Ford 8.8-Inch Ring Gear

Rear Drive Axle and Differential








The axle assembly has the following features:
^ An integral-type housing hypoid gear design (center of the pinion set below the centerline of the ring gear).
^ The hypoid ring gear and pinion consists of a ring gear and an overhung drive pinion which is supported by 2 opposing tapered roller bearings.
^ Drive pinion bearing preload is maintained by a drive pinion collapsible spacer on the drive pinion shaft and adjusted by the pinion nut.
^ The axle housing consists of a cast center section with 2 steel tube assemblies and a stamped differential housing cover.
^ The differential housing cover uses silicone sealant as a gasket.
^ The differential pinion shaft is retained by a threaded differential pinion shaft lock bolt assembled to the differential assembly.
^ The differential assembly is mounted in the axle housing between 2 opposing differential bearings that are retained in the axle housing by removable differential bearing caps.
^ Differential bearing preload and differential ring and pinion backlash are adjusted by differential bearing shims located between the differential bearing cups and the axle housing.
^ Axle identification is on an embossed metal tag bolted to the differential housing cover.