I installed the passenger side axle with no problems. The drivers side goes in to the bearing and then stop? Does it need a little push? It is in far enough that when I rotate it, the passenger wheel turns. I just am afriad to"force" it. Any help??

if you have a burr on one of the splines or if your inner bearing is worn, it may take a little nudging to get it going. It doesnt take much to get the other side to turn. you may want to figure out a way to lock it or give it some resistance so you can feel whether the spines are aligning. if they are, use a block of wood and a light to medium blow with a heavy hammer. If one or 2 whacks doesnt free things up then you have a bigger problem.

Should I remove the diff cover so I can visually check things BEFORE I give it a whack?

pull it back out turn it a little to change where the splines meet and reinstall. It should go all the way in.

Took it back out readjusted...same problem. Got a piece of wood and gave it 4 good whacks and it went in.

HOWEVER, me thinks I broke something.......

Work with me here...I am learning as I go.

1. When the drivers side tire is manually rotated, the passenger side turns...very good and normal.

2. When the driveshaft is rotated the drivers wheel barely moves kinda stuttering. When I spin the drive shaft and grab the drivers wheel they are not locked together...I thought they should be?



Help for the stupid please

Dosen't sound right to me. Let me check with exit 98. He just replaced a rear and had the axels out.

Well...I really would not have slept well tonight...SO I went out and pull the diff cover. Nothing looks broken. I think I just am missing the basics. When I spin the driveshaft, everything inside the diff rotates correctly and very smooth.

Damn I hate missing the basic of operation. Driveshaft transfers engine power...ring gear to pinion inside the cage. Got all that. But the transfer of power to each wheel is killin me. Why when the driveshaft is rotated can I hold either wheel from spinning? Nothing is loose that I can see. I thought I damaged something when I knocked the drivers side axle into place, but the passenger side does the same thing. Trying to find in the shop manal HOW the axle splines mesh into the diff?

The axles drive the spider gears. This cluster allows the wheels to rotate at different rates without twisting an axle. Old racers trick is to weld up the spider gears to end up with a no-slip diffy.

So for me being a bit slow tonight...are you saying that what I have posted is ok and all is well? If so, still confused on how the driveshaft can rotate yet the wheels stop....o crap...I don't think I completed enough rotations of the driveshaft for the wheel to "catch".

Unless you have a "posi", you really only have one wheel drive and it's the tire with the least traction. The spider gears let the axles turn different speeds so you can turn corners . It sounds fine to me.
I tried driving my ChevyII with a spool on the street and it wasn't fun. the tires squealed and jerked going around corners and got funny looks from the PoPo.

It sounds like everything is alright. At least I hope so. My does the same thing. LOL
It's as if the driver side wheel doesn't catch right away when spinning the passenger wheel.

azygoustoyou wrote:It sounds like everything is alright. At least I hope so. My does the same thing. LOL
It's as if the driver side wheel doesn't catch right away when spinning the passenger wheel.

This might help:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential2.htm