rompnXJ

last week my welded 8.25 went kaboom on the highway. i havent torn it apart yet but im pretty sure everything in there is toasted, the pinion shaft can be moved in/out & side to side like an inch in all directions so i know at the very least the pinion bearings are destroyed(i've read that there are 2 bearings supporting the pinion shaft, is that right?)
i plan to pull a 3.55' ring & pinion from a JY, along with a new (JY) carrier. i have an Aussie i will be putting into it as well. its a 29 spline.

my question is how to set pinion depth. from what ive been reading in the searches is that unless you have some fancy unheard of tool, all you can do is gradually crank down the crush sleeve until the wear pattern shows the pinion gear is centered on the ring gear (which is verified with paint/grease) and then adjust your backlash till its .006-.010 using a dial indicator.

or do you crank down the crush sleeve to a specified ft.lbs. and adjust depth only with the shims? im reading that adjustment shims need to be installed between the bearing and pinion gear; if so does that mean adjusting pinion depth will require pressing the bearing on/off multiple times until its correct?
i just need to know how to set & adjust the pinion depth without any fancy tools, all i have is a dial indicator and some paint LOL. thanks.
i understand how to physically set/adjust the backlash, pinion depth i dont.

...i should probably take this opportunity to regear, i plan to run 33's soon. but i just put an aussie in the front a couple weeks ago and i dont want to pull the front end all apart again. ughhh
do 33's suck that bad with 3.55's??

93gc40

Gearing is definately one of those, "If you have to ask, you shouldn't do it", jobs.

If you don't want issues either pay to have your axel fixed or have an EXPERIENCED R&P Tech on hand when you do the work. Gears is not a NEWBIE, job.

rompnXJ

im not a newbie, i've been turning wrenches for a living for 6 years, and for the last 2 years ive been turning wrenches for Porsche. while i may not be familiar with solid rear axles since no european cars use them, i doubt you would know your way around a Gt2 or even a damn Boxster.
so unless you have tech advice i dont need your belittling input.

mr white

Pinion depth is set with shims. If you do a little searching on how to replace gears there is a sweet write up with pics on how to do it. You may as well regear now for larger tires.

rompnXJ

ahh ok. yeah, i know i really should regear, im just lazy when it comes to my own vehicles i guess haha. work has been pretty slow today so ive already spent the better part of my day searching; i will keep looking though. thanks

MuscleHead

Just curious why you would pull the carrier and R&P gears from the JY when you can just grab the whole axle? Much easier and wouldnt have to worry about setting anything up.

rompnXJ

i dont have a way to transport an entire axle. i dont mind tearing mine apart, i need to put my aussie in anyway.

scott7689

Just so happens One fits quite nicely in the back of the cherokee

jeepheep1

As far as gearing goes.. I personally wouldn't run 33's on 3.55's. Friend of mine did and it DOGGED. Just my opinion

mr white

His cherokee rear end went kaboom. I am assuming his cherokee is OOS. :P

jeepheep1

x2

mr white

Here's step by step with pics:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/te...sta/Gear_Setup

Seriously though, if you're going to go through all that trouble anyway, just regear while you're at it for larger tires. I would not want to do this more than I had to.

freegdr

like stated above either get whole rear and install or have some one with experince in seting up gears handle it....

mr white

Something else to think about: if you're just gonna be swapping in 3.55s find an axle from the junkyard (and a friend with a truck), not worth the hassle of installing gears unless you're going to upgrade.

Big David

X2 on the "if you have to ask".

I have 3.55's & auto., I run 31's on the street & get 300 miles to a tank.I ran 33's & got 200 miles to a tank.I know there is a slight diff due to the speedo but really?????