On a Teraflex CRD60 front axle:
I am trying to understand if the pinion has too much backlash: if I grab the driveshaft and turn it, it moves in my opinion a lot, much more than the rear one. I actually measured it with a protractor or angle finder, (I love that tool!), and there are 8 degrees of movement. Whereas the rear one it barely moves. Although it was put together by a shop, I would not be surprised if something is not correct. I checked this out because I started to hear some "stack" noises everytime I was going from D to R and vice versa. How can I check out if the ring and pinion have been installed correctly? …without disassembling the carrier?

this is why folk such as yourself should not be allowed to buy kick ass parts. You dont know the first thing about them.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup

It is hard to measure the backlash that way. If you twist the drive shaft too far you are also feeling the lash between the spiders and sidegears as well as the lash between the splines in the side gear and the axle shaft. Add to that the fact that you should be reading the backlash with a dial indicator perpendicular to the heel of a tooth on the ring gear not a protractor on the pinion yoke I wouldn't put too much into what you're feeling.

Gus

Nevermind. Take advice previously give to you.

do you have a detroit locker or the like??? If so that is perfectly normal

2wd or 4wd when you heard the noise? drive flanges or locking hubs?

this is why folk such as yourself should not be allowed to buy kick ass parts. You dont know the first thing about them.
....
So nice of you! You support our troops, that fight for freedom, and then you write such a BULL S#17 LIKE THIS ONE: way to go!! But after all you are only 21 .....

Anyway: I appreciate your opinions. I know the in order to get an accurate measurement of the backlash there is much more that needs to be done. Speedo: thank you for your advice. It makes me feel a bit better about it. What concerns me anyway is the difference in the feeling that I have when I move the rear driveshaft compared to the front one. I have anyway ARB front and rear. The stack I hear is always in 2 WD, not when I am in 4 WD. I tested today: I was going from D to R pausing in N for a sec or 2. The noise comes from the front, confirmed by a bystander. BTW: I am not a professor of 4WD machines, like our friend Mr. rokcrwlrtj, but I think I know that much that allows me to spot a problem before it is too late. But then again, maybe we should expropriate the money of people that don’t know a thing about 4wd machines, and give it to people that don’t have money but know everything about 4wd machines.

Alright man, calm down. Whether you realize it or not, he had already answered you twice before. Get a dial indicator which can be had for cheap, measure play between the ring gear and pinion gear (backlash). Look up the specs for your axle (which is somewhere in the neighborhood of .008). If it's not right, take it back to the shop who put it in, if it's right, go wheeling. My powertrax no slip had about 1/2 turn at the driveshaft, my detroit has about 1/4 turn. Like someone said before, when you turn the driveshaft you are measuring the play in the spiders or the locker depending on what type of locker you have.

Not to mention that if your wheels arent in the air, and you are in 2wd, the rear will be tighter then the front because the t-case is hooked up.

But like they said, the driveshaft is no way to measure backlash.

Pull cover, brace pinion, rock carrier up and down between contacting the pinion while reading the dial indicator.

Depending on the diff, backlash can range from 8-15 thou.

Not to mention that if your wheels arent in the air, and you are in 2wd, the rear will be tighter then the front because the t-case is hooked up.

But like they said, the driveshaft is no way to measure backlash.

Pull cover, brace pinion, rock carrier up and down between contacting the pinion while reading the dial indicator.

Depending on the diff, backlash can range from 8-15 thou.

The fact the the Tcase is hooked up is a good point. I will try to check how much the rear Dshaft moves after I put the Tcase in N. That should be the same situation of the front one. Right?

If your really in a pinch you can use a set of verneer calipers but pull the cover.

Although it was put together by a shop, I would not be surprised if something is not correct.


If you still suspect something is wrong you could take to where you had the work done and have them double check their work.

It is hard to measure the backlash that way. If you twist the drive shaft too far you are also feeling the lash between the spiders and sidegears as well as the lash between the splines in the side gear and the axle shaft. Add to that the fact that you should be reading the backlash with a dial indicator perpendicular to the heel of a tooth on the ring gear not a protractor on the pinion yoke I wouldn't put too much into what you're feeling.

Gus

Gus has it right here, as previously stated by others, I think you really need the dial indicitator, works wonders, ESP if you get one with a magnetic base!

I thank every body that gave me a constructive opinion and tried to help me: it turned out that the rear Dshaft moves the same way the front one does, and both of them have ARB lockers. I understand that it is impossible to measure the backlash unless by opening the carrier and using a caliper with a magnetic base… I guess the stack noise that I was hearing is due to something else, I don’t know what yet, but I would say that it comes from the transmission, when I either release the gas or I release and then I step on it. Go figure….Thank you again!!

Havent you been driving this thing already. If there was something wrong you would of known by now. Did you already break in the gear by driving about 500 miles and change the diff oil. good luck

:shaking:Youv'e been told REPEATEDLY what you need to do. PULL THE FAWKING COVER AND CHECK BACKLASH THE RIGHT WAY.Not wiggle driveshafts. :shaking: :rolleyes:

I would think that if it was a backlash issue that you would hear it anytime that you went from a stop to accelerating. Especially, if you are rolling backwards and then engage forward. Not going to be dependent on reverse to drive shifting.