mounts (there are two bolts) along with the brake line bracket. The half shaft will easily release with a gentle pry between the outer sleeve and the diff case. Once the drivers side is free, the diff can be unmounted and the the passengers side half shaft can be released and the diff swung away from the passengers side. This can be done without removing anything from the passengers side, not even the wheel. I used a transmission jack with a thick piece of foam on it to allow the diff articulate in the weird angles it has to to come out. The rear of the car needs to be about 16 inches off the ground if you don't have a lift. Also as Viper Specialty stated, it is important to strap the e-brake cables and half shafts to keep them out of the way. The torque on the u-joint straps is 30 to 35 ft-lbs with loctite (small fastener pink) applied. Be careful not to over stretch your brake line and bend the hard portion. Also, when reinstalling the sheet metal screws that hold the e-brake cables and brake lines to the frame, put a thick washer or two on each one so they won't pull up past the threaded portion and become difficult to remove.

Just swapped the diff in my Gen IV--this advice is right on. The only thing I did diff is take the pass side wheel off, which makes it easier to access the upper mounting bolt and the brake lines on the passenger side, which have to be loosened and tied out of the way. Also, I just used a floor jack not a tranny jack. Just put the jack pad to the driver's side of the diff (there is a ridge) so you can push/pull the diff (on the jack) over toward the pass side when you are installing.

 

[GONABITE]

This was one of my winter projects as well as I installed a OS Giken. All advice is spot on. I chose to take the shocks out. That enabled me to make the decision of lowering and putting new adjustable shocks in the car. It had nothing to do with the ease of the job. I also had to remove the stock rotors.... which allowed me to put new two piece cross drilled ones in again nothing to do with the rear end. Oh and I figured since the axle shafts were out I would put some new heavy duty ones in. This was all easier than cleaning the old parts!! I kept finding excuses to buy new parts..... LOL

All and all jokes aside the rear end swap is fairly easy. Enjoy your upgrade.

 

[Darbgnik]

Didn't I read somewhere, that sometimes these halfshafts are almost impossible to remove from the diff? Like they're welded on?

 

[fqberful]

Didn't I read somewhere, that sometimes these halfshafts are almost impossible to remove from the diff? Like they're welded on?

If that happens you have to make sure the half shaft is removed from the knuckle and you can use a slide hammer puller to work it off the splines, usually just a quick couple hits. When you put it back on, make sure you grease the splines on the diff.

There are some internal issues with the GenIV diffs that make them impossible to change the gears in. GenIII not so much.

--FQB

 

[Viper Specialty]

Didn't I read somewhere, that sometimes these halfshafts are almost impossible to remove from the diff? Like they're welded on?

I have only seen it once, on a car that had been driven in the salt a couple times. The splines rust and fuse together.

On a stock Gen-3 Diff, you are OK. Simply {easier said than done} wrestle the diff out with the affected shaft attached to it. You can then remove the rear cover and rotate the diff until the spider access window is available, remove the cross pin and circlip, and take the stub shaft out of the diff. Have a machine shop separate them. Worst case, they are damaged beyond repair and you are out a stub and/or shaft.

Gen-4 and Quaife is a different story. The Gen-4 stub is held in with a spring clip [like the CV/Axle], not a circlip. If neither want to let go, you are screwed [unlikely]. Similar story on a Quaife. The stubs are held in with screws, only accessible from the CV end. If the cv wont come off- you cant get the stub off! Only solution is to cut the CV off so you can access the bolt, and then remove the stub. At this extent, have a machine shop cut the remainder of the CV off the stub to make sure it is salvageable.

This is one of the side advantages to a "balls out" CV shaft setup w/Quaife... they all have CV flanges that easily come apart, and no more stub shafts, with one less joint to fail.