I copied this from another site and thought It might be helpful to some of the do it yourselfers here. You should always check gear patterns and backlash! Here ya go.......
HOW do I change out the gears on my 8.8 Mustang??
OK... this is the way!! the "correct way" ?? NOPE!!
We have changed out over 100+ ring and pinions on the 8.8 !! and NEVER Had issues!! wanna know how I ( and a lot of others ) Do It!!! Cool??
First the story! in the back loading 8.8 ( unlike the 9 inch which drops out front) ALL the specs/ clearance ect is set to THAT rear axel housing. SOOOOooooo... IF you pull something apart in the rear end, you CAN put it back in!! Yes?? YES!! And 99.8% of the time you are SO close that there will be no ISSUES!! Now.. that being said.... If you pull a set of 3.00's and install a set of 4.11's , there will be noise!! BS!! the greater number of teeth on the ring and pinion will make more sound than a set of 3.0's, however you have to listen HARD to hear it!! IF there was noise BEFOR the exchange, and all you do is the R/P the noise is going to STILL be there!! Noise is 90+% bearings... or bearings and races!! MOST of the time it is the in case pinion bearing and race in the front of the case!! SO.. Be carefully, diag the noise and fix the noise.. or you will still have it!! Now is changing all the bearings and races a "NEEDED Overhaul" when changing out the R/P ?? NOPE!! ( if there is NO NOISE.. then NO Bearings/races are bad!!) and believe me.. we beat the **** out of the rear end, just like you are going too!! )
OK.. that is a ruff on the rear end....
LETS Do IT!! Pull the tires ( Ok ..first jack the car and support it with jack stands... come on guys, common sense here, cool??) and the rear brake drums. Remove the rear cover plate on the rear. Look out for the gear lube.. that stuff will drive away everyone you love!! It Stinks BAD!! with a center punch and hammer... put a mark on the carrier end CAP AND the housing ( remember they MUST go back where they came from!! AND they will look the same!!) 1 hit on the right... two hits on the left!! Turn the rear diff until you can see a small screw holding in the main PIN!! carefully if you break that small bolt, you will be there a week trying to remove the carrier pin!! remove the small bolt.. then the pin. Push the axel IN , and you will see a "C-Clip" on the axel.. pull that out and then carefully pull the axel out , dont damage the axel seal, unless you have replacements. do the same to the other side!!
Now the fun... have an impact wrench, or plan on beating your self up a few hours, pull the drive shaft! the companion sleeve on the rear diff is held on with a BF NUT!! and that nut is on hard with lock tight !! Thus the impact!! remove the nut! then go to the rear, remove the carrier caps ( the ones you marked) put ALL the stuff off the rt TO the right and the same with the left side OMG.. your close!! you will see the carrier ( that supports the ring gear..) a bearing / race/ and a SPACER ( which is part of the KEY!! DONT mess the sides they came out of up!!) take a pribar.. and pop the ring / carrier out of the housing. Keep the stuff from the right on the right... OK I have said that enough.. .
Go back to the front of the housing.. pull the companion flange out the front. It might be a bitch, it ISN'T pressed on, just stuck.. cool?? then pull the pinion out the rear.. there will be a bearing that will come out the front , and the pinion will have a "crush sleeve" that slides off the shaft, and a bearing pressed on the pinion shaft.. cool!! got all that mess?? did you get that gear lube all in your hair cause you didn't clean up you freaking mess?? LOL man you STINK!!!
COOL... you have all the stuff out... DONT mix anything up!!
Behind the bearing on the pinion is a small SHIM!! that SHIM is the key to pinion depth in YOU rear axel Housing!! YOU HAVE TO RE USE IT!! Have the bearing pressed off, remove the shim behind it, put the shim and bearing on the new pinion! Get the ring gear OFF carrier, clean and using a flat file make sure the mating surface for the new ring gear is straight and smooth ( thus the file) Put the new ring gear on the carrier.. TORQUE the bolts to 65 Ft lbs. Have a BEER, your half way there.. money spent?? to press the bearings off/on !!
Slide the pinion back in from the rear, remember that "crush sleeve", that slides on the pinion shaft BEFORE the bearing and companion flange, so do that!! NOW the part that will receive a bunch of heat!! with the impact wrench, tighten up the big nut on the pinion.. and you want to CRUSH that sleeve...!! Tighten the nut until it takes a little power to turn the pinion ( or 16-29 inch lbs) This sets the pinion depth ( the reused shim) and the crush sleeve!!
From the back... the fun begins.. slide the carrier & the bearing /race and the SHIMS ( spacers ) all back into the housing... it will be kinda hard, how ever it will go, the urge to get a hammer and beat the sucker in there.. well if you break a spacer ( and they will shatter) your down at the for dealership talking to the parts man that needs your first born to just figure out what you are talking about!! (OK that was a little harsh..) remember.. everything is for the HOUSING!!
Put the caps back on.. torque to spec, slide the axles in, install the C-clips then the big pin, and the little holding screw/bolt!! Remember the common sense?? When you take it apart, LOOK at what you are doing!! It makes the install so much easier!!
NOW.. check all things that were removed and need torquing.. there will be a little drag on the rear end and not be easyly turned ( the preload on the crush sleeve) but it WILL turn. the ring and pinion should be a little slack between them ( usually .005-.008 IF it is as much as .010 that works also..remember this isnt the CORRECT way, If there is a little slack between the ring and pinion.. good! ) take a grease ( white works great..) put it on the drive side of the ring gear... turn the assy and get a patteren on the ring gear.. check it against the acceptable patterns with the new ring set. ! cover!! Gear lube !! tires... make a short drive.. listen for any noise.. if there was NONE befor there should be NONE NOW!! Short trip.. then stop and let the rear end cool down. ****>>... your done!! 4.11's / 3.73s and saved 450-600.00 , and was a 4 hour job!! ( with my friend.. we can do this in 45 min!!) and now you can charge that much to do your buds...LOL
Now.. Like I have said.. this is how 90% of the shops do it!! All my friends have done it this way.. I have a bazillion running my set up ( ok ..over 100+ ) Fear is a bad thing, do it and learn something that you can use for the rest of your MUSTANG Life.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APYO2sZyJU"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]
More good stuff!
http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/5ohcpa/cpa5ohtech001.htm
HOW do I change out the gears on my 8.8 Mustang??
OK... this is the way!! the "correct way" ?? NOPE!!
We have changed out over 100+ ring and pinions on the 8.8 !! and NEVER Had issues!! wanna know how I ( and a lot of others ) Do It!!! Cool??
First the story! in the back loading 8.8 ( unlike the 9 inch which drops out front) ALL the specs/ clearance ect is set to THAT rear axel housing. SOOOOooooo... IF you pull something apart in the rear end, you CAN put it back in!! Yes?? YES!! And 99.8% of the time you are SO close that there will be no ISSUES!! Now.. that being said.... If you pull a set of 3.00's and install a set of 4.11's , there will be noise!! BS!! the greater number of teeth on the ring and pinion will make more sound than a set of 3.0's, however you have to listen HARD to hear it!! IF there was noise BEFOR the exchange, and all you do is the R/P the noise is going to STILL be there!! Noise is 90+% bearings... or bearings and races!! MOST of the time it is the in case pinion bearing and race in the front of the case!! SO.. Be carefully, diag the noise and fix the noise.. or you will still have it!! Now is changing all the bearings and races a "NEEDED Overhaul" when changing out the R/P ?? NOPE!! ( if there is NO NOISE.. then NO Bearings/races are bad!!) and believe me.. we beat the **** out of the rear end, just like you are going too!! )
OK.. that is a ruff on the rear end....
LETS Do IT!! Pull the tires ( Ok ..first jack the car and support it with jack stands... come on guys, common sense here, cool??) and the rear brake drums. Remove the rear cover plate on the rear. Look out for the gear lube.. that stuff will drive away everyone you love!! It Stinks BAD!! with a center punch and hammer... put a mark on the carrier end CAP AND the housing ( remember they MUST go back where they came from!! AND they will look the same!!) 1 hit on the right... two hits on the left!! Turn the rear diff until you can see a small screw holding in the main PIN!! carefully if you break that small bolt, you will be there a week trying to remove the carrier pin!! remove the small bolt.. then the pin. Push the axel IN , and you will see a "C-Clip" on the axel.. pull that out and then carefully pull the axel out , dont damage the axel seal, unless you have replacements. do the same to the other side!!
Now the fun... have an impact wrench, or plan on beating your self up a few hours, pull the drive shaft! the companion sleeve on the rear diff is held on with a BF NUT!! and that nut is on hard with lock tight !! Thus the impact!! remove the nut! then go to the rear, remove the carrier caps ( the ones you marked) put ALL the stuff off the rt TO the right and the same with the left side OMG.. your close!! you will see the carrier ( that supports the ring gear..) a bearing / race/ and a SPACER ( which is part of the KEY!! DONT mess the sides they came out of up!!) take a pribar.. and pop the ring / carrier out of the housing. Keep the stuff from the right on the right... OK I have said that enough.. .
Go back to the front of the housing.. pull the companion flange out the front. It might be a bitch, it ISN'T pressed on, just stuck.. cool?? then pull the pinion out the rear.. there will be a bearing that will come out the front , and the pinion will have a "crush sleeve" that slides off the shaft, and a bearing pressed on the pinion shaft.. cool!! got all that mess?? did you get that gear lube all in your hair cause you didn't clean up you freaking mess?? LOL man you STINK!!!
COOL... you have all the stuff out... DONT mix anything up!!
Behind the bearing on the pinion is a small SHIM!! that SHIM is the key to pinion depth in YOU rear axel Housing!! YOU HAVE TO RE USE IT!! Have the bearing pressed off, remove the shim behind it, put the shim and bearing on the new pinion! Get the ring gear OFF carrier, clean and using a flat file make sure the mating surface for the new ring gear is straight and smooth ( thus the file) Put the new ring gear on the carrier.. TORQUE the bolts to 65 Ft lbs. Have a BEER, your half way there.. money spent?? to press the bearings off/on !!
Slide the pinion back in from the rear, remember that "crush sleeve", that slides on the pinion shaft BEFORE the bearing and companion flange, so do that!! NOW the part that will receive a bunch of heat!! with the impact wrench, tighten up the big nut on the pinion.. and you want to CRUSH that sleeve...!! Tighten the nut until it takes a little power to turn the pinion ( or 16-29 inch lbs) This sets the pinion depth ( the reused shim) and the crush sleeve!!
From the back... the fun begins.. slide the carrier & the bearing /race and the SHIMS ( spacers ) all back into the housing... it will be kinda hard, how ever it will go, the urge to get a hammer and beat the sucker in there.. well if you break a spacer ( and they will shatter) your down at the for dealership talking to the parts man that needs your first born to just figure out what you are talking about!! (OK that was a little harsh..) remember.. everything is for the HOUSING!!
Put the caps back on.. torque to spec, slide the axles in, install the C-clips then the big pin, and the little holding screw/bolt!! Remember the common sense?? When you take it apart, LOOK at what you are doing!! It makes the install so much easier!!
NOW.. check all things that were removed and need torquing.. there will be a little drag on the rear end and not be easyly turned ( the preload on the crush sleeve) but it WILL turn. the ring and pinion should be a little slack between them ( usually .005-.008 IF it is as much as .010 that works also..remember this isnt the CORRECT way, If there is a little slack between the ring and pinion.. good! ) take a grease ( white works great..) put it on the drive side of the ring gear... turn the assy and get a patteren on the ring gear.. check it against the acceptable patterns with the new ring set. ! cover!! Gear lube !! tires... make a short drive.. listen for any noise.. if there was NONE befor there should be NONE NOW!! Short trip.. then stop and let the rear end cool down. ****>>... your done!! 4.11's / 3.73s and saved 450-600.00 , and was a 4 hour job!! ( with my friend.. we can do this in 45 min!!) and now you can charge that much to do your buds...LOL
Now.. Like I have said.. this is how 90% of the shops do it!! All my friends have done it this way.. I have a bazillion running my set up ( ok ..over 100+ ) Fear is a bad thing, do it and learn something that you can use for the rest of your MUSTANG Life.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APYO2sZyJU"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]
More good stuff!
http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/5ohcpa/cpa5ohtech001.htm
lol