[6pack] Differential Health Metrics

[Robert M. Lang]

Hi,

The book has a set of procedures that you can use to measure the various 
end-float and clearances in your diff. That said there's only a few 
characteristics of the diff that can give you noise.

Most obvious is lack of fluid. Don't laugh. I taken diffs out of parts 
cars that we totally empty of gear fluid.

Next is poor bearing preload, usually too tight. The pinion bearings, 
particularly the pinion head bearing can howl. If they overheat the races 
can gall and then they make a lot of noise. But this sort of thing usually 
shows up right after a rebuild or right after a "sharp" grease monkey 
decides that the pinion nut needs to be cranked down good and tight to fix 
things and the bearing preload goes to hell when the collapsable spacer 
(not available in all models!!) collapses.

The diff carrier bearings can also gall, spin and otherwise make noise.

There's also the loose ring gear, but that's more of a rattle unless a 
bolt backs out far enough to lock the diff at which time it becomes a BANG 
and then there's no differential action 'till you replace the darn thing.

Now, there's settings for the pinion head height which controls the mesh 
with the ring gear but that shouldn't change once the diff is set up 
unless there's a major problem and there are side-to-side shims so you can 
center the carrier, but those dimensions shouldn't change under normal 
ops. There's also the spherical shims for the sun/planet gears but these 
only seem to control backlash within the differential...

TR6 diffs are all sorts of fun!!

I also probably didn't answer your question. :-)

regards,
rml
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Bob Lang              Triumph TR6!!            |  This space for rent
2010 NER Solo Chair                            |
Voice:617-253-7438                             |  Cell: 339-927-4489
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