Differential Ring and Pinion Gear Setup
See how to set up a ring and pinion gear set.
TIMELINE:
0:00 Introduction
0:22 Pinion gear examples
0:40 Pinion bearing locations
0:48 Oil splash shield and seal
0:50 Pinion flange
0:54 Pinion nut
0:58 Bearing preload control
1:33 Measuring bearing preload with rotational torque
3:10 Crush sleeve style preload control
4:55 Learn the parts of the differential case
5:18 Side bearing preload control
5:35 Side bearing shims and shims
8:13 Two purposes of the side bearing shims
8:18 1. Side bearing preload
8:24 2. Ring gear backlash
8:53 Side bearing cap installation
9:50 Total turning preload setup and measurement
11:52 Preparing to measure backlash
12:18 Set up dial indicator for backlash
12:48 Measuring backlash
13:23 Backlash variation warning
14:40 Face Hobbed ring and pinion gear sets
15:15 Face Milled ring and pinion gear sets
16:30 Preparation for painting the gear teeth for a contact pattern check
16:55 Pinion depth shim purpose
18:35 Differential Side gear set backlash check
19:20 Convex Drive side of the tooth
19:27 Concave Coast side of the tooth
19:45 Adjusting backlash
21:00 Gear marking compounds
21:40 Loaded contact pattern check
24:16 Interpreting the contact pattern
24:32 Drive side interpretation
25:10 Coast side interpretation
25:50 Examples of incorrect contact patterns
26:00 Heel, Toe, Coast, Drive terminology
26:20 Toe-Toe = Backlash too small
26:30 Heel-Heel = Backlash too large
26:45 Toe-Heel = Pinion depth is too high (decrease pinion shim thickness)
27:07 Heel-Toe = Pinion depth too low (increase shim thickness)
27:40 Contact pattern tells you if your setup is correct or not
Download our Ring Gear Contact Pattern Interpretation Guide at weberstate.box.com/s/4dnige7m...
ABOUT US:
Weber State University (WSU) - Automotive Technology Department - Transmission Lab. Toyota Tundra 10.5" Rear Differential Ring and Pinion Gear setup. See how to set up a ring and pinion gear set. This differential is typically used in the 2007 and newer Toyota Tundra with the 5.7L Engine. This differential uses a removable differential housing, but the setup is similar to other one-piece housing differentials used by other trucks. Be sure to watch our Differential Side Gear Backlash video for complete setup information.
We teach current vehicle technologies to our automotive students at Weber State University and online. For more information visit: www.weber.edu/automotive
The holding fixture used in this video is the OTC 7020. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and other online retailers.
This video helps demonstrate part of the following 2017 NATEF MAST Tasks:
A3.E.1.8 " Measure and adjust drive pinion depth.", a priority 3 task.
A3.E.1.9 " Measure and adjust drive pinion bearing preload.", a priority 3 task.
A3.E.1.10 " Measure and adjust side bearing preload and ring and pinion gear total backlash and backlash variation on a differential carrier assembly (threaded cup or shim types).", a priority 3 task.
A3.E.1.11 " Check ring and pinion tooth contact patterns; perform necessary action.", a priority 3 task.
This video was created and edited by John D. Kelly at WSU. For a full biography, see www.weber.edu/automotive/J_Kel...
Visit my other youtube channel / vibratesoftware to see the amazing NVH app for vibration diagnosis!
DONATE TO OUR DEPARTMENT
Please consider a donation to the Department of Automotive Technology at Weber State University here: advancement.weber.edu/Automotive
I was in the automotive business for over 38 years , I have done plenty of differentials in my days , what you looking at in this KZhead is a textbook differential assembly , this is the way I did it the mechanic shop way the easy way . 1st ; Ring Gear Carrier bearing preload , the first thing I will do is Ring Gear carrier preload before I even install the pinion gear in the case , I will drop the gear carrier in the case and lightly tighten the bearing caps holding the bearing in place ,after installing the Ring Gear and carrier I will use a rubber mallet and smack the front of the ring gear couple times then the back of the Ring Gear couple times making sure that the ring gear adjustment shims have settled in their place , then tighten the bearing cap bolts to specification and check the preload , at that point I know exactly what size shims I have to use , all what will be left is swapping shims until the right contact point and backlash between the Ring Gear and pinion is achieved . 2nd ; Salvage the old Crush sleeve or shims whatever you're using , install the pinion gear without the oil seal using the old crush sleeve ,(unfortunately oil seals on the market are not exactly all the same , and some aftermarket oil seals will apply additional drag on the pinion gear preload adjustment ), Install the flange yoke ; tighten the pinion gear knot just enough to hold it in place , keep in mind that the new crush sleeve will only give you one chance to get it right , and that's why the use of the old crush sleeve can be extremely helpful ,install the ring gear carrier and set the contact point between the ring gear and the pinion gear . (some Crush sleeves that I had to deal with made out of thin material that would easily Crush , others required extreme pressure before it begins to crush , therefore salvaging the old crush sleeve is an option that might come handy ) . If the crush sleeve was manufactured out of thick difficult to crush material ? I used to do some measurements and get a rough idea of how much Crush did the job require , then using the hydraulic press reduce the size of the crush sleeve leaving behind a small distance to be crushed after installation in the differential . therefore adjusting the pinion too ring gear backlash and contact points will be easily achieved without fighting pinion gear preload with the oil seal drag on top of it , if the differential you're working on uses shims instead of a crush sleeve then you are in luck , it is possible to adjust pinion gear preload to specifications without worrying about the final installation in which the oil seal will impose additional drag on the pinion gear preload adjustment , this way after you are done with all of the adjustments you could easily install the oil seal without changing the pinion gear preload . 3rd ; after the final adjustments making sure it is where you want it to be , remove the drive shaft flange yoke off the pinion gear and install the new washers or the crush sleeve , install the new crush sleeve and the bearing then install the seal and the flange yoke , all what you have to do now is get the proper pinion gear preload keeping in mind that the seal is fighting you back . there was times where the crush sleeve was made from thick material and I had no option except to used the hydraulic press and crushed it to a light preload , after finishing all the adjustments that was needed , I installed the oil seal and all what's left now is just a small amount of Crush sleeves preload , do not use air impact gun to adjust the Crush sleeves preload , it will crush too fast and you will lose it . Warning and if you words of caution and good practice . A used differential will require a larger amount of backlash , for example your dismantling a differential to replace a pinion gear shaft bearings , make sure to measure the amount of backlash on the ring gear and pinion gear before dismantling it , upon reinstallation it is ideal to get the backlash to what it was prior to dismantling it , do not adjust an old used ring gear pinion backlash to the book specs that deals with the new ring gear and pinion , it will be too tight .
Thank you for taking the time to put all that amazing knowledge on the public record. You may never know how many people will benefit.
Thank you so much for this wonderful video. You are a real gentleman with a profound love for your job and willingness to share your knowledge with others. I strongly RECOMMEND and grade this as number 1 video in its category. May God bless you sir for your kindness and generosity.
i have set several ring and pinions in my days. this guy cuts right to the point. Anyone can set up a rear end after watching this great instructional video. i wish i would have had this type of teaching 42 years ago. when i would just slap stuff in and go do burn outs till it exploded. 2 thumbs up
This is THE most informative video on this subject I have ever seen. Thank You for your great teaching skills!
I can't thank you enough for this informative video, great instruction, delivery and visual. I am much more confident taking on my project now thanks to you.
Best tutorial I've ever seen. Generic as it applies to all diffs. Very good explanation of different touch patterns and underlying reasons for deviations.
Set up 2 sets by your video and another one or 2 folks videos, kinda just satisfying my own mind, appreciate you very much, Mine was a 5.29 install on Toyota 8inch, going on 4 years daily driving, I believe it was a good install, thanks again for your help
I will do that! and once again thanks for answering my questions you have helped me so much in educating me on differentials!
Tanks of shearing your professional Ade voice on this Differential ring and Pinion Gear setup.
Thank you!
Thank you so much this explained the mystery PERFECTLY. Really appreciate you taking the time.
Jim Devlin, Jr. Your welcome
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Thank you for your fantastic demonstration. I am not a mechanic but I have learned a lot from the video and your clear and paused way of explaining.
thanks a lot John! I understand it perfectly now! and yes your right about lost art of doing it correctly I had some shops mess things up on differentials a lot in the past that's why i don't trust too many on that and I have promised myself I would learn to do it the correct way for the last 15 years thanks so very much for your help and knowledge it's really helped me out!
This is very helpful thank you for posting and including a chart. Best video I have seen out there.
Good job explaining the basics of setting up ring and pinion gear sets. Pay no attention to the goofs below that expect you to put years of experience into a 6 minute KZhead video. I appreciate you sharing your time and knowledge on the subject.
Thank you for your nice comment. It is true, the average attention span for youtube videos is 6 minutes. In the real world, things take longer than that, especially precision technical work.
Thank you very much for this video.. After taking a course on this, watching the video help me understand it even better..
Without doubt the best teacher I have seen on You Tube. You have inspired me to rebuild the noisy diff on my Nissan instead of taking a chance with a used replacement. Having seen your video I now finally understand the workshop manual. Many thanks
GREAT explanation, as usual! Thank you Professor Kelly! I thoroughly enjoyed your Voltec videos, as well, and recommend them to my electrification colleagues at GM.
Thank you very much!
thanks John the reason I asked is since i rebuilt mine and everything is new except ring and pinion gears axles use to have a lot of play now they don't have any you can feel so i guess iam doing good then!
This is one of the best explanation for setting up a rear end. If you still don't understand it after watching the video than you probably shouldn't be doing it. Food for thought
Thank you!
That was an amazing video. It really helped me to understand how to properly make adjustments when building a rear.
There will always be those viewers out there that bash a posted video as this ( see a few posts below ) . But I totally agree with WeberAuto that it would have taken them a few hours to show all the different senerios with gear set up . Also I would agree from past experience ( incorrect pinion set up from a local licensed Ford Dealership ) which caused pinion failure on my truck's rear differential . That there are trained licensed technicians/auto mechanics that either take short cuts or just don't fully understand how to properly do a gear install .
Thanks professor for sharing such a high quality video. I learned from this what I needed to set up my new gears. Just wish the tools didn't cost so much for the set up! I just wish you had a video about using a pinion depth gauge to measure pinion depth and not just a video about the backlash.
we need more good American like you self sir. I really appreciate your professionalism and how you explain the information, thank you.
+A Omer Thank you!
Thank you so much for a great educational video and lesson. You are a great teacher, I'm not sure if you are a teacher, but you definitely can teach . I'm a truck technician and always want to learn more. Thank you and God bless
Wow, very thoroughly and professionally explained, You are a true professional, thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you, for a very Informative and well done Exercise on how the relationship between the ring and Pinion, shims, bearings and all intermix. Your Explanations for the relationships are very concise and easy to understand. Bully for WSU and You!
Jezeppi1 Thank you very much!
The only guy that really explained what preload is for and what it will affect
Thank you!
Not just the first but the only professional differential video I have seen on youtube. Its expensive to do it right because it takes time.
Thank you. You are correct, it is very time consuming to do correctly. Have a good day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! I'm a bit nervous about doing my own diff rebuild, but I feel like this gave me the knowledge needed to ensure it's done right. I also predict taking mine apart many times because no way everything will just work first time like this for me :)
wonderful Video set pre-load first after that adjust Backlash finally use Gear marking compound for last confirmation Sir you are really a Professor warm greetings from Saudi Arabia
Thank you!
تويوتا عربية was
I very much appreciate you taking the time to do this extensive detailed video.
wonderful tutorial.thanks long live the internet!!
Best video i have ever watch on how to set the ring and pinion. thank you so much for this amount of information..
+marcos vargas Thank you very much!
This is by far the best video on the subject. Perfect explanation, very clear audio, well spoken, and great camera quality. By far, I'm blown away at how much I learned. Thank you thank you
Thank you for a cognizant, sensible explanation of a differential gear set up. I work in an environment where sometimes 3 ten thousandths of an inch is unacceptable and after my first gear set up, I was concerned... Now I understand it's not that big a deal. and I only have to work to the .001. I used Dykem for patterning and could see the difference between gear manufactures. I gave up and used white lith. Like another commenter said, thank you so much for your time and expertise.
Thank you very much!
Young man, hell of a job on your presentation, wish more of the boys these days follow your style and perfection. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. God bless.
@djsteve1987 Hi, When you ran the contact pattern did you provide some load on the ring gear as you rotated the pinion? I usually use a pry bar on the outside smooth part of the ring gear to make it difficult to rotate and then turn the pinion forward 5 turns and backwards f turns. (Assuming the backlash and pinion depth are close to spec) If you still do not have a pattern on both the coast and the drive sides, you probably have a bad gear set.
By far the best video I have ever seen. Thank you
Thank you!
No
That was a GREAT presentation! Wish I did that work as a living. I find it so fascinating!
+alwcurlz Thank you very much!
Thanks for sharing this really easy to understand differential gear set up . I know there is many books on this procedure but it's sometimes easier ( like here ) to watch a video demostration than to read through many pages of books that would teach the same thing .
Ipi
Back in 2007 I bought an 07 mustang gt and bought ford racing 4.10 ring and pinion gears. Watched this video and read up on differentials for three months lol. In the end I had no noise and faster mustang off the line... now I own a 09 mercedes s550. Curious to find out about mercedes differentials.
Great video. Thanks for making it!
Thank you!
Thanks a lot Mr.Kelly this is a great video to help out fellow automotive students who's Trade schools that might be underfunded or worse pocketing money while actively making life difficult for students.
OMG! I seriously LOVE this! I keep having nightmares about what to do with my Differential Ring and Pinion Gear Setup, and now I can rest easy!!!! Thank you Professor Kelly!!!!!!!!!!! he he he :)
this is all i needed to see to know that doing this is waaaaay above my pay grade!
It can be challenging. Thanks for watching
Not me right in the middle of my regear trying to figure this out. Fml
I just wanted to say ive learned just about everything about setting up and rebuilding differentials from your videos I still need to study gear pattern interpretation a bit closer thanks for sharing your knowledge John! you are by far the best instructor I've seen! axles and drive train components is one of my biggest interests and it's because of the problems I've had with them in the past having shops not repair things correctly especially on differentials! I am not giving up till I fully learn how to set them up correctly and you have taught me that in the mental sense now I am going to have to apply it hands on! thanks again for your knowledge!
+Greg Robinson Thank you very much!
Extremely helpful, thanks
Thank you for the video. Very informative, I feel confident in tackling the job at hand now.
+Abelardo Ybanez Thank you!
finally a person that wants to offer help to other people! great work and great video mate! :D
Good shit! Thank u for taking the time
He used a plactic hammer .. but overall a good video
thanks John for putting up with all of my questions gears and drive train have become my biggest interest! they are very complexed too me anyway! but thanks to you I do understand how to rebuild rear axles now! need to study the gear pattern interpretations more but got pinion preload side bearing preloads and backlash and pinion depth!
+Greg Robinson Thank you!
Very informative video! I replaced the planet gears in my car a year ago since the previous owner had welded them stuck. Since I had no proper tools, knowledge and skill to adjust it properly afterwards I sent it to the dealer. A year later, now, it rattles, oil is black and a lot of metal particles. Turns out even the dealer couldn't set it up properly. Expensive lesson for them.
MrRealP x, I can't answer your question if you do not allow comments on your comments in your privacy settings. Rotational torque is the torque needed for a constant rotational motion, not to tighten the nut or bolt. Yes, both need the torque wrench to ROTATE, but one stops rotating when you reach the desired torque, the other never stops rotating since is is measuring the effort required to rotate the nut and everything connected to it. I hope that helps.
WeberAuto
WeberAuto
John Dugger hello Mr John, I have a question on a Dana 80, is it possible to change the leaking oil seal between yoke flange & pinion shaft, without removing pinion gear. Or is this improper, one needs to fully remove differential install new crush sleeve and properly install pinion oil seal? I think I've answered my own question there's no shortcuts doing it the proper way.
Hi, the shims are selected by setting the side bearing preload first (with the shims) and then by adjusting the backlash (with the same shims). If you have no idea of where to begin, use the original shim thickness and go from there. I tried to explain all of that in the video. I hope that helps.
Thanks for info. Glad i asked. They were switched.
This video is very helpful to understand the basic setting of the Pinion. Thank you!
Reminds me of an old School type fella from the 1950's Doing the job CORRECTLY.
You used a plastic hammer to install the shims I have seen the use of a case spreadera device that bolts to the case and a bolt to spread the case apart a tiny bit to install the shims then released to check the preload would that be better then using a plastic hammer to install the shims? Example >Kent-Moore J-45222 Axle Housing Spreader
Hi, good question. A case spreader is only to be used on specific Dana built axles, no other axle uses one that I am aware of. Even when using a case spreader, you must be vert careful to not spread it more than spec (typically less than 0.019") or permanent damage will occur to the axle housing.
WeberAuto Good point I knew that it was .015 but probably best not to use one don't want to damage the case. On another question preload on the carrier bearings could one use the axle to check the pre-load without the pinon installed? Normally most just check the preload overall with the pinon installed seems to me that the gear backlash, gear pattern, pinion depth all affect the ability to measure the carrier bearings preload.
A very professional,descriptive tutorial on diffs. A great big thanks!!!!
+Brian Grech Thank you!
The pre-load measurements and (front /back) pinion adjustments was great advise. thank you for the explanation
Robert Ndung'u Thanks for watching!
I dont have a plastic hammer so I borrowed one from my 2 yr old. Every time I hit the shim with the hammer it made a "Beep" noise, I think there is something wrong with my diff!
LOL! Thanks for your feedback
Is this Ron Swanson doing this vid?
Brandon thought it sounds like Sam neill
thanks for that I look forward to watching the g80 rebuild and I looked in my glove box sticker and sure enough it says g80 on the rear axle and from the pics I've seen of them don't think I am ready yet to tackle that! lol Hopefully your video will prepare me for that later down the road after I learn the more basic hands on with the open type! again thank you very much for your help your the very best I've came acrossed! what got me so interested in this subject is I had 2 so called professionals rebuild rear axles in the past and they went south after about 6 months and a lot of the older retired technicians have told me that theres a lot more to it then most know and it got me interested in learning this lost art! iam very picky with my vehicles I strive for perfection on everything I do! again thanks for the lessons on this and look forward to the g80 video! and love your ujoint series too! I always wondered about people smacking the drive shaft ears with hammers made me cringe because I knew it couldn't be right! thank you very much!
+Greg Robinson Thank you!
Nice video. Your teaching reminds me of my 1st autotech teacher in 1987, Mr Nichols.
Ford and Toyota only smart manufactures of differentials where you can remove the 3rd member and set it up on a bench.
and Suzuki samurai
+kell490 It's only an assembly line improvement where all axles are the same and only the 3rd member is needed for variety rather than multiple axles or, repair shop improvement for differentials that need to be serviced more often. Maybe the quality isn't that good. The rear differentials in two of my four GM 1/2 ton trucks are in need of rebuilding after between 230,000-270,000 miles. Wonder if Toyota and Ford truck rear ends last that long as daily work trucks?
alwcurlz I had a 1991 Toyota pickup that went 500k when I sold it no issues with the diffs in fact the entire drive train was good I changed the fluid every 50k about every 2 years. With synthetic like my F150 has ford says it's lifetime unless it leaks or you get water in it. If you cross deep river 4 wheeling then make sure you don't get water in the vent hose. I'm in AZ so not much water here to cross.
kell490 How many years did you own that truck starting with what mileage?
alwcurlz I got in late 90's don't remember what it was I did rebuild the engine when it had 200k on it. I sold it last year for $3000.
geez this is nearly impossible to do properly under a rusty truck
specially doing it on a driveway that most of us working on these. This is a job that the next time I leave for a pro. Gave me such headache, a bottle of advil could not fix.
@@oldwortex5818 Engine, gearbox, differential rebuild/setup is best suited when removed from any vehicle 99.9%
Awesome video! really helped to demystify some of the setup information I've read.
thanks john for all the information! I have been wanting to go auto technical training school I love automotive but the struggle that I have faced with repairing my own cars is the replacement parts and even dealership parts they seem to have went downhill in a major way! especially gm! and that has made the automotive repair world a struggle don't know if it's worth the pain? lol
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
best explanatory video i have seen regarding the differentials. Sure the shown example was the perfect scenario, but there were more than enough info given what to do if you have abnormalities. And if people cant grasp that without being shown, then they really shouldn't rebuild differentials. Every diff is different, with different specs and different methods to adjust things, but the adjustments in principle are exactly the same and were very well explained.
Thank you very much
thanks! they didn't even replace the clamps they used the old ones! I've always replaced the clamps with new ones in the past!
Extremely helpful thank you guy,this video was one of the most informative I've seen yet.
Thanks
Hi, the C-clips do hold the axle shafts from coming out on those and many other axles. Other axles use a pressed on bearing and retainer at the axle shaft bearing to hold the axle in place. Thanks for the nice comments.
Brilliant explanation of setting up a differential.
Great video, very well done and informative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, much appreciated!
Awesome. Very educational. Straightforward with examples to get an idea and a better understanding.
thank you very much!
This video has been very informative I watched the whole thing. Gotta get myself a dial indicator. Also very clean workspace major props on that. That place is like a hospital although it is a University so I would expect nothing less. Been an official mechanic for 5-6 yrs now, been turning wrenchs for over a decade and the internal workings of transmissions and differentials are things I'm really starting to get into and this video was excellent.Theirs gotta be a good way to load the diff for the ring and pinion tooth contact test while having the diff mounted in a bench holding fixture. If you really wanna teach about a crazy rear diff, grab a focus RS diff lol. Their isn't even any disassembly info or specs on the Ford PTS site.
Thank you! Yes, the Torsen differential is pretty cool, but has no serviceable parts.
some of the repair axle bearings I've seen some friends use leak the don't seal up very good!
Great vid. thanks for the quality explanation of Diff set up
thank you for the good detailed information and demonstration I was washing your videos and that inspired me to take courses in mecanic and now I am about to pass the final exam this month and obtain my diplomate thank you so mush you have inspired me MUSTAPHA from MOROCCO
thanks a lot john!
I learned a good amount of new information about axle gears in this video. Thanks for this!
Want to thank you for a short and clear video. Helped me to explain this job to a my daughter before we got into things on a Ford 9in. Thanks much!!
Sir, Very well explained. I would love to work on a few diffs and Transmission some day. Thankyou.
great video!really clears up some questions and simplifies ring and pinion replacement
Excellent video and explanation.
All of the pertinent information all in one video. Very well done. Thanks!
Hi, thank you for the nice comment. The bench mount is from OTC tools, part number 7020. Sometimes I see them on Amazon.com too.
Thank you!
Excellent video, makes sense now why my differential acts the way it does. My friend of mine is going to help me rebuild my dana 30 on my cherokee and now have a better understanding when we rebuild my axle. Thanks again!
Out of all the videos I just watched, this is the one that has me comfortable with my task.
Glad to hear! Have a good day!
Thank you again sir , the job went so smooth my coworkers thought I've been setting up rear ends for years
This gentleman is a splendid teacher.
Thank you
got the truck rear axle back together all went well and smooth and quiet!
Great to hear! Good job!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Helped me a lot
You are welcome. I am glad it was helpful
So well explained. A real pro, an excellent auto engineer , Iust say . Thank you sir.
brilliant video, just started learning about this in my course so this is a huge help!!
+eamon37 Thank you!
Good video! Helpful visual reminder before I took my ASE A3 last week, passed! Thanks for putting the time into this
Thank you! Congratulations on passing the ASE!
Very detailed very good video till this video I was confused on backlash. Thank you for this video.
awesome video! thank you sir!