Gear end , drive pinion height

[filh]

hello,

Does anybody knows if a SST exist to set the gear end pinion drive height .(to set the washer thickness)
And if yes , what does it looks like.
I guess it must be bolt in place of lateral bearings.
Regards.
Phil

[jondee86]

Unfortunately filh, the correct thickness for the washer can only be
decided after the tooth contact pattern has been checked. So everything
must be assembled (temporary assembly of pinion without crush tube)
with whatever washer you have from the old pinion.

Then, after assembling and setting the backlash, check the tooth contact
pattern. If the contact pattern is not correct, you have to adjust by using
a thicker or thinner washer. Only experience can say how much thicker
or thinner

Then, after changing the washer, you have to re-assemble by repeating
the whole process of setting the backlash and checking the contact
pattern. If you research contact patterns for hypoid bevel gears you will
find that there is some latitude in what is considered acceptable or not
acceptable. Again, it is a matter of experience, but the most important
thing is that the whole of the contact patch must be on the tooth face.

Good luck with that

Cheers... jondee86

[totta Crolla]

I have done a few myself and the best thing I did was to have the old pinion bearing (in reasonable condition) honed out to allow it it slide on and off of the pinion, this way you can easily check the pinion depth without the need to press off the bearing each time.
Some after market ring a pinion kits are available with a shim kit and the kit typically has a thick washer and a series of different thickness thinner ones that you stack to get the correct pinion depth.
When it comes to fitting the new pinion bearing you can heat it up in hot oil to expand it just enough to allow it to slide onto the pinion.
Doing it this way ensures that the only time a press is required is when removing the old pinion bearing.
As far as I'm aware there is no special tool available for setting Toyota pinion depth, I did research it and even considered having one made similar to the Ford tool but it seems the tool is only used for the initial setting and fine adjustments are usually necessary anyway.

[filh]

Hello,
Thanks for your complete answer. I knew most of your advices .
The problem is : I'm starting with new parts , and they'll be fixed in an old axle housing.
I've no basis to start from.
I also knew about honing the old bearing , to make tries easier....
I was pretty sure that I saw a special tool , but age is making damages to my used brain .
I asked my machinist to fix the rear end , but he's got it for 3 months (overbooked machinist).
I broke my 4,7 gear end , and had to drive my last rally with a stock 4,3 gearend , associated with TRD gearbox .......
I only used 3 gears , sparing 4th an 5th gear.....
Seems there's no solution ; I'll have to spend time to fix that.
What do you use to check the theeths contacts ; paint , or else . Tried methylene blue , but not convinced ?
thanks for helping
Phil

[jondee86]

Here is the most perfectly detailed writeup of how to set up a differential.
It even explains how to calculate the shim stack height !!

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup/

With some good pictures on how to "blue" the teeth with yellow paste



Well worth a read for anyone thinking about setting up a differential.

Cheers... jondee86

[filh]

Thanks Jondee, It's a superb writeup , that can help a lot


Many thanks again for helping
Phil