Question on the Dana 30 HP pinion preload adjustment
- Thread starter TexasTJ2004
- Start date
Seems like I have total of
3/1000 inch shims - 3 units
5/1000 inch shims - 1 unit
10/1000 inch shims - 4 units
30/1000 inch shims - 1 unit
Total preload shim width is 3x3+5+10x4+30=84/1000
Seems a lot of shim to me.
3/1000 inch shims - 3 units
5/1000 inch shims - 1 unit
10/1000 inch shims - 4 units
30/1000 inch shims - 1 unit
Total preload shim width is 3x3+5+10x4+30=84/1000
Seems a lot of shim to me.
So the order of things would be to pull all the pinion preload shims, reinstall the pinion using old nut tighten to get some preload and check pattern. If pattern needs adjusting do it now but if is looks reasonably close I would not fight it. Once pattern is verified work on getting the preload correct. Since you have only 10k on the bearings and it being a front I would probably shoot for .010-.012 in lbs preload. After you have preload established install seal and new nut.
The yoke looks like it will be ok. I would dress the ends of the splines with a triangle file and the end of the yoke with some wet dry on a piece of glass or other known flat surface to make sure there are no burrs. I am not so sure about that inner bearing though. Can you post pics of the races?
I would agree it is probably too much. Ideally though you want to start high and work down to it so you run less risk of hurting a bearing. It also looks like the stack did not place the thinner shims between two thicker ones. While it is not truly necessary it does help prevent the warping that is happening to your thinner shims. I would start taking two of the .010 shims out torque the nut to 100 lbs, check the bearings are not locked up and if not take to 200 and then measure for preload.
Definite signs of being run loose and moisture in the oil. Personally if it is something you drive a lot I would go through the effort of replacing the bearings. If it is more of what is referred to up here as a "Village Rig" then get everything cleaned up and back together.
I drive it to errands, weekend fun, maybe to national park. Don't drive it to work, have new asian car for it.
Do you think that it will live for next 30K miles, or given the state of the bearings it is too much to ask?
I ended up with removing 16/1000 shims in total, and now at 200 feet/pound I get preload of 8 inch/pound. When I remove 19/1000 shims in total, then I get too much of preload.
Never thought that 1/1000 of inch shim matters.
More than likely it will be just fine. And yes it can be annoying but .001 matters. It would be nice if you can find a shim combo that nets you a couple more inch pounds but it will live with 8 if that is what you have.
Yeah, 0.001 does matter. Removed additional 0.001, and got excessive preload (20 inch pound) already when torqued to just 150 feet pound. I guess, adding back the 0.001, and buttoning up everything.
I will check the gear pattern. If it load 0.016 inch in preload shims, I guess it would have impact on the on the pinion depth - the inner bearing got eaten up slightly, I assume.
I will check the gear pattern. If it load 0.016 inch in preload shims, I guess it would have impact on the on the pinion depth - the inner bearing got eaten up slightly, I assume.
As BJ mentioned, not healthy, but not uncommon either. When an axle has a lot of miles, the preload (bearings) wears down. I see it a lot where there isn't any preload whatsoever.
I learned a lot from your Dana 30 gear set up video. I feel guilty for keeping the old bearings and hoping that it will work just fine somehow. It is like knowing what needs to be done, but doing it half ass.
I have 4.56 gears, and I don’t think that I will stay with them for more than couple of years, so this would be my time then to replace the carrier bearings and shims, and the entire pinion setup.
Did you run a pattern before taking stuff apart? To be honest, if you aren't doing a full re-gear, then I'd put it back the way it was. Did it have any issues (other than very low pre-load) is was presenting? If not, put it back they way you found it and that will probably be your best chance for success. If you tighten up the preload now, the used bearings will wear differently and it could lead to bearing failure.
The best case with out doing a full re-gear, is to replace all four bearings and leave all the shims in their original position when putting it back together. If you aren't going to change anything out, then leave everything as it is.
Lastly, if you are going to replace the bearings, then you need to account for the baffle behind the inner race as you will most likely destroy it when removing the race. They do sell that as an individual item.
Oh, I didn't realize that. I thought we were dealing with high mileage. I would take them back to the shop and have them correct it. If that isn't an option, then adjust preload and send it. No need for a pattern or anything. It's already been established and work hardened.
Before I took everything apart, I had a problem of excessive play in the yoke.
In had up/down and in/out movement.
Also the yoke seal with leaking badly, which is expected when yoke has some much play. Trying to make pattern that way did not make sense to me.
My rear Dana 44 does not have almost any preload, but it has zero in/out or up/down play, as expected.
I bought the axle from a guy who made the regear at some local shop, then ran it under his rig, and then upgraded to JK Rubi Dana 44 front and sold it to me.
Additional problems are that there was water in the diff oil and the pinion angle with which I was running (I had 3.6 degrees pinion angle, when I am supposed to have 0) was bad. I assume that these increased the tear and wear on the pinion, shims and the bearings.