VLOG #15: Ford 8.8" Differential Rebuild - Preload, Backlash & Gear Pattern ... Oh My! 

How come you didn't use the microwave? ---Just kidding.

@@frankpaya690 , makes for a great fireworks display when you do!! 😂

I would think, a contact pattern, would tell you more about whether you have your ring and pinion aligned correctly, even than checking backlash with a gauge.

Glad it was helpful!

Sounds like you needed to replace the bearings.

Autozone ... I think it was around $20-$25.

you need some brake grease for it for max coverage of the specks.

@@nicparker3809 You mean for checking the pattern on the Ring gear? Thanks

+John Solar 283 ™ Factory manual and a class or two about 20 years ago ... haven't touched a ring & pinion since, but once I started reading the shop manuals it all came back to me.

I'd remove the nut, crush washer and seal and then replace them ... you might be able to get by without redoing the seal though ... check for leaks first. Replace the crush washer and nut and torque to spec and you should be good to go. The whine is most likely from the pinion depth going to shit once he over torqued the nut and over crushed the washer. It's possible to do that in-vehichle without dropping anything, but it's a total PITA and I'd highly recommend a lift as getting enough torque to crush that washing under the vehicle on your back will be next to impossible.

Hey thanks for the quick replay +neutered10mm we will try that. Mind me asking again, what would be the torque spec? I have a 07 mustang stock.

As long as they are still in the groups they started in and weren't combined / mixed together, it should be obvious if you switch sides. Way too loose, or way too tight. I have a checklist set up to measure and write down each pack-up of shims as I remove them. Hope this helped.

It’s called the ABS tone ring. It is used to detect rear lockup.

El_De_La_Lobo check out the previous vlog prior to this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FdsvQ2iVXzE.html

Exactly

All new bearings also

sounds like it

Please tell me that 20 FOOT Pounds was a typo ... it's supposed to be around 20 INCH pounds and would definitely explain your issues if that wasn't a typo.

BTW, if this isn't a typo, you have over-crushed the crush washer and have to redo this step replacing the washer with a new one.

No need put pinion in freezer. Just heat the bearing will do. I used an old milk can an put the bearing on top while heating with my torch. I used my left hand to slowly turn the bearing so the heat is applied all around the inner bearing center.

@@alcyon2sp freezing the pinon wont hurt the heat treatment of the metal, Over heating the bearing will. So freezing the pinion just gives you the ability to do the same thing at a lower temp vs just heating the bearing, just a safer way to do it.

@@DBLDREW i used a laser thermometer to check the temp.

@@alcyon2sp not saying it cant work your way, just saying its a smaller window for error because you need to go to a higher temp to get the expansion.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer. Sorry for the super late reply but figured it would help others.

Narciso Veloz you are going thane a lot of noise. You will hear a constant humming sound when driving and the faster you go it will humm louder. Also you will hear a clunking sound when starting and stopping. Not good. This is a precision piece of equipment and I would suggest that someone who specializes in diffe do the work. It's not something you want to be throwing together. You shouldn't do what this guy did either. You need to press the bearings on properly and not hammer it period. His paint pattern is not the best. It will wear faster.

Correct, but keep in mind that not everyone has a press or the means to pay someone to do the job. It's possible to do this in your driveway if need be, but you must get the pattern good before proceeding. 2 years on now and not an issue with my locker, which works wonders in soft sand and snow. I'll more than likely be replacing it with a Torsen LSD next year as the lunchbox locker it a bit noisy in parking lots and doesn't like to release traction and chirps the tires around slow corners on dry pavement ... again, mostly in parking lots and shopping centers.

@@robpeters5204 I have had numerous Ford F150s over the years. Two things are a constant: 1. After lifts and tires, I always get 8-10 MPG, and 2. Every one of them - including the 2010 I have now have so much slop in the drivetrain that it sounds like a bowling ball rolling loose in the bed. The next Diff rebuild / re-gear I do will hopefully improve both of those problems. Thanks for the great video series.

There are a lot of resources for this, but it should be included in the ring/pinion sheet when you get them new. Here is a good starting point (for this particular ring/pinion maker) www.differentials.com/technical-help-2/set-up-specs/ (0.011" - 0.016") but keep in mind that differs from the Ford Racing spec in their race ring install guide here performanceparts.ford.com/download/instructionsheets/FordInstShtM-4209-8.pdf (0.008" - 0.012") ... so it's really dependent on the manufacturer of the diff components. IIRC, I used a Yukon Gear setup and their specs are here www.yukongear.com/downloads/manuals/yukon_general_installation_instructions.pdf

Thank you for you respond and the web info I have the information that I need .... I’m doing by my self the ring & and pinion actually I’m upgrading my diff gears on a Hummer H2 you video and others are really helping me a lot thank you again I’m doing a front locker too .! Keep the posting

I was replacing them with a lunchbox locker, but having them in for this setup isn't required. They add no resistance to affect the setting without the axles in.

Won't warp, bend or mar the bearing, though there is a risk of bits of wood getting in the bearing.

@@Georgehanes-GJH105775 I have used wood before a time or two, but I was wondering why you wouldn't use a shorter piece of wood that would offer the cushion but with more control of the piece than that long 2x4. Just an observation.

​@@rickdebacker100 I agree with you on that. Laying a shorter piece sideways lets you tilt the longer ends a little better, and absorbs some, but less of the impact. Personally I prefer the edge grain to be in contact over end grain due to less sawdust, but instead usually just use a bearing press with a brass plate/aluminium pipe as a little cusion. If a bearing press isn't an option the first is a happy compromise, add that 12$ aluminium pipe so you don't risk bending the bearing cage if the wood deforms too much and you aren't using an old bearing in between. I have '2" OD x 1/8" Wall 6061 T6 ALUMINUM Round Tube 24" long Seamless 1.75 ID' in my ebay purchase history that I think I've with my bearing press to do the carrier bearings and/or the pinion bearings of a few of these 8.8s, if you have access to a bearing press this will make it easy.

+heavylead1961 LOL, no kidding! The most time consuming is the shim shuffle if you don't nail it out of the gate. I'm just glad that my pinion shim was spot on right off though as getting to replace it and then redoing the preload is also time consuming.

neutered10mm 4 things i won't do...welding, gas lines in the house, cement, and rear ends!!! and the reason i won't do them is i have to take them to someone that knows what they are doing, because they charge me double for fixing my f- ups LOL

It calls for 8-16 backlash! Stick to Semi trucks. As the Ford Factory knows how they want it done. Not to mention this will wear in out towards the heel!

cjay mac i can not find your bad ass ford 8.8 diff rebuild video, it looks like your channel is blank because you spend your time just talking shit about other peoples helpful videos... i do agree he needs to use a micrometer stand, but 0.010 backlash is spot on. not all diffs have the same backlash the semi trucks you work on. the gears were probably (hopefully) ground down just setup bearings, he did say at the end to press on the bearings

As someone who runs a rebuilding facility and 22+ years building both light duty and semi differentials that pinion could have definitely been a little deeper (and a little lower on the drive side). Patterns should be checked with resistance, always. As far as grinding the ID of bearings, I have a huge drawer dedicated to them (for setup purposes only) that I use without a crush sleeve until depth is set and I'm ready for final assembly. The bearing cones (with the cages and bearings removed) all have a cut in them to use as bearing pressing tools for both pinion and carrier bearings that I use to press on the new bearing cones on without causing any stress to the new bearings. I would never use wood to drive them on, I use press plates with a press or hammer after a minute on a bearing heater. Some light duty rears are shimmed underneath the bearings so we have to keep test bearings for that purpose.

it shouldnt be clicking like that should it? I would buy a new axle and not mess with factory settings thanks...

@@nicholasd4838 man I loved the bearing heater at my last job. Made things so much easier. I'm not trying to bash anyone but I've used hot oil bath in a pinch...would be better than bfh and wood.

I was thinking the same about the depth of the pattern. Exactly what change (direction) in shims will increase the depth without sacrificing the other factors? Thank you in advance.