Yeah those rings just pop right off but you already knew that

The ring is fine. Lower the diff back down and try again. You need to get the splines to go in there perfectly straight or else it just going to get stuck. Don't start bashing s**t with a hammer, that is not the answer. I think you just have it a little binded...

 

doesn't seem binded - i can catch the spindles with the first part of the axles, juts cant get past the retainer clip - can pull it a little bit in and out and re-catch the spindles, but same story can't get it in.

i'll give bolting it up a shot and try again

 

got itttt - raised the diff and all up, and pulled the diff toward the axle which did the trick

 

I just hold the CV (green part) steady, then use the axle as a sort of slide hammer on itself since the inner joint is a telescoping joint.

 

^when you say slide hammer it makes me think you're referring to popping them out vs. popping them back in. Unless you are talking about holding the CV steady and somehow using the outer axle that goes into the hub as the hammer mechanism. But even so sounds more like a hammering technique rather than slide hammer...ugh maybe I'm pulling a **genius** moment once again...

 

The inner cv is telescoping, so it slides in and out. It only has so much inward travel until it bottoms out on itself.


The way I do it:
I leave the axle installed in the spindle. I disconnect the knucle from the arm that has the shock on it, unbolt the trailing arm from the chassis, and disconnect the RSB. This allows the knuckle to be pushed up out of the way and the axle to come out of the diff.
On re-install, you hold the green part of the cv steady in the diff (ebrake off), and hold the knuckle with your other hand. Then swing the knuckle out so you get a head start (not too far, or you'll apart the inner CV lol), and swing it back in with some force to hit the stub shaft into the diff. Doesn't take much because you have the weight of the knuckle behind it, and it works everytime.

 

it's in - the silver plate thing is slightly off the green part of the axle, deeper into the diff but i think it'll work itself out once driven.

 

I just finished re-stacking the stock differential. One thing to note is that the RTV sealant requires some time to set up before you add oil. I used Permatex gear oil-specific RTV, which is supposedly designed to better resist gear oils and friction modifiers.

The RTV instructions suggest hand-tightening all bolts, then letting the RTV sit for one hour before torquing everything to spec. An additional 24 hours are required before adding oil.

I put the car back together tonight, but I'm going to wait until tomorrow to add oil and test it out. Something to keep in mind if you're planning on doing this all within one day.

 

Hm, I did it all in the same day without waiting for the rtv to set. What are potential consequences of not waiting? Some rtv mixed in with the oil?

 

Should have used permatex right stuff gray. It's ready to go in 5 minutes..

 

I'm not sure about the RTV dissolving in oil, but I'd be more concerned about the oil possibly preventing the RTV from sealing properly. Honestly I'm not sure how much it matters at all, but I was surprised to find my RTV still too wet to touch after 1 hour of dry time on a low-humidity day. It will certainly cure faster in different conditions, but I'd rather play it safe.

RTV cure time is variable depending on temperature and humidity. Even the ultra gray recommends letting it set for one hour before torquing down.

I used this: http://www.permatex.com/products-2/p...t-maker-detail

Specifically made for gear oil applications. Arguably, that's the right stuff to be using. That's not to say that other RTVs won't work for our purposes, but the gear oil stuff is probably the best choice. Either that or Permatex just rebrands the same formula 10 different ways as a marketing ploy.

 

No. Permatex "right stuff" is the actual product name. I never use their regular products. It comes in gray for high torque applications where it needs to squeeze out for a zero, or near zero tolerance fit.


http://www.permatex.com/products-2/p...t-maker-detail

 

Interesting. I'll have to pick some up and try it out.

 

Okay, I've had the rear differential apart twice now. Once to re-stack, and again to double-check my work because the breakaway torque is way higher than I expected.

With the rear wheels off the ground and the transmission in gear (brake off, obviously) I couldn't get the wheels to spin in opposite directions by hand. The breakaway torque was just too high.

I didn't want to drive on the differential like that, so I took the whole differential out and apart again for inspection. I confirmed that all of the plates were stacked in the service manual order, that the spring plates were oriented properly (spring ears facing outward), that the pressure rings were installed in the proper orientation for lockup on acceleration, and that the two halves of the carrier were orientated properly so that the hash marks lined up together. Filled with Diaqueen with the car at a slight angle to allow a tiny bit more fluid (TRE-style). Everything checked out, so I put it all back together and re-installed. Same result, with a very high breakaway torque.

Driving around, I can definitely feel more lockup and occasional little chirps during low-speed turns. Giving it some power in a giant empty parking lot felt like a good improvement and had less understeer than before, but it wasn't about to snap oversteer on me.

The diff is definitely slipping on the road as necessary, but the high static breakaway torque has me a bit concerned still. I'm going to do some more light break-in driving for a bit and maybe a few figure-8s to get the oil fully worked in to the plates, then check it again. If it's still binding heavily at rest, I may pull it apart and use the calipers and micrometer to measure the stackups and clearances like the service manual recommends, which I now wish I had done this last time I had it apart.


Any ideas? Am I being too cautious here or is this high breakaway torque a legitimate cause for concern?

 

I restacked mine at 76K and it still chatters a bit. It was pretty bad at first and I added a bit of friction modifier to calm it down. I was on fresh RS-3 tires it was difficult to turn the car into a parking spot without the inside tire chattering.
I'd add some friction modifier and just drive it. The stack thickness should not have changed if you used the same plates so you should be fine. I've got 15K on mine with no issues.