Differential Ring Gear Install

[kgibbo]

I tried pressing the ring gear on and it seemed to be taking too much force… well, it broke. This is after leaving the diff half it bolts to in the freezer for a couple days and after oiling the interface. Is it suppose to be this tight?

[Mark Nunn]

It should not be a press fit.

[kgibbo]

Yikes! I wonder why it was so tight. Taking the old one off was such a pain that I thought the replacement had to be pressed on.

[Mark Gregush]

While you might need to tap on or off, it should not require chilling the housing and using a press. If the ring gear broke, that would take quite a bit of force and you may now have distorted the section it mounts to.
Are you putting the one you took off back on or is it different? If it is the same one, could have been a bad gear from the get-go or there were already problems with the housing.

[John kuehn]

T ring gears don’t get pressed on. It is a very close fir and you may need to evenly tap it on a bit but that’s about it if it’s necessary at all. It’s kind of unusual to be that tight when you’re getting it off. They do need to come off evenly and not prying on one side only.

[kgibbo]

It is a different one as the teeth on the original were/are not optimal. I bought a used ring gear and it really seemed to be in good order. Now I’m thinking it must have been distorted even though the teeth were good.

[Scott_Conger]

Kevin

there are more beautiful unusable parts out there than you may realize...there is a reason they appear beautiful after all of these years.

a lesson not learned by everyone, and learned by you the hard way

don't be afraid to consult with someone who's "been there, done that" in the future. The Forum is a great place for that.

Ultimately, I'm shocked that the ring gear broke. It should be a heat-treated carbon steel...all but impossible to break. If it broke, then better now than later

[kgibbo]

Thanks for replying Scott, hope I don’t sound arrogant…I like to think I learned the lesson an easy way not the hard way. I’m so glad it happened now just as you implied. I’m never afraid to ask for advice (that’s why I posted my issue in the first place); but that all has to be balanced or I’d be posting every 30 minutes or so. Won’t we all get tired of that quick! A little money, a little time…a valuable lesson! My brand new ring gear is coming later this week.

[Allan]

If you exerted enough force to break the ring gear trying to install it, I would be seriously concerned about having caused possible damage to the carrier. It needs to be thoroughly checked for fit and gear run-out, if the gear fits.

The true test may come when assembling the diff and checking the ring and pinion gear mesh.

Allan from down under.