Need help!! - Aussie Locker install - rear dana 44 JK

[Raven]

Hi, I'm halfway done but need help for the rest. I will pay for service and gas. The carrier is removed. I marked the position of the bearing adjusters for reassembly, but I didn't mark the bearing races...

If you are willing to help and come by my place (I'm in Aylmer), please call me! Thanks!!

Max
819-319-5983

 

[Raven]

I'm in no rush, but I would really like it to be ready for Spring Fever!! So this is an emergency call, my jeep is on stands and I need to get it back on the road!

Thanks again to the person who will kindly accept to give me a hand!!

 

[junkpile]

Is this a lunchbox style locker?

 

[junkpile]

Like this?

 

[Raven]

^ Yes! But the JK Dana 44 seems to have a thick ring gear, so I need to remove it to take the spider gears out...

 

[Raven]

... I wrote to Torq-Masters and they said one way would be to grind down one ring gear tooth at the cross pin...

but yet you have to remove the ring gear in order to do that, and if I remove the ring gear, I will be able to pull out the cross pin... so no need to grind down a tooth I guess...

 

[junkpile]

Oh I see, it's the same idea as a Dana30. I'm not sure what you need help with, it sounds like you have everything under control. Pain in the butt but fairly straight forward.
Try to remember which race came off which side when you reassemble. Otherwise you may (or may not) incur a bit of side bearing noise.

 

[Raven]

You know what (it'll sound silly, but) I think I needed confirmation that I was on the right track, hehe! Plus, even though I did mark the position of the bearing adjusters for reassembly, I didn't mark the bearing races, so I needed to know if it was a fatal mistake... But if it's only a matter of noise, I can live with that. Thanks Junkpile!!

 

[Raven]

Now, my only question is, do I need to pull out the bearing cones to remove the ring gear? Seems logical, but the instruction manual just says to remove the ring gear in order to pull out the cross pin...

 

[junkpile]

I'm not sure what you mean by "bearing cones". The ring gear is just bolted onto the carrier.

 

[Raven]

What happened is that in all the videos I watched, people always remove the bearings prior to removing the ring gear, and the same in the Dana manual. But after looking at it for while and reading the Aussie instructions, I realized that I don't need to remove the bearings unless I needed to replace them... I will get there! Thanks again for your comments and advice! Sometimes all you need is a little push, especially when you're a newbie like me!!

 

[junkpile]

Cheers! Oh and get yourself a small tube of blue loctite, put a drop on each of the ring gear bolts when you reassemble.

 

[Raven]

I will. It's a good thing I already bought the Blue, 'cause at this point I might have been tempted to go with the Red, hehe!!!

 

[2Greys]

Pretty sure you should do red.
Also if I recall the black bolts are supposed to only be used once as they stretch.
Doesnt mean they can't be used again though

 

[Raven]

But isn't Red permanent?

Regarding the ring gear bolts, I also have read in the instructions that they should be changed, but since my JK doesn't even have 5000 km on it, I guess I'll reuse them.

 

[Kunker]

You really don't want the ring gear bolts backing out. Regardless of KM's, torque to yield bolts are a use once and discard, even if you literally torqued them for mockup with 0KM.

 

[2Greys]

It's not permanent if you hit them with some heat.
Done over I would have probably ground down the tooth with a dremel. I would have had to do that with my 8.8 but instead bought an ARB

 

[Raven]

You really don't want the ring gear bolts backing out. Regardless of KM's, torque to yield bolts are a use once and discard, even if you literally torqued them for mockup with 0KM.

What's the best and quickest way to get new bolts? Do I need to order them?

 

[junkpile]

Technically the bolts should be replaced, but I've had no issues reusing them multiple times. The torque spec is fairly low so the amount of stretch they actually get is??? BUT that being said out loud may have "jinxed" the entire affair and you'll be the guy who shears all ten (or however many) ring gear bolts in the middle of nowhere! Don't use red loctite, blue is more than sufficient. The next guy to take it apart may not know you used red and snap every bolt off with his impact...then hopefully never find out it was you who used red loctite (;

 

[Raven]

ok, so I'll go with Blue and Logan ordered bolts for me. Thanks guys! (I probably won't make it to Thursday's meeting, so I can work on the install, but I have registered and paid for Spring Fever!)