I removed the stub axles and the housings around them that house the seals on my 86 5-speed and now I go to put them back in and it seems like the diff is loose inside the rear end! @%#$ING DUH!!!!!!!!!!!! How do I fix this ?!?!?!

 

I think you need to remove the rear cover so you can position the diff. I'm sure it's sitting on the floor of the box.

 

Righto, can you elaborate a touch more?

Thank you

 

Those housing are all that support the differentiial. The shims under them provide the proper preload and backlash for the ring gear.

As long as you keep the housings and the shims on the same side as they came from, you can just install new O-rings and seals and put it back together. You will need to stick your fingers into the differential to center it, as you re-install the housings.

 

Yeah what he said.
Thanks Greg

 

And if I need to reshim because I didn't know that, where do I find out more about this? If the manuals have it, what page? I have the Jim Morehouse cd's and have a lot of trouble finding my way through them....

 

Really though I kept the shims on the correct side, and had plans ot keep the housings there as well, but the "permenant" maker wasn't so permenant. So I either got it right or I simply have to swap housings, all I have to do is measure and make sure its withing spec correct? I have friends with these tools.

 

Once you have the rear cover off, all will be understood. It's not that hard of a job to do.

 

The shims determine back lash. If you put it all together and have none you know you did it wrong.

 

^^^^ What Mark said, plus there's the preload on the carrier bearings themselves to consider.

This is probably not a good exercise for a first-timer going in with no understanding of what's needed. Sean is in your neighborhood. Bribe him with money and beer (the beer only after the job is done) and get him to show you. You'll need all the shims that were in there before. With some luck you haven't mixed them up beyond having the right-side pack moved to the left side and vice-versa. He'll bring a dial indicator and a bracket to attach it to the rear casing, some bluing to check the contact pattern, a torque wrench for the bolts on the drive flanges, plus the new o-rings and some grease for them, plus misc hand tools and an opener for the beer. Probably a micrometer to measure the shims too.

You'll have the car up high on stands so you two can sit upright comfortably under the gas tank, the floor will be clean underneath and the oil will be drained completely from the diff housing. You'll have replacement gear oil, plus limited slip additive if you have a working limited slip. Let Sean know if he needs to bring the pump, the allen key for the fill plug, etc.

 

You want .003"
preload on the bearings iirc.

Getting the backlash for the diff set is a tad more difficult.

 

Keep the original shims where they go...you say you kept them separate from side to side. If you carefully study the bearing races, in the housings, they will almost always have slight "trails" where a tiny piece of metal/dirt got between the roller and the bearing race. No two will look the same. Carefully mentally note where these "trails" are. Now study the rollers on the bearings that are on the differential. You should be able to also see the impression made from the "trails" on each roller.

You've got to be a bit of a detective, but it is not brain surgery.

Now you will know which side the housings fit. Put it back together with new seals.

 

I remember stabbing the hell out of myself on one of the housings with a metal splinter so I will look for that mark. PHEW!! I have the correcct shims and stuby's on the correct side so once the housings are identified I will take the rear cover off and put it all back. Thank god I don't need anything else to do, I am trying to get so much done before school, if I don't the car sits possibly for years!!

Thanks to all who commented, I will update with progress.

 

Worked out great, but the bolts are toast and one stretched and broke, back off it all comes.

 

Using an impact wrench to install them is a bad idea. Jus sayin