Michael,
I went through my BJ8's differential and set it up to spec when I
installed a Lempert 3.5 gearset a few years ago. After setting proper
pinion bearing preload and gear backlash there was still quite a bit of
slack in the gears, especially if you turn the wheels (a few thousandths
or so of backlash at the diff equals an inch or so of slack at the
drum/wheel). I had the diff out recently to clean it after a wheel
bearing failed and the gear wear patterns looked perfect so I think we
got it right and, yes, there will be quite a bit of perceived slack at
the wheels even if the diff is set up correctly.
If there isn't a "clunk" when you engage or change gears you're probably
OK but, if your car has over 100K miles--or hasn't been driven regularly
over its lifespan--it might be a good idea to pull the diff and have a
look. It's not necessarily a "fun" job but it's not distasteful (like
pulling the lower A-arms) and it's a good idea to check the wheel
bearings while you're at it (any roughness when turning and they need
replacement before they fail and strand you). Any pinion bearing
preload will probably be gone and, of course, you can replace seals and
gaskets while you're at it.
FWIW, I put Redline 75W-90 synthetic gear oil in the diff when we put
the 3.5 gears in, and after probably 20K miles or so the hypoid gear
surfaces were polished but some of the original machining marks were
still visible.
bs
Michael Hartfield wrote:
> There is looseness and a clank when the slack is taken up in the drive train
> of my 1965 BJ8. I thought it was in the universal joints,but they appear
> tight. The slack seems to be in the differential. How much free play is
> tolerable as you rotate the drive shaft? And is there danger in too much
> slack or is the free play normal and I should get used to it??
>
> Michael
> BJ8
>
*******************************************************************
Bob Spidell San Jose, CA bspidell@comcast.net
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