I was in the automotive business for over 38 years , I have done plenty of differentials in my days , what you looking at in this KZfaq is a textbook differential assembly , this is the way I did it the mechanic shop way the easy way . 1st ; Ring Gear Carrier bearing preload , the first thing I will do is Ring Gear carrier preload before I even install the pinion gear in the case , I will drop the gear carrier in the case and lightly tighten the bearing caps holding the bearing in place ,after installing the Ring Gear and carrier I will use a rubber mallet and smack the front of the ring gear couple times then the back of the Ring Gear couple times making sure that the ring gear adjustment shims have settled in their place , then tighten the bearing cap bolts to specification and check the preload , at that point I know exactly what size shims I have to use , all what will be left is swapping shims until the right contact point and backlash between the Ring Gear and pinion is achieved . 2nd ; Salvage the old Crush sleeve or shims whatever you're using , install the pinion gear without the oil seal using the old crush sleeve ,(unfortunately oil seals on the market are not exactly all the same , and some aftermarket oil seals will apply additional drag on the pinion gear preload adjustment ), Install the flange yoke ; tighten the pinion gear knot just enough to hold it in place , keep in mind that the new crush sleeve will only give you one chance to get it right , and that's why the use of the old crush sleeve can be extremely helpful ,install the ring gear carrier and set the contact point between the ring gear and the pinion gear . (some Crush sleeves that I had to deal with made out of thin material that would easily Crush , others required extreme pressure before it begins to crush , therefore salvaging the old crush sleeve is an option that might come handy ) . If the crush sleeve was manufactured out of thick difficult to crush material ? I used to do some measurements and get a rough idea of how much Crush did the job require , then using the hydraulic press reduce the size of the crush sleeve leaving behind a small distance to be crushed after installation in the differential . therefore adjusting the pinion too ring gear backlash and contact points will be easily achieved without fighting pinion gear preload with the oil seal drag on top of it , if the differential you're working on uses shims instead of a crush sleeve then you are in luck , it is possible to adjust pinion gear preload to specifications without worrying about the final installation in which the oil seal will impose additional drag on the pinion gear preload adjustment , this way after you are done with all of the adjustments you could easily install the oil seal without changing the pinion gear preload . 3rd ; after the final adjustments making sure it is where you want it to be , remove the drive shaft flange yoke off the pinion gear and install the new washers or the crush sleeve , install the new crush sleeve and the bearing then install the seal and the flange yoke , all what you have to do now is get the proper pinion gear preload keeping in mind that the seal is fighting you back . there was times where the crush sleeve was made from thick material and I had no option except to used the hydraulic press and crushed it to a light preload , after finishing all the adjustments that was needed , I installed the oil seal and all what's left now is just a small amount of Crush sleeves preload , do not use air impact gun to adjust the Crush sleeves preload , it will crush too fast and you will lose it . Warning and if you words of caution and good practice . A used differential will require a larger amount of backlash , for example your dismantling a differential to replace a pinion gear shaft bearings , make sure to measure the amount of backlash on the ring gear and pinion gear before dismantling it , upon reinstallation it is ideal to get the backlash to what it was prior to dismantling it , do not adjust an old used ring gear pinion backlash to the book specs that deals with the new ring gear and pinion , it will be too tight .

This is by far the best video on the subject. Perfect explanation, very clear audio, well spoken, and great camera quality. By far, I'm blown away at how much I learned. Thank you thank you

i have set several ring and pinions in my days. this guy cuts right to the point. Anyone can set up a rear end after watching this great instructional video. i wish i would have had this type of teaching 42 years ago. when i would just slap stuff in and go do burn outs till it exploded. 2 thumbs up

This is one of the best explanation for setting up a rear end. If you still don't understand it after watching the video than you probably shouldn't be doing it. Food for thought

Best tutorial I've ever seen. Generic as it applies to all diffs. Very good explanation of different touch patterns and underlying reasons for deviations.

Good job explaining the basics of setting up ring and pinion gear sets. Pay no attention to the goofs below that expect you to put years of experience into a 6 minute KZfaq video. I appreciate you sharing your time and knowledge on the subject.

we need more good American like you self sir. I really appreciate your professionalism and how you explain the information, thank you.

Without doubt the best teacher I have seen on You Tube. You have inspired me to rebuild the noisy diff on my Nissan instead of taking a chance with a used replacement. Having seen your video I now finally understand the workshop manual. Many thanks

Thank you so much for this wonderful video. You are a real gentleman with a profound love for your job and willingness to share your knowledge with others. I strongly RECOMMEND and grade this as number 1 video in its category. May God bless you sir for your kindness and generosity.

Hi, the shims are selected by setting the side bearing preload first (with the shims) and then by adjusting the backlash (with the same shims). If you have no idea of where to begin, use the original shim thickness and go from there. I tried to explain all of that in the video. I hope that helps.

Not just the first but the only professional differential video I have seen on youtube. Its expensive to do it right because it takes time.

Thanks for sharing this really easy to understand differential gear set up . I know there is many books on this procedure but it's sometimes easier ( like here ) to watch a video demostration than to read through many pages of books that would teach the same thing .

Thank you so much this explained the mystery PERFECTLY. Really appreciate you taking the time.

Wow, very thoroughly and professionally explained, You are a true professional, thank you!

Set up 2 sets by your video and another one or 2 folks videos, kinda just satisfying my own mind, appreciate you very much, Mine was a 5.29 install on Toyota 8inch, going on 4 years daily driving, I believe it was a good install, thanks again for your help

The only guy that really explained what preload is for and what it will affect

This is THE most informative video on this subject I have ever seen. Thank You for your great teaching skills!

Best video i have ever watch on how to set the ring and pinion. thank you so much for this amount of information..

That's a great demo! Another demo that youtube is crying for is a demonstration of how All Wheel Drive works. Thanks for your effort.

best explanatory video i have seen regarding the differentials. Sure the shown example was the perfect scenario, but there were more than enough info given what to do if you have abnormalities. And if people cant grasp that without being shown, then they really shouldn't rebuild differentials. Every diff is different, with different specs and different methods to adjust things, but the adjustments in principle are exactly the same and were very well explained.

There will always be those viewers out there that bash a posted video as this ( see a few posts below ) . But I totally agree with WeberAuto that it would have taken them a few hours to show all the different senerios with gear set up . Also I would agree from past experience ( incorrect pinion set up from a local licensed Ford Dealership ) which caused pinion failure on my truck's rear differential . That there are trained licensed technicians/auto mechanics that either take short cuts or just don't fully understand how to properly do a gear install .

I can't thank you enough for this informative video, great instruction, delivery and visual. I am much more confident taking on my project now thanks to you.

Young man, hell of a job on your presentation, wish more of the boys these days follow your style and perfection. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. God bless.

This gentleman is a splendid teacher.

wonderful Video set pre-load first after that adjust Backlash finally use Gear marking compound for last confirmation Sir you are really a Professor warm greetings from Saudi Arabia

finally a person that wants to offer help to other people! great work and great video mate! :D

Thank you for a cognizant, sensible explanation of a differential gear set up. I work in an environment where sometimes 3 ten thousandths of an inch is unacceptable and after my first gear set up, I was concerned... Now I understand it's not that big a deal. and I only have to work to the .001. I used Dykem for patterning and could see the difference between gear manufactures. I gave up and used white lith. Like another commenter said, thank you so much for your time and expertise.

Out of all the videos I just watched, this is the one that has me comfortable with my task.

Thanks professor for sharing such a high quality video. I learned from this what I needed to set up my new gears. Just wish the tools didn't cost so much for the set up! I just wish you had a video about using a pinion depth gauge to measure pinion depth and not just a video about the backlash.

Tanks of shearing your professional Ade voice on this Differential ring and Pinion Gear setup.

OMG! I seriously LOVE this! I keep having nightmares about what to do with my Differential Ring and Pinion Gear Setup, and now I can rest easy!!!! Thank you Professor Kelly!!!!!!!!!!! he he he :)

Very informative video! I replaced the planet gears in my car a year ago since the previous owner had welded them stuck. Since I had no proper tools, knowledge and skill to adjust it properly afterwards I sent it to the dealer. A year later, now, it rattles, oil is black and a lot of metal particles. Turns out even the dealer couldn't set it up properly. Expensive lesson for them.

this is all i needed to see to know that doing this is waaaaay above my pay grade!

I just wanted to say ive learned just about everything about setting up and rebuilding differentials from your videos I still need to study gear pattern interpretation a bit closer thanks for sharing your knowledge John! you are by far the best instructor I've seen! axles and drive train components is one of my biggest interests and it's because of the problems I've had with them in the past having shops not repair things correctly especially on differentials! I am not giving up till I fully learn how to set them up correctly and you have taught me that in the mental sense now I am going to have to apply it hands on! thanks again for your knowledge!

Thank you for your fantastic demonstration. I am not a mechanic but I have learned a lot from the video and your clear and paused way of explaining.

Great documentary, learned more here than anywhere else on this site. thank you.

GREAT explanation, as usual! Thank you Professor Kelly! I thoroughly enjoyed your Voltec videos, as well, and recommend them to my electrification colleagues at GM.

Thank you, for a very Informative and well done Exercise on how the relationship between the ring and Pinion, shims, bearings and all intermix. Your Explanations for the relationships are very concise and easy to understand. Bully for WSU and You!

Want to thank you for a short and clear video. Helped me to explain this job to a my daughter before we got into things on a Ford 9in. Thanks much!!

Hi, thank you for the nice comment. The bench mount is from OTC tools, part number 7020. Sometimes I see them on Amazon.com too.

Back in 2007 I bought an 07 mustang gt and bought ford racing 4.10 ring and pinion gears. Watched this video and read up on differentials for three months lol. In the end I had no noise and faster mustang off the line... now I own a 09 mercedes s550. Curious to find out about mercedes differentials.

This is very helpful thank you for posting and including a chart. Best video I have seen out there.

thank you for the good detailed information and demonstration I was washing your videos and that inspired me to take courses in mecanic and now I am about to pass the final exam this month and obtain my diplomate thank you so mush you have inspired me MUSTAPHA from MOROCCO

Thanks a lot Mr.Kelly this is a great video to help out fellow automotive students who's Trade schools that might be underfunded or worse pocketing money while actively making life difficult for students.

MrRealP x, I can't answer your question if you do not allow comments on your comments in your privacy settings. Rotational torque is the torque needed for a constant rotational motion, not to tighten the nut or bolt. Yes, both need the torque wrench to ROTATE, but one stops rotating when you reach the desired torque, the other never stops rotating since is is measuring the effort required to rotate the nut and everything connected to it. I hope that helps.

thanks John the reason I asked is since i rebuilt mine and everything is new except ring and pinion gears axles use to have a lot of play now they don't have any you can feel so i guess iam doing good then!

Thank you so much for a great educational video and lesson. You are a great teacher, I'm not sure if you are a teacher, but you definitely can teach . I'm a truck technician and always want to learn more. Thank you and God bless

Awesome video. Anyone who messes up a rear end after studying this video, should sell their tools. Nice job!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! I'm a bit nervous about doing my own diff rebuild, but I feel like this gave me the knowledge needed to ensure it's done right. I also predict taking mine apart many times because no way everything will just work first time like this for me :)

By far the best video I have ever seen. Thank you

Nice video. Your teaching reminds me of my 1st autotech teacher in 1987, Mr Nichols.

Awesome. Very educational. Straightforward with examples to get an idea and a better understanding.

Reminds me of an old School type fella from the 1950's Doing the job CORRECTLY.

I dont have a plastic hammer so I borrowed one from my 2 yr old. Every time I hit the shim with the hammer it made a "Beep" noise, I think there is something wrong with my diff!

Fantastic video. Info that I needed explained in a way I understand!

What a flawlessly designed video. Bravo man. I wish all KZfaq videos were this quality. Excellent work.

Great video. Thanks for making it!

Good shit! Thank u for taking the time

Hi, the new crush sleeve should be slightly longer than the old one because it is uncrushed until the pinion nut is tightened to the proper rotating torque. It is usually very difficult to tighten the pinion nut to specification because you are also crushing the crush sleeve at the same time. The crush sleeve provides the inward-to-outward force that holds the bearings in place when the pinion nut is tightened to specs.

Thanks for a great explanation on differentials. Probably the best video on KZfaq.

@djsteve1987 Hi, When you ran the contact pattern did you provide some load on the ring gear as you rotated the pinion? I usually use a pry bar on the outside smooth part of the ring gear to make it difficult to rotate and then turn the pinion forward 5 turns and backwards f turns. (Assuming the backlash and pinion depth are close to spec) If you still do not have a pattern on both the coast and the drive sides, you probably have a bad gear set.

You used a plastic hammer to install the shims I have seen the use of a case spreadera device that bolts to the case and a bolt to spread the case apart a tiny bit to install the shims then released to check the preload would that be better then using a plastic hammer to install the shims? Example >Kent-Moore J-45222 Axle Housing Spreader

Hi, the C-clips do hold the axle shafts from coming out on those and many other axles. Other axles use a pressed on bearing and retainer at the axle shaft bearing to hold the axle in place. Thanks for the nice comments.

hi John just wanted to say that I finally think I've got my drive axle noise pin pointed down I think it's the axle bearings because it has a growling type of whine that don't Change on exceleration or deceleration it seems to change when you on a straight away and you move the steering wheel from side to side the sound will change! it's ever so slight right now I have very good hearing most people can't hear it but one of my technician friends drove it and told me I was on the right track I am going to wait and make sure before I replace them i want to be double sure first! don't think it's the differential though I've had a lot of problems in the past with them and know the different sounds gears and bearings make and this sound is different then I am use to! thanks for all of your help and knowledge on rear axles I do fully understand how to rebuild a rear axle now but don't want to unless I have to because I believe you are probably stronger then me and I watched you get a good workout with that pinion bearing preload on the 1963 Chevy biscayne differential and I don't have the tools you have to work with but plan on getting some little by little so I am prepared just in case! your by far the best instructor and u want too say thank you very much!

Is this Ron Swanson doing this vid?

geez this is nearly impossible to do properly under a rusty truck

@Msonjo916 Hi, without the special tools to select the proper beginning pinion depth shim, I would use the old shim, set the backlash to specifications and check the gear contact pattern. The pattern will let you know if the pinion depth or backlash need further adjustment.

What a fantastic video, thank you for passing on this information, children of today need to embrace videos like this instead of watching junk television.

Ford and Toyota only smart manufactures of differentials where you can remove the 3rd member and set it up on a bench.

This video is very helpful to understand the basic setting of the Pinion. Thank you!

Hi, the yellow gear marking compound "Paint" is used to see where the ring and pinion teeth actually make contact with each other. The pattern can show you if your pinion depth and backlash are set correctly. There is a link in this video description for a gear tooth contact pattern interpretation chart to help you understand the patterns.

@Msonjo916 Hi, for pinion gears that use a crush sleeve, you do not tighten the nut to a specific torque, you tighten the nut until it takes a specific torque to rotate the pinion gear (all the bearings must be lubricated before doing this). There are some pinions that you do tighten the nut to a specific torque because they use selective spacers rather than a crush sleeve to set the pinion bearing preload.

Great vid. thanks for the quality explanation of Diff set up

best educatinal tutorial i have seen and very useful for my studies

Excellent video, makes sense now why my differential acts the way it does. My friend of mine is going to help me rebuild my dana 30 on my cherokee and now have a better understanding when we rebuild my axle. Thanks again!

Hi, you start with the old pinion shim(s), assemble the axle, set the backlash, and check the contact pattern. The contact pattern will tell you if the pinion needs to be moved closer or farther away from the ring gear or is the backlash needs to change. You move the pinion by changing the pinion shim thickness. There is a link in this video description for a gear tooth contact pattern interpretation chart.

Outstanding! Well worth the watch. This repair looks like a major pita.

The pre-load measurements and (front /back) pinion adjustments was great advise. thank you for the explanation

Very good job explaining it all. Thank you. I did see the side bearings pre-load being measured a different way before do using the same torque wrench and a long extension with a special socket to go down into the centre of the differential through the drive shaft holes. the differential bearings preload are then measured but i guess technically this still takes account of pinion bearing preload as well

So well explained. A real pro, an excellent auto engineer , Iust say . Thank you sir.

Still probably best video out there. Thanks !

Best setup video on KZfaq. You answered every question I had.

All of the pertinent information all in one video. Very well done. Thanks!

Very professional, thorough, and informative.

thank you for this vid. i now feel a little better about changing my pinion bearings. i am working with a dodge 9.25 but its the same concept. now all i have to do is find the proper specs for my dif.

Very detailed very good video till this video I was confused on backlash. Thank you for this video.

Brilliant explanation of setting up a differential.

thanks a lot John! I understand it perfectly now! and yes your right about lost art of doing it correctly I had some shops mess things up on differentials a lot in the past that's why i don't trust too many on that and I have promised myself I would learn to do it the correct way for the last 15 years thanks so very much for your help and knowledge it's really helped me out!

Hi, once you remove the ring gear, the side gears and differential pinion gears should be able to be removed by removing the pinion pin in the differential case. If you have a locking differential, the side gears and pinions are harder to remove. Some even require a special press to relieve the spring tension on the side gears. I will work on those videos for the future.

AWSOME VIDEO! Found that its one best explained out there. A little kid could build a differential by watching this. Would be great if you made a video on how to change gear ratios.

I had my gearbox with the differential properly fixed on my rear-engined and RWD Skoda 130. I did not have a new pinion and ring gears, as they are very hard, almost impossible to get. Also the wheels of the 5th gear were replaced completely, as they wear out fast. When drving there is a slight howling noise only when the load is small, when I need to keep the vehicle speed on a straight strech of road at moderate speeds. Driving faster makes the howling noice go away, as the foces transmitted are higher due to higher air resistance, drving slower is a lower RPM, when the howl is not yet in the correct frequencies to resonate parts of the car body, or the gearbox housing. Driving in 5th gear creates some additional howl, but that might be due to new wheels of the 5th gear and after about 500 km of driving, it got much quieter as the wheels wear in. Yet the diff whine remains and is the same in 3rd, 4th and 5th gear. Only when a small load is being transmitted. Coasting as well as engine braking is without any problems. The howl is most noticeable between 70 km/h and 100 km/h. A bit annoying, since those are the speeds I drive mostly at. Driving slower only in city and faster only on limited stretches of the freeway. Flat country roads, where I want to drive 80 km/h to 90 km/h are the worst speed to drive at. Any tips how to fix the whine other than replacing the pinion and ring gears?

Man what a kick ass video,i love technical stuff and you explain it so good and in detail,Ive been working on cars since i was a kid and i have rebuilt 5 engines in my life but i have never attempted this because i guess like most people I'm not that good with measurements and things of that nature,this video did help a lot though, i might attempt it here soon,i have a 8.8 on my toy that i would like to change gears on. i do work in a machine shop so i have all kinds of tools at my disposal.

got the truck rear axle back together all went well and smooth and quiet!

thanks for that I look forward to watching the g80 rebuild and I looked in my glove box sticker and sure enough it says g80 on the rear axle and from the pics I've seen of them don't think I am ready yet to tackle that! lol Hopefully your video will prepare me for that later down the road after I learn the more basic hands on with the open type! again thank you very much for your help your the very best I've came acrossed! what got me so interested in this subject is I had 2 so called professionals rebuild rear axles in the past and they went south after about 6 months and a lot of the older retired technicians have told me that theres a lot more to it then most know and it got me interested in learning this lost art! iam very picky with my vehicles I strive for perfection on everything I do! again thanks for the lessons on this and look forward to the g80 video! and love your ujoint series too! I always wondered about people smacking the drive shaft ears with hammers made me cringe because I knew it couldn't be right! thank you very much!

Very good info . I have a 2.5 Riley 1947.

I very much appreciate you taking the time to do this extensive detailed video.

A very professional,descriptive tutorial on diffs. A great big thanks!!!!

Your experience ia much more valuable... Thanks alot for adding more to what we know this little secrets need alot of years to take them out... You are just sharing on youtube ... Thank you

wow! that turned on alot of lights in dark places, terms I"ve herd for years but did not understand. that the cleanest shop i ever saw

Hi, I don't have a video on those topics yet. To remove the ring gear, remove the bolts (be careful, some ring gear bolts have an "L" on the bold head indicating left handed threads). Use a brass happer or brass drift to lightly tap the ring gear off the differential case. You will have to heat the ring gear up in a toaster oven to 200 degrees F to reinstall it. Be sure to use the new bolts that come with a new ring gear. If you must reuse the old bolts, clean them and use red threadlocker.