Disassembly of the Rear Axle

^ Tools Required:
- J 8107-4 Differential Side Bearing Remover Plug
- J 22888 Side Bearing Remover
- J 8614-01 Pinion Flange Remover
- J 8612-B Rear Pinion Bearing Cone Remover

REMOVE OR DISCONNECT
- Place the axle in an approved support.

1. Differential cover bolts (14) and cover (12).
- Drain the gear lubricant.
- Refer to CHECKING THE AXLE BEFORE DISASSEMBLY.





2. Pinion shaft lock bolt (15).
3. Pinion shaft (17).
4. "C" clip (34) from the button end of the axle shaft (33).
- Push the axle shaft (33) in towards the center of the differential case (24).
5. Axle shaft (33) from the axle housing (1).
6. Seal (28) using an oil seal removing tool.
- Be careful not to damage the housing.
7. Bearing (27) using J 2619-01 and J 22813-01.
- The tangs of the tool should engage the bearing outer race.
8. Pinion gear (21) and side gears (22).
- Roll the pinion gears out of the case with the pinion thrust washers (20).
- Remove the side gears and side gear thrust washers (19). Mark the gears and the differential case as left and right.
9. Bearing cap bolts (18).
10. Bearing caps (10).
- Mark the caps and housing as left and right.

NOTICE: Be careful when prying the deferential case out of the axle housing so as not to damage the cover gasket surface. The differential case must be supported when It Is being removed to prevent the case from falling and damaging the case.

11. Differential case (24).





- Pry the case from the axle housing at the differential "window".
12. Bearing outer races and shims.
- Mark the races and shims as left and right, and place them with the bearing caps.





13. Differential side bearings (8) using J 8107-4 and J 22888.
- The jaws of J 22888 must pull from beneath the bearing cone and not the cage. Use the slots provided for the puller.
14. Ring gear bolts (23).
- Ring gear bolts use left-handed threads.

NOTICE: Do not pry the ring gear from the case. This will damage the ring gear and differential case.

15. Ring gear (7) from the differential case.
- Drive the ring gear off with a brass drift if necessary.

Inspect





- Drive pinion bearing preload and record for reference upon reassembly.
- Looseness of pinion assembly by moving it back and forth. (This indicates excessive bearing wear).





16. Pinion flange nut (35) and washer (36) using J 8614-01 to hold the pinion flange.





17. Pinion flange using J 8614-01.
18. Pinion (7) from the axle housing.
A. Thread the pinion nut halfway onto the pinion.
B. Replace the differential cover (12) with two bolts (14) to keep the pinion from falling to the floor.





C. Drive the pinion out of the housing with a hammer and a soft drift.
19. Collapsible spacer (4) from the pinion.
20. Outer pinion seal (38) and bearing (39).
21. Inner bearing (5) and shim (6) from the pinion.





A. Press the bearing off the pinion using J 8612-B.
B. Remove the shim.
22. Bearing cups (5 and 39) from the axle housing using a hammer and punch.
- Work the cups out of the housing evenly, moving the punch back and forth between one side of the cup and the other. Use the slots provided for this purpose.