Dana 60 5.38 gear swap problem

[CSR]

I went to change gears in my ford front 60 from 3.73 to 5.38. I left the 3.73 carrier bearing and pinion cup spacer shims in, and bolted the 5.38 ring gear on to the carrier and installed the new ring and pinion in the housing just to get an idea of how much spacer thickness I should start with.

The problem is that I have a MILE of backlash, or, more accurately, about 3/16 of an inch just eyeballing it. There's no way that pinion cup shims and carrier bearing shims are going to correct this.

I have a thick cut ring gear, and the part description states it is indeed made for a 4.10 and down carrier. Not sure what to think. Any ideas/experience out there with this? I've done a couple of these with good results, but I haven't run into this.

 

[RogueJeepr]

Your going to need the 4:10 and lower carriers.
3/16 backlash is way too much and measure in thousandths.

 

[I Lean]

It sounds like maybe you have a thin ring gear even though the part number says it's for a 4.10 and down carrier?

 

[CSR]

The carrier is a 4.10 and down carrier. 3.73 gears came off it. I checked the part number on multiple sites and it comes up as compatible with the carrier i' m using, even though there's no "T" at the end of the part number.

 

[Herzog]

How thick is the ring compared the 3.73 ring? The 5.38 pinion is going to be smaller so the ring needs to be quite a bit thicker if you are using the same carrier.
You can get a spacer, or have one made (needs to be machined to the right tolerances) but I don't know if I'd recommend a spacer.

What carrier are you using? Is it a locker or an OEM? Probably just need a 4.56 & up carrier.

 

[CSR]

The 5.38 ring gear is quite a bit thicker than the 3.73 ring gear, but not thick enough. I have a 3 series carrier (4.10 and numerically lower). It's almost like the 5.38 ring gear is an attempted thick gear that is still too thin. I've heard of people using a ring gear spacer but I don't understand it. Why not, as a manufacturer, just cut the ring gear to the correct thickness? Anyway, I just got off the phone with Summit, and they are exchanging the gear set for one from a different manufacturer. I'm using a Spartan locker, so no carrier change. Thanks for the input, all.

(edit) I guess a ring gear spacer would be good for certain situations where you don't want to switch carriers during a gear swap.

 

[skippy]

whats the part number engraved on the gear? i wonder if the gear set you have got mismatched and is in the wrong box

 

[I Lean]

whats the part number engraved on the gear? i wonder if the gear set you have got mismatched and is in the wrong box

That's what I was saying.

And CSR, you are correct a ring gear spacer is used when you need to put a thin ring gear on a low-ratio carrier.

 

[CSR]

The part number on the ring gear is 2020852. That is the part number I ordered. If you Google SVL-2020852 you get a description of what I'm after: 5.38 ring and pinion for reverse rotation dana 60 compatible with a 4.10 and numerically lower carrier. Doesn't fit, though. I'm using a 4.10 and lower carrier (3 series). My new ring and pinion will be here tomorrow and I can then get a comparison measurement of the ring gear's thickness.

 

[CSR]

New G2 ring gear arrived. It's about .210" thicker than the SVL one I just sent back. Should work. The SVL one I returned was .135" thicker than the factory one I removed, but still too thin to work with a 3 series carrier. Weird. Wonder if they sell many of those

 

[CSR]

Fit almost perfectly. Didn't have to change backlash at all (whew!), just pinion depth and I had my pattern.

 

[CSR]

Ok, I had my pattern, but afterward I realized I had forgotten to set pinion bearing pre-load. So I had my pinion nut fairly tight and therefore my pinion bearings squeezed pretty tight into their races (no pre-load shims installed yet). After setting up the pinion bearing pre-load tonight, my pattern has now moved significantly toward the toe. Conventional wisdom (aka the forums) seems to suggest that you want a centered pattern. So my question is this:

My squeezed pinion bearing pattern was dead center, and doesn't the squeezed inner bearing simulate a shock load event that would push the pinion hard into its race? Now that my pinion pre-load is set, my pattern is significantly shifted toward the toe, more so than the forums and service manuals indicate is permissible. But if my pattern moves to center (strongest position?) under shock load, shouldn't I leave the pattern where it's at, given that it's a rock crawler that sees a lot of shock loading?

 

[I Lean]

I'd like to see pics of your pattern. Before and after, if you happen to have them. I always do the initial setup with no preload shims or crush sleeve, then after I'm happy with everything, then set preload. It's rare to have the pattern change. and would make me nervous that something wasn't fully seated on the initial setups of yours.