BLRobertson

I recently bought a 94 4cyl 5-speed ext cab pick-up which was pretty much a basket case but the price was right. I've been going through it to make things dependable again and got around to the front differential, going to check things and put new seals in when I noticed the r/h side gear shaft seems to have excessive play in it. Comparing the dimension of the r & l side shafts where they ride in the carrier showed no real difference. It appears the wear is in the carrier. What I measured in the carrier is approx. .005 clearance on the left(good) side and approx. 011 clearance on the right side. I guess what I need to know is this additional movement in the side shaft going to take out a new seal and start leaking or is this kind of wear to be expected and move on. I'll be using the 4WD when it snows to get to work and probably not a lot of off-roading. Thanks for the help

MudHippy

1. The passenger's side should have more play than the driver's side.

2. Especially so if it's non-ADD. In which case the driver's side would have very little, if any, and the passenger's side would have a significant amount, even brand new. And there's nothing you can do about it. If it's ADD, then there are extra bearings for inner ends of the shafts inside the differential/carrier. These are there to help minimize the amount of play.

3. You measured the clearance of what/where in the carrier? Then how. Then why. Please.

BLRobertson

It's a non-ADD and I used a teliscoping gauge and micrometer to measure the OD of the side shaft below the splines. Then the ID of the carrier where the shaft rides in an area with spiraling grooves similar to the brass bushings in the hubs. As for the why this is my first IFS diff and it seemed to be alot of movement. If it's just the way it's designed and not something that needs fixing that's great. I'll slap some seals in and move on, lots more cleaning and painting to done. Thanks again

MudHippy

Still wondering why. Because there are no specifications for that particular measurement available. So who cares what the clearance is, and/or knows what it should be?

In short...that was a total waste of time and effort.

You're welcome!

BLRobertson

I think I've learned something about this truck so I don't consider my time wasted and I apologize if it was a waste of your time.