I did my own re-gear: the saga continues

[AndyG]

This post is not meant to insult anyone's ability or intentions, or to make anyone hesitate to regear . I'm just a guy , I own a remodeling company , have worked with my hands all my life , and was a mechanic in my early 20's.


After regearing my '03 Rubicon , with my company mechanic, I had to take the Jeep to a pro to dial it in and get the front locker pin to hook on to the locker flange so the dash light worked . At that point , I was just glad it actually would roll.

Had a pinion seal I noticed last week leak so I took it back to be repaired , and had the recommended Rancho shocks installed also. Nice stuff.

Got it back today , plan on leaving for Gatlinburg Wednesday , and now I have a leak in the front at the diff cover , front is low of fluid, the front has too much backlash , and it has a gear noise on decel from the front ...hope I didn't hurt anything . Really they should have checked the front , knowing the rear seal failed .

I'm thrilled I regeared it ,and sick that I attempted it myself ...now it's turned into a situation where the shop likely feels they are getting stuck fixing someone else's problem , and I truly understand that ...and it 'll be a cold day in Hades before I crack it open again personally.

I own a business , I know the deal.

So what's the point here ?

Well, don't underestimate the difficulty of the job and where it's going to leave you if you run into problems .

Now that I've been into a differential , and have seen all that has to be spot on to be successful , I'll gladly pay a pro, and enjoy some peace of mind .

 

[Chris]

I almost, almost did my re-gear myself.

I'm very glad I didn't, especially after reading your post(s) on this matter. This is one of those jobs where you just have to leave it to a professional who knows what they're doing.

I have no doubt whatsoever now that I would have ended up in your shoes exactly.

 

[Rob5589]

You sure the front is making noise? Generally, since it just free spins in 2wd, you won't hear much if any noise out of the front. Not to say it cannot happen just unlikely. Would be great to see some patterns, measuring backlash is a quick to do while pulling the cover to re-seal.

 

[AndyG]

Chris , I'm so mad at myself I can't see straight . The only reason I tackled it was because I didn't want it out of my sight that long ...which is ridiculous .

Now I'm having to be very diplomatic with the shop, one , the guy is a real nice guy , class person , and two, I'm the moron that started the problems .

My answer now when folks ask of they should do it themselves , will be Yes, if you know how .

Honestly , if someone has to ask , they likely don't need to.

I have singlehandedly disabled one of the last few remaining , low mileage ,03 Rubicons.

Depression sets in.

 

[bobthetj03]

Feel your pain brah! I won't go into details, but now I have a lovely rear end whine do to my pinion depth being too deep.

 

[AndyG]

You sure the front is making noise? Generally, since it just free spins in 2wd, you won't hear much if any noise out of the front. Not to say it cannot happen just unlikely. Would be great to see some patterns, measuring backlash is a quick to do while pulling the cover to re-seal.

Agreed .


At this point , I don't even trust my own assessments Rob...I definitely have too much backlash in the front judging by the driveshaft play ...I sent the shop a video , and ideally he will check that.

I'm hoping for a short term fix for the trip , (stop the leak, change fluid and tighten pinion if needed) ..long term , I'm ready for lube lockers and a set of the new revolution treated gears , along with new seals , etc.


The jeep has new Spicer's front to back on the shafts , and I now hear a clunk when on and off the gas , making me think it's that slop.

I'm hypercritical at this point , and that means I'm not being objective , it's just a frame of mind I need to work out of.

 

[Rob5589]

@AndyG here is what I would do; find a shop you trust and have them check everything and re-set it up again. Unless the depth and bl are waaay off, you should be able to correct most if not all your issues. It is possible that you would end up with some gear whine. Yea it kinda sucks but isn't necessarily indicative of a gear set going bad, or is bad.

 

[Rob5589]

Agreed .


At this point , I don't even trust my own assessments Rob...I definitely have too much backlash in the front judging by the driveshaft play ...I sent the shop a video , and ideally he will check that.

I'm hoping for a short term fix for the trip , (stop the leak, change fluid and tighten pinion if needed) ..long term , I'm ready for lube lockers and a set of the new revolution treated gears , along with new seals , etc.


The jeep has new Spicer's front to back on the shafts , and I now hear a clunk when on and off the gas , making me think it's that slop.

I'm hypercritical at this point , and that means I'm not being objective , it's just a frame of mind I need to work out of.

Unless you know what to feel for, driveshaft play is not the same as backlash. It is common for the shaft to rotate 1/4 to 1/2 turn depending on what you are running. Lockers are notorious for a lot of play and free spin. It is not considered backlash, however.

 

[Boinked]

The problem with regearing yourself is you CANNOT have a "thats good enough attitude". Like the EOD says “Initial Success or Total Failure”. If its not perfect its wrong and try again. I pulled my carrier what felt like 30 times on my front because it would not give the pattern i wanted. My rear was perfect after 3.

This is were obsessive compulsion disorder come in handy. You must be obsessive when it comes to everything.

It's the difference between a rough framer and a finish Carpenter.

 

[AndyG]

Yes , it in good hands , and the front shaft movement is likely me just not knowing what I'm looking for .

He reset it up after I did it , and it really smoothed out and quietened down ...


Now having ran it low of fluid , I'm pretty nervous .

I think I'm getting like I did after scary movies ...hearing every bump in the house .
The seal leaks are just likely just random , he said he sees that occasionally , and the yoke looked good.

I'm just being a baby , and I want my pacifier .. its white , and has big tires and smiley face lights .

 

[AndyG]

The problem with regearing yourself is you CANNOT have a "thats good enough attitude". Like the EOD says “Initial Success or Total Failure”. If its not perfect its wrong and try again. I pulled my carrier what felt like 30 times on my front because it would not give the pattern i wanted. My rear was perfect after 3.

This is were obsessive compulsion disorder come in handy. You must be obsessive when it comes to everything.

It's the difference between a rough framer and a finish Carpenter.

Man , you are so right . I'm a finish carpenter .

It's like pregnant , either you are or you ain't.

 

[AndyG]

You know , it just hit me .

There was what I believe to be a young man on here recently , and he said if you watched 2 videos.....

 

[Alex01]

You know , it just hit me .

There was what I believe to be a young man on here recently , and he said if you watched 2 videos.....

Did you know him as dick, jane, or harry? Lol luckly rob scared him away by telling him its not easy.

 

[ohiopatriot]

Very good, honest posts. Respect.

This is not directed at the OP.

There are mechanics and there are specialist. A specialist can be a fine mechanic. A mechanic can become a specialist. With training and experience.

Setting gears is a specialty. Not worth it to DIY, unless you really enjoy a challenge and buying (or borrow) relatively expensive tools. It can be done though.

Most jobs in the shop have removal and installation instructions in the manual, usually something like (1) remove part A, (2)remove part B, (3)remove part C and (4)on and (5)on, but even if it's 33 steps of removal the installation instructions say.........

(1) Installation is reverse of removal.
And that's it.

Gears don't work like that. It's not a replacement it's a precise setup.

@Rob5589 is giving good advice. You get it and seem like a humble man. Talk to the shop, offer donuts or pizza (you'd be surprised how well that works)(at least at my shop) and ask if they can help you out.

Send them a note of thanks a week later and your future business. They will appreciate that.

 

[AndyG]

Absolutely and I love the way you just explained it about gear setup .. it's not in the same category as most parts replacement jobs ...at all...and that is exactly where I realized I was in over my head ....I kept asking myself "how do I know this is right?". That is no fun.

Did you know him as dick, jane, or harry? Lol luckly rob scared him away by telling him its not easy.

I would say he seemed more like the first name you listed .

 

[Rob5589]

You know , it just hit me .

There was what I believe to be a young man on here recently , and he said if you watched 2 videos.....

:meparto:

 

[Rob5589]

@Rob5589 is giving good advice.

Don't tell me I am giving good advice! You don't know me from...., Oh wait, was a compliment. :meparto:

And yea, we loved donuts. And pizza. Or both

 

[05 Blue Unlimited]

Don't tell me I am giving good advice! You don't know me from...., Oh wait, was a compliment. :meparto:

And yea, we loved donuts. And pizza. Or both

It's amazing just how far a grill and 5lbs of ribeyes at lunch will go.

 

[AndyG]

They could eat and watch those midget regear videos.

 

[glwood]

Don't tell me I am giving good advice! You don't know me from...., Oh wait, was a compliment. :meparto:

And yea, we loved donuts. And pizza. Or both

Just curious - do you still do regears, or are those days behind you? (Not asking for me, just in general).