Gear Tooth Contact Pattern Check

1. NOTE: A marking compound mixture that is too wet will run and smear, too dry a mixture cannot be pressed out from between the teeth.

   To check the gear tooth contact, paint the gear teeth with the special marking compound.

2. Rotate the ring gear (use a box wrench on the ring gear attaching bolts as a lever) several complete revolutions in both directions or until a clear tooth contact pattern is obtained.

3. Certain types of gear tooth contact patterns on the ring gear indicate incorrect adjustment. Incorrect adjustment can be corrected by readjusting the ring gear or the pinion.

4. The following illustration shows acceptable tooth patterns for all axles. In general, desirable tooth patterns should have the following characteristics:

   1. The drive pattern should be fairly well centered on the tooth, but may be slightly toward the toe.
   2. The coast pattern should be fairly well covered on the tooth.
   3. Some clearance between the pattern and the top of the tooth is desirable.
   4. There should be no hard lines where the pressure is high.
      
      Tooth Patterns
      
      
      
      
      

5. An individual gearset need not conform exactly to the ideal pattern to be acceptable. Any combination of drive and coast patterns shown is acceptable.

6. Since each gearset rolls a characteristic pattern, the patterns shown are considered acceptable and should be used as a guide. The drive pattern is rolled on the convex side of the tooth, and the coast pattern is rolled on the concave side.

NOTE: When making drive pinion position changes, drive pinion shims should be changed in the range of 0.05mm (0.002 inch) to 0.10mm (0.004 inch) until the correct pattern has been obtained.

The movement of tooth contact patterns with changes in shimming can be summarized as follows:

• Thinner drive pinion shim, with the backlash set to specification moves the drive pinion farther from the ring gear.
• Thicker drive pinion shim, with the backlash set to specification moves the drive pinion closer to the ring gear.

NOTE: If the patterns are not correct, make the changes as indicated. The differential case and drive pinion will have to be removed from the carrier housing to change a differential bearing shim (4067).

NOTE: When a change in backlash is required, differential bearing shims should be changed in the range of 1-1/2 times the amount of backlash required to bring the gears into specification. For example, if the backlash needed to be changed by 0.10mm (0.004 inch), the differential bearing shims should be changed by 0.15mm (0.006 inch) as a starting point. The actual amount of backlash change obtained will vary depending upon the ratio and gear size.

7. If the drive pinion positioning shims are correct:

   • Decreasing backlash moves the ring gear closer to the drive pinion. Drive pattern (convex side of gear) moves slightly lower and toward the toe. Coast pattern (concave side of gear) moves lower and toward the toe.
   • Increasing backlash moves the ring gear away from the drive pinion. Drive pattern moves slightly higher and toward the heel. Coast pattern moves higher and towards the heel.

8. Check ring gear backlash by installing a dial indicator on the carrier housing. Check ring gear and pinion backlash at three equally spaced points on the ring gear. Backlash tolerance is 0.13-0.23mm (0.005-0.009 inch) and cannot vary more than 0.08mm (0.003 inch) between the three points. If backlash is high, the ring gear must be moved closer to the drive pinion, by moving differential bearing shims to the ring gear side from the opposite side. If backlash is low, the ring gear must be moved away from the drive pinion by moving differential bearing shims from the ring gear side to the opposite side.

   
   
   
   
   

Worksheet for Calculating Ring Gear Backlash and Differential Bearing Preload Shims

Steps:

1. Total amount of space measured without gearset assembled into carrier (housing) = Measurement A       

2. Total amount of space measured with gearset assembled into carrier = Measurement B       

3. Measurement A minus Measurement B = Measurement C       

After the measurement and calculations have been made, assemble the shim packs using the figures determined in A, B & C and adjusting the pack as described below.

RING GEAR SIDE — B =        Total shim pack thickness.

OPPOSITE SIDE — C+0.010 (0.25 mm) =        Total shim pack thickness.

Assemble shim packs onto differential case hubs and assemble new differential bearing cones. Continue to assemble the axle assembly as described in this section.