last week i broke the 4 pins in my front lockrite. i ordered a kit from randy's with springs and pins. my question is...... what is the proper way to set up the backlash? i didnt mark anything when i took it apart, because i was told the only reason you break pins is if it isnt set up right. since then ive heard thats not true. now, ive gotsta start from scratch.

use a dial indicator and a magnetic base. switching to a fine, sharp point stylus on the indicator is very helpful. mount it up so that the indicator reads off of the outer edge of a ring gear tooth. with the trunion cap screws finger-loose and the locks removed, dial the threaded bearing plates to adjust backlash. measure this by rocking the carrier back and forth against the pinion. i'd recommend going to the tight side of the spec tolerance from my experience. make sure the bearings are loaded correctly (no play), also adjusted by the bearing plates. torque the trunion caps to spec, and check again. if lash is still true, then install the locks and put it in yer rig. the FSM has pics and details, download it. a search will tell you where to find it.

thanks for the reply. where can you download the fsm?

type fsm in search box.

http://www.acksfaq.com/

There is also a diff rebuild write up

This is also how i was taught to do it. Although i haved found that on a sami third that is just as easy to do it by guessing what feels right. I have set a few up without any gauge and have had no trouble. Of course i dont drive my samy too much. if i was planning to put lots of highway miles on it i would do it properly. A sami is really light and i havent heard any whines or noises from mine. Chances are that you didnt remove the pinon so you dont have to worry about that. You should only do this if you know what you are looking for. Just to make shure your pattern looks good you can put some white grease on the teeth and spin it around and make shure the pattern is not to close or too far away. I would never do this on anything large or anything that i have not had alot of experiance with. It is safest to go with his idea.