Hi Don
I would at the very least fit new oil seals on the outputs and pinion and
bearings on the outputs (I think you have to pull the output bearings to do
the seals), loss of oil will quickly turn a sweet unit into a junker BTDT.
Also what sort of back lash is there on the output shafts, if you drain the
unit and leave it to dry a day or two, you will possibly feel two lots of
lash, a light one and a heavier one, the light lash is on the planetary
gears and the heavier one is on the pinion, you will only detect this from
turning the output shafts. You could also check this visually by removing
the rear cover. If there is a lot of light lash it would indicate that the
cup thrust washers are worn, replacing these does require a strip down and
rebuild but it is not hard and if you don't replace the pinion bearings or
the bearings holding the crown wheel carrier, you will not need any special
tools to reset the tolerances, just a feeler gauge to get the cup thrust
washers right. You can even remove/replace the crown wheel carrier without a
spreader, you can use your weight to force the bearings back into the
housing or you can apply a gentle crush with a clamp across the opposite
faces from the ones the manual says to pull with the spreader.
!!!!BEWARE!!!!!!
The caveat in the manual about not applying too much tension with the
spreader or distortion will occur applies to using the clamp to crush also,
apply a little tension and see if the carrier will move add a little more
until it is free, if it is not free with 1/2 a turn (1/16") with a fine
thread clamp it isn't coming out the easy way!
I completely rebuilt my diff on my 2000 Sedan, it is still noisy though not
as noisy as it was before the rebuild but at least I know that for a while
it won't loose its oil and destroy itself !
Would I do it again?
I would only do what I have described above unless I knew the unit had been
run low on oil, then I would replace the bearings but only if the unit was
quiet. And I mean Quiet!
Graham.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Malling"
Subject: TR250 Differential rebuild -- yes or no?
> The Differential is out of the car -- frame off. 60K original miles.
>
> I'm trying to decide whether to have the differential rebuilt or just
> clean it up and put it back.
>
> Is the some way to tell if the differential should be rebuilt without
> taking it apart? The car has had a gentile life. I don't drive it hard.
> How many miles should I expect between rebuilds?
>
> FWIW, the oil feels stiff at 45 degrees in the garage. I can turn it by
> hand and it feels smooth but it doesn't spin freely. Is that typical?
>
> I suppose I should drain the oil and replace it if nothing else. Also
> thought I should add a drain plug.
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated
>
> Don Malling
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