Hey I wanted to see how many of you guys rebuilt your own diff. How many seals did you have to replace? are the backlash specs in the service manual? thanks.

 

The Specs are in the service manual. I personal would replace them all. They are cheap to replace while the diff is open. Spend the 20 bucks on the seals.

I know of very few that have done the work themselfs. The ones that have are skilled automotive techs for a living. This is not a shade tree job by any means.

 

I've done three and I wouldn't recommend you even think about doing it. And yes, replace all the seals, and, for that matter, the three bearings, and the pinion nut. You should also replace the bolts that attach the driveshaft to the pinion flange. You will also need a handful of crush spacers.

 

thanks for the info.

Im having a tech help me through this, I would like to learn about it, everything I do to my car i try to do myself.

That and I dont really trust my local shops, and the dealership is out of the question.

 

You'll probably need 3 crush collars to get the pinion shim selected, unless you get lucky on the 1st try. I always use a new pinion seal for every pinion depth check, as you have to destroy the seal to remove the outer pinion bearing. If the shim is on the money I don't want to take it apart again to install the seal.

Setting up the ring an pinion requires carefull measurement, and the right tools to do the job. Don't skimp for "close enough". The gears will fail if not set up correctly.

 

just to stress this point.


this is hardly a DIY job, and while you may have a mechanic friend helping you, that doesn't mean anything. unless he's experienced with S2k diffs, you could be in for a world of trouble/headache. this install is an art form more than anything technical. you really need to know what you're doing.

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