Diff removal or not ?
Discussion
I am rebuilding the rear end - drive shafts, hubs, A frames and spring units are off the car.
Question - Is it now easier to drop drop the whole diff / brake assy and rebuild the brake units on the bench or follow the bible and remove calipers and discs from underneath leaving diff in car.
David
Question - Is it now easier to drop drop the whole diff / brake assy and rebuild the brake units on the bench or follow the bible and remove calipers and discs from underneath leaving diff in car.
David
Swings and roundabouts.... Dropping the whole unit does make brake access easier but some of the diff mounting bolts are difficult to get to. Takes less time to remove the callipers in situ but with the diff removed everything is so more accessible!
Done both. Diff etc is very heavy to manipulate so I think the balance goes to removing callipers in situ. maybe.
>> Edited by shpub on Saturday 15th January 20:59
Done both. Diff etc is very heavy to manipulate so I think the balance goes to removing callipers in situ. maybe.
>> Edited by shpub on Saturday 15th January 20:59
I did it once. Mind you, the bugger had to come of for a refurb. Took a bit of sideways thinking for some of the awkward nuts and bolts etc. Nearly cut the parcel shelf but knew that re sealing that could be a problem. Did it on me lonesome so a bit of saftey, and application of, for lowering once all was undone. Ropes, ratchet strop and jacks and wood and dreaming of a proper garage facility. Once it was off though, a dream to get at the brake bits. But after much struggling to get it all back up I realised a slight mistake meant I had to take one of the calipers back off. Put up with the awkward access etc and left the diff in situ and skined me knuckles a bit more.
The diff is fecking heavy... on my car id still drop the diff and do it all on the bench , but then again i do have holes cut in the boot floor to get at all the bolts.
so in summary i'd say if its just a brake fettle i'd leave it in. If its a keeper and you want to do the job properly id drop the diff, but you might want to cut a few holes to make it doable
G
so in summary i'd say if its just a brake fettle i'd leave it in. If its a keeper and you want to do the job properly id drop the diff, but you might want to cut a few holes to make it doable
G
djc1001 said:
I am rebuilding the rear end - drive shafts, hubs, A frames and spring units are off the car.
Question - Is it now easier to drop drop the whole diff / brake assy and rebuild the brake units on the bench or follow the bible and remove calipers and discs from underneath leaving diff in car.
David
Having removed diffs from 2 different Wedges, I'd say the most difficult part is lining everything up properly on the re-install whilst jacking the diff into place. The nearside caliper can be tricky to remove with it in situ because of the proximity of chassis rails, and undoing the caliper bolts can be a labourious job (not forgetting removing and replacing the lockwire. And if you take the diff out, you should really get the wheel alignment checked afterwards. Also check for cracks in the chassis tubes in the area around the front of the diff - mine had a few which needed attention, although this was done with the diff in. Either way , if you're taking the calipers off, I'd replace the discs as they're fairly cheap.
Taken the diff out a couple of times. I've drilled two holes in the boot so you can get a socket on the top diff carrier bolts and then sealed with rubber bungs. Makes the job very easy.
I found it easier to get a sheet of wood about 3-4ft x 2ft put it under the diff stacked up with bricks either side. Lower the diff onto the wood then using a trolly jack remove the bricks one each side until it's on the floor you can then just pull the whole lot from under the car. Fitting is the reverse and you can slide the diff ass on the wood to get it lined up. Last time I put it back only took a couple of hours on my own. PS make sure the wood is more then 1/2" thick otherwise it will bend under the weight.
I found it easier to get a sheet of wood about 3-4ft x 2ft put it under the diff stacked up with bricks either side. Lower the diff onto the wood then using a trolly jack remove the bricks one each side until it's on the floor you can then just pull the whole lot from under the car. Fitting is the reverse and you can slide the diff ass on the wood to get it lined up. Last time I put it back only took a couple of hours on my own. PS make sure the wood is more then 1/2" thick otherwise it will bend under the weight.
for some pics of the diff assembly out.Gassing Station | Wedges | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff