Hi. I was wondering if the bearings differentials, where they bolt to the carrier inside the third member, are pressed on with a machine press or if they are put on by hand. I have a new limited slip install that I wish to do but I do not know if I need to take the old differential into a shop and have the old bearings pressed off or have new bearings pressed on to the new differential. Any hint would be much appreciated. :-)
The bearings need to be pressed on. I would use new bearings rather than re-use the old ones.
That would depend on the mileage on them some too but I tend to go with new one if you are changing the carrier since you are going to have to reset preload with a different carrier you might as well do it with new.
----------------- TheSnoMan.com
Agreed, new bearings. If you could be sure you can pull the old bearings off without damage, then they could be pressed on the new unit, but...use new bearings.
Toyota sells a kit with bearings, gaskets, etc. It is worth getting.
After you assemble the new unit, you need to check the gear tooth backlash with a dial indicator and check the gear tooth contact area with prussian blue paste. If either needs to be altered, you need shims from Toyota. These need to come from the warehouse, and you need to know which sizes you need. I found it quicker and cheaper to get the shims (and maybe also the gasket & bearing kit) from Randy's Ring & Pinion. These were genuine Toyota parts.
Desertphile wrote:
Thank you, and bummer: I had hoped to do the work myself. I bought a "Truetrac" limited slip.
Howdy and thank you. I bnought a "Truetrac" limited slip differential which fits into the old carrier. If I understand the instructions on the sheet of paper that came with the Truetrac, it comes already set to a "preload." I'll probably take the pickup into town and ask a mechanic to do the job.
You still can do the work. You just need the bearings pressed on, any machine shop should be able to do that. You can still do the rest of the work yourself.
I'll admit I've never built a Toyota rear end, but I have set up many gear sets of different brands. I have never used a press to install the differential side bearings. Even when I took auto tech classes, and had access to a press we just pounded them on with a brass drift or chisel. I don't doubt that a press with the appropriate dies would be faster, safer, and a preferable method, but for a DIY job a good hammer and a little attention to detail will work too. Something else that hasn't been mentioned is heating the bearings prior to installation. In most cases they will drop in/on easily and all that is needed it a couple of taps to make sure they're seated well. That being said it still puts you in the position of re-setting the gear pattern, backlash, ect.... and that isn't a task for the masses.
Hummm. Maybe I will do that. I will have to research what "run-out" is and "pre-load." The TrueTrac thingie says that it is already "pre- loaded" to 100 pounds, if I recall correctly, so that I need not worry about doing the "pre-load" myself. It is all one big unit that gets the 8-inch gear ring bolted to it, then it slips into the carrier and bolted down with the bearing caps. I have the gasket and gear oil.
Golly, now you've frightened me into reconsidering. (Wry grin) Maybe I'll hire someone at a garage to do it, and hope they know what they are doing. I have a Toyota repair manual in PDF format for the pickup, and it has instructions on how to work on the differential properly: marking parts so that they fit back together in the same gear teeth, etc.
I wouldn't make that leap of faith. (that a local mechanic will know what he's doing). Often these folks do more harm than good. I would use some one I really trust, or do it myself. It's pretty much just a bolt-in job, since the diff is pre-assembled. Might want to take the opportunity to replace the outer axle bearings too.
That sounds like a good idea. The pickup is only driven about 8 days out of the year (to fetch food), but that is over very rough and steep ground. This means I can afford to take my time and work on the vehicle. I will send away for the bearings I need.
The last time I worked on a differential it was an MG Midget, and I just bolted on the spare third member with the carrier already inside.
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