Diff swap problem - HELP

[spechols]

Gents,
OK – so the axel will not slide into the roller barring in the rear of the swivel ball. It gets stuck on the last small 45 axel chamfer just before the axel barring surface. Are there any good tricks to get this in?
Thanks - Stuart

[TeriAnn]

Gents,
I am replacing the front diff on a SIII with a higher geared diff from a RR or disco (both 10 spline). However, the long axel will not go in far enough (by 1/4”). So, the stub axel will not fit. My question is “why?”
Thanks for any insight.

One cause of that kind of problem is the bearing on the outside of the axle not going into the race and seating in its proper location. Over time the bearings can wear to the point where they just droop enough to be out of alignment with the race. The bearing looks good, you just can't get the axle to slide all the way in. The cure is a new bearing & race. Happened to me early last year when I installed a early Range Rover carrier with Trutrac carrier. New bearings & race solved my problem. Before it almost fit but not quite.

[spechols]

Sounds like a solution. Of course I just rebuilt the swivel balls with all new parts (but not the axel barring). Is there a way to do this without redoing all the rebuild work?


Also - I tried the short axel (right side) on the long housing side (left side) to see if the would fit into the barring. It is tight but, the short axel will go into the barring on the long housing side all the way just as it should. But the long axel will not. Any ideas why?

[Les Parker]

Could be that the splines are distorted on the half shaft, letting it slide part of the way till the distortion wont pass the side gear of the diff.

[spechols]

Could be that the splines are distorted on the half shaft, letting it slide part of the way till the distortion wont pass the side gear of the diff.

Don't "think" so. The splines don't "look" distorted on the half shaft and I can fit it all the way into the old diffs that are sitting in the floor. But please keep all ideas coming.

[spechols]

Solved it and I am an idiot.

I broke an old rule – “put things back where you found them”
As I was thinking about TeriAnn’s ideas on bearing fit (she is always right), it occurred to me that I was rebuilding both swivel-balls on the bench at the same time. And that “the balls” are the same left or right but the swivels are different. I was changing from RHD to LHD so I was careful to be sure I got the correct steering arms on the correct swivels left and right. However, I was not concerned about the balls – after all they are the same – right? Well that is true unless someone has previously replaced the half-shaft bearing on one side. So, this afternoon I removed both swivel-balls and tried both axels in each ball. Sure enough, that was the problem. I had switched the balls on the bench when I was rebuilding both and they fit the other way.
So remember like your mother said – “put things back where you found them” even if you don’t thank it matters.