Rear Axle - 8 1/4 and 9 1/4

Fig. 1:

The 8 1/4 and 9 1/4 Inch axle housings consist of a cast iron center section with axle shaft tubes extending from either side. The tubes are pressed into and welded to the differential housing to form a one-piece axle housing.
The axles have a vent hose to relieve internal pressure caused by lubricant vaporization and internal expansion.
The axles are equipped with semi-floating axle shafts, meaning vehicle loads are supported by the axle shaft and bearings. The axle shafts are retained by C-clips in the differential side gears.
The removable, stamped steel cover provides a means for inspection and service without removing the complete axle from the vehicle.
Both axles have the assembly part number and gear ratio listed on tag. The tag is attached to the differential housing by a cover bolt.
The Rear Wheel Anti-Lock (RWAL) brake speed sensor is attached to the top, forward exterior of the differential housing. A seal is located between the sensor and the wire harness connector. The seal must be in place when the wire connector is connected to the sensor. The RWAL brake exciter ring is press-fitted onto the differential case against the ring gear flange.
The differential case is a one-piece design. The differential pinion mate shaft is retained with a threaded pin. Differential bearing preload and ring gear backlash are set and maintained by threaded adjusters at the outside of the differential housing. Pinion bearing preload is set and maintained by the use of a collapsible spacer.
Axles equipped with a Trac-Lok differential are optional. A Trac-Lok differential has a one-piece differential case, and the same internal components as a standard differential, plus two clutch disc packs.