help me out guys I have a problem with one of my axles locking up. When i turn the Drivers side wheel by hand the axle shaft locks up and the only way to break it loose is to either A) with a bar between the wheel studs or B) to go to pass. side and turn it with your hands. Im lost on it. Please help me out. Its welded with 4.88's and still 31spl. Pulled the 3rd member to look and couldnt tell anything was wrong. could it be the bearings? Thanks Rob

Sounds like the weld job on the carrier wasnt done so well.

I have heard that sometimes when you go to a lower gear ratio some of the 9" housings have to be ground out a little on the inside, due to the thicker ring gear. Not sure how true this is, but it might be something to look at. Pull it off and look for any scratch marks inside the diff housing. I have 4:88's in mine and never had any problems. A buddy of mine had 4:56's put in his and they mentioned they had to grind it out. Might be worth a shot, never know. Good luck.

it was working fine till the last time out. Hydro'd the motor and have finally got that fixed. now the rear is making some noise. have already pulled the 3rd member and was wondering what else to look for.

if you haven't figured it out yet..., check to make sure the gears are not hitting the pinion support in the 3rd. I had to gring the piss out of mine for the 5.13s. When we set the gears the first time(on the bench) we noticed it hit and it would not turn at all. I doubt it is the be the bearings, usually they are just loud as hell.

If it was hitting the damn ring gear it would do it on either side he was turning. he mentioned that one side would seem to lock up and the other would still be easy to turn by hand..

robsyj,
You don't make sense man!
If the carrier is actually welded like you say then if it's hard to turn on one side it will be hard to turn on the other side no matter what. Just doesn't make sense.

:rolleyes:

I know it doesnt make sense, thats why i am asking u guys. Like i said I could break it loose from the pass. side. or by thye drivers side with a breaker. Tore it all apart and took a look at it. all looks good. There's no contact between the ring gear and the carrier. it has been shaved. Set the back lash at 7,8,and 9 and it still locks up when turning the yoke. set at 10 it spins freely. But i dont want to set it at 10 that seems like to much play. so now what.

well aparently your problem isn't in the 3rd member if it operates smoothly while out of the housing. how old are the bearings on the shafts? does either shaft apear to be bent, check it with a good straight edge. if the 3rd member operates smoothly while on the bench then there is nothing else but the axle bearings,the shafts or a bent housing.

well the 3rd member locks when its out of the housing. only at the backlash set at 10 does it not lock.

just might be rubbing on the back of the diff housing.

I pulled the 3rd member out of a 79 bronco with 4.56's and seen this nice groove in the housing.

.003 might be enough to make it rub on the housing or not.