rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 Hello all, I'm running into more problems than I think is normal on my front diff. (Decided to put a locker in and install a one piece axle on the passenger side). First, when pulling out the original 2 piece axle, it was extremely hard to remove. In fact, we had to weld the two axle pieces together in order to remove it. Seal location was moved from the CAD to the center diff housing, and we thought that the worst was over, but the hole on the passenger side is microscopically too big for the seal that commonly works there when doing this conversion. In the end we ended up using JB weld to keep the seal in. (Using regular sealant the seal would pop out, we could never get a pressure fit, and the seal needed to be so minimally larger that they didn't make one in that size. Today I put the carrier back in (locker installed) and I can't get the passenger side axle shaft in. I know sometimes it can be a pain, but remember my problems taking it out. Is there something off about my differential that I don't know about? Were some made with different bores near the carrier since they had the CAD system?! Need some help getting this one figured out. Seems like this diff just has a few odd things about it that we can't get figured out. What would cause the carrier to not line up correctly with the axle shaft?? Carrier is fully installed and torqued to spec. Thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 First off, what locker did you install? Also, what seal did you use? In CAD housings, seals-it seals work fantastic since, as you mentioned, the housing isn’t really machined for a good seal there on the cad axles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 2 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: First off, what locker did you install? Also, what seal did you use? In CAD housings, seals-it seals work fantastic since, as you mentioned, the housing isn’t really machined for a good seal there on the cad axles. We installed a spartan locker. I'm not really worried about the seal though honestly. I was going to use needles around the seal to keep it centered since technically the seal was too small, but I couldn't even fit any in between the space between the seal and the housing so that should give you an idea on how close it was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 I’d recheck the Spartan locker install. Make sure the cross pin is fully set and that your springs and cam gears are all lined up. Try shining a light down the axle tube and see if you can clearer see all the splines on the side gears through the tube. Regarding the axle seal, does it have a metal cone on one side to guide in and center the axle shaft? The trick with adding those oem seals to the cad housing is just getting it completely square. The seals-it seal fits much better in the bore and holds a much better seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 58 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said: I’d recheck the Spartan locker install. Make sure the cross pin is fully set and that your springs and cam gears are all lined up. Try shining a light down the axle tube and see if you can clearer see all the splines on the side gears through the tube. Regarding the axle seal, does it have a metal cone on one side to guide in and center the axle shaft? The trick with adding those oem seals to the cad housing is just getting it completely square. The seals-it seal fits much better in the bore and holds a much better seal. I shined the light down the tube and I cannot see all the splines. Would that possibly be a problem with the locker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 I honestly don't think I installed the locker incorrectly but I could be totally wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 16 minutes ago, rsmecham said: I shined the light down the tube and I cannot see all the splines. Would that possibly be a problem with the locker? The side cam gears may not be fully seated. Lunchbox lockers can be a bit finicky until the axle shafts are installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 1 minute ago, ghetdjc320 said: The side cam gears may not be fully seated. Lunchbox lockers can be a bit finicky until the axle shafts are installed. Yeah I understand. The only reason I think it might be something else is because of how hard it was to take apart. I didn't mention this in my original post but we had to weld the two axle pieces together and then rig up our own puller to get it out. Wasn't easy and it took hours for what should have taken seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 20, 2021 Author Share Posted July 20, 2021 I'll check and update tomorrow. Thanks for the help so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zomeizter Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 I did this recently, everything came out and went in nicely with the Spartan, the seal was kind of a b*@ch but I got it in with some home made contraption, maybe the tube is warped on that side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 5 hours ago, zomeizter said: I did this recently, everything came out and went in nicely with the Spartan, the seal was kind of a b*@ch but I got it in with some home made contraption, maybe the tube is warped on that side? Check your axle tube, it may be bent just enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 I’m going to pull out the carrier again and recheck the locker, then get the axle past the seal and ready to insert into the locker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsmecham Posted August 6, 2021 Author Share Posted August 6, 2021 Hahahahaha hey guys so here’s my update on the diff. My dad always told me a story about how his cousin hit a tree with the truck before he ever got it, but I never thought/knew it caused any damage. Well here we are 30 years later and it turns out it did! The axle housing is bent, which explains why it was so hard to get the original axles out, and why I can’t get this new one in! Time to head to the local junk yard. Luckily one of them has 2 old 4wd XJ’s that recently got there… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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