With Luck Like This.......
- Thread starter Opie Knievel
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I've decided not to use the 14 bolt after all. I'm gonna see what's wrong with the rear end in my truck and most likely repair it.
the spider gears are made up of 2 pinion gears and 2 side gears. The pinions are first to go cause they are smaller than the side gear. Damage to the pinion gears is caused by the rear wheel turning different speeds dues to unequal tire size or different tire pressures. With the pinon gears constantly spinning on the pinion shaft they will eventually wear down the shaft causing the spider gears not to mesh properly. The side gears sit on the spline in the axles and are beefier than the pinion gears so they usually don't get damaged.
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Exactly. That's what happened in this case. The side gears were fine and the pinion gears were trashed. I had a very experienced auto tech (30 years experience) check it out and give me his opinion. He said junk it and find another unit. He said it looked like the pinion gears had been damaged from heat like someone had run the differential low on gear oil. Also it had sat outside and got rained in. There was rust on the inside of the case. The entire housing needed disassembled, cleaned and new bearings and seals installed. It would be way too much money especially after the cost of replacing the spider gears.
Tahoe rear ends are the same except for the leaf spring perches. They're a little bit wider. I'm seriously thinking about getting one from a Tahoe and moving the spring perches.
Garage space was a little tight but I managed to get the truck in and remove the cover from the broken 10 bolt rear end.
I was not pleased with what I saw. The ring gear had 1 tooth broken. The spider gears are TRASHED!!! The side gear of the right axle is the worst but overall, the entire gear set needs replaced.
At least I know the magnet in the cover is working well.
I'm probably gonna replace the rear end with a used one. This is definitely gonna slow down progress on the Monte Carlo.
I was not pleased with what I saw. The ring gear had 1 tooth broken. The spider gears are TRASHED!!! The side gear of the right axle is the worst but overall, the entire gear set needs replaced.
At least I know the magnet in the cover is working well.
I'm probably gonna replace the rear end with a used one. This is definitely gonna slow down progress on the Monte Carlo.
When you get it back together you might want to just baby it. She looks pretty tired (sway backed) but my dad taught me that if you baby something like that you can work it for a long, long time.
If you're referring to the sag where the cab and bed meet, that's a body mount issue. The frame is a little rusty but solid. As far as babying it, I've never been good at babying vehicles. As long as my name is on the title I'm gonna drive the hell out of it. Lol. What I will do in the future is refrain from doing 6000 RPM neutral drops on textured concrete. That's what broke this rear end. Was it stupid, yeah. Did I learn from it, most definitely. If I'm driving someone else's vehicle, I do my best to respect them and treat their vehicle with respect but if it's mine, you never know what kind of abuse it's gonna see.
Then I guess you'll be changing the thread's title cause bad luck has nothing to do with your breakdowns....😛
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