preloading the main output shaft bearing

[Alk-3]

Hi everyone. I'm having some difficulty with the transfer case. I'm trying to preload the output shaft bearing by following the instructions in the green bible.
i just don't seem to be able to wrap my head around this though.. it says to tighten the speedo housing and use shims to determine the preload on the bearing.. i just don't understand how this would work because the speedo housing doesn't even touch the main shaft.. how can it add preload if it has nothing to do with the output shaft or bearing..am i missing something here?
the only way i could even conceive of this having any effect is if the speedo housing pushes the speedo gear into the bearing as it's tightened.. is this whats going on here?
secondly, my speedo gear that is on the main output shaft is frozen onto the shaft. i cant seem to get it off.. i wouldn't mind so much except its on backwards..
any and all help is most welcomed!
oh, and one last thing.. is it normal for the hi/lo selector gear to have play on the shaft? it seems very loose.. i was told it should be a bit loose, but how much is too much...

[I Leak Oil]

It's preloading the bearing race not the shaft or the bearing itself. This is sometimes the most time consuming part of the rebuild but if it's wrong you'll be unhappy and end up spending more time on it.

[Alk-3]

It's preloading the bearing race not the shaft or the bearing itself. This is sometimes the most time consuming part of the rebuild but if it's wrong you'll be unhappy and end up spending more time on it.

any tips on how to do it exactly? i just don't see how the bolts for the speedo housing have anything to do with the bearing.. ive searched high and low for any help and i cant find anything that helps.. im dead in the water here..
i attached the speedo housing and left the shims out, but no matter how tight or loose the bolts are the gears still offer the same resistance.. same as with the shims in place.
also, any comments on the loose gear?

[I Leak Oil]

If you're getting the same resistance measurement with or without shims then perhaps you have pressed the race too far into the case so the speedo housing isn't making contact (having no effect on the torque). Tough to tell over the 'net...
The hi/low gear has been loosie goosie on every transfer case I've ever touched. Again, tough to tell if your's is too much over the net but I wouldn't be too concerned about it. It's more important that the splines in the gear and on the shaft don't look worn or damaged.

[luckyjoe]

Does this preload, or lack there of, have any affect on perceived (i.e feel) driveline slop? Or is it simply the internal resistance?

[Alk-3]

If you're getting the same resistance measurement with or without shims then perhaps you have pressed the race too far into the case so the speedo housing isn't making contact (having no effect on the torque). Tough to tell over the 'net...
The hi/low gear has been loosie goosie on every transfer case I've ever touched. Again, tough to tell if your's is too much over the net but I wouldn't be too concerned about it. It's more important that the splines in the gear and on the shaft don't look worn or damaged.

thank you for the speedy reply!

okay, i got it figured out. with the shims removed i tightened down the speedo housing much more tightly and it did change the resistance of the gear movement. i guess i was just going to easy on it before. it turned out i had to remove one of the shims that was currently in place to get the correct preload.
as i mentioned earlier the speedo gear was on backwards so i needed to remove that while i was in there.. it took 4 hours, and a destroyed the gear puller to get it off. i also had to destroy the gear itself by cutting groves in it to allow the gear puller something to grab onto.
the loose hi/lo gear seems normal to me. its loose, but not excessively. the gears all seem is very good condition so im not worried about that.
in short, i think i got it figured out, but i still don't see how the speedo housing affects the bearing race when it appears it doesn't even make contact..
now i need to order a new speedo gear.

[Alk-3]

Does this preload, or lack there of, have any affect on perceived (i.e feel) driveline slop? Or is it simply the internal resistance?

it did for me. thats why i began this job to begin with.
with the parking brake off and everything in neutral my rear driveshaft had a whole bunch of wobble. the differential drive flange is also really loose.
when i gave the driveshaft a good shaking i could see the parking brake wobbling along with it.
this really is an easy job, but it took some time for me to understand it. if i had to do it again it could be done in an hour id think.

next is repairing the differential...

[luckyjoe]

Thanks for the info. I'll be looking into this next...