I've searched for the answer and still feel confused about the difference between 4cyl and 6cyl rear diffs.

I recently bought a 7.5" 4.56 front IFS diff and am now looking for a rear 4.56. Can I swap in an 8" V6 diff without any modications into a 95 4cyl rear axle?

Also, can someone explain what the following terms mean? I've been using the words "diff" and "3rd member" interchangeably, and I'm guessing that "housing" and "carrier" mean the same thing.

Terms: diff/differential, 3rd member/3rd, housing, carrier.

According to the the site below, there seems to be a difference between 4cyl and 6cyl rear diffs.

http://home.4x4wire.com/erik/diffs/

TIA

Troy

 

They are quite different, however they both use an 8" Ring gear. They are absolutely interchangeable between 4 and 6cyl housings.

Diff and 3Rd member are the same thing

4 cylinder are a 2 pinion carrier diff, 6cyl and 4 pinion carrier diffs.

Also, 6cyl use a bigger pinion bearing.

 

So, does this means that I can remove my 4cyl 4.10 rear diff and put in an 8" 4.56 V6 rear diff without any modications to anything? I've got a stock 95 4cyl 4runner with 4.10 gears and want to upgrade to 4.56 gears with the least amount of work.

Troy

 

Yessir

 

Awesome! It's time to buy that V6 3rd and swap it into my 4cyl rear axle.

Thanks for your help DeatheCougar!

Troy

 

Once you lock it, you lose a lot of the differences. Since the locker replaces the spider gears. Just thought I'd mention that.

 

Thanks for the info.

Also, would you explain the difference between the terms "carrier" and "housing", or do they both refer to the same thing and simply describe the shell/casing that holds the gears in place?

TIA, Troy

 

Housing: Axle housing, contains the axles and the 3rd member bolts to it.
Carrier: The 3rd member, it can reffer to non-third member differential assemblies as well, i.e. the front differential assembly, without the axles, in an IFS is also called a carrier by some. Basically, whatever "carries" the differential gears and the ring gear, unless you have a spool (no differential gears).

 

Thanks. That explains "housing" very clearly to me. So now, I'm assuming that

carrier = 3rd member = rear differential (and sometimes the front IFS differential). These words are all synonymous, right?

Troy

 

Your carrier is what is bolted to the 3rd member, your ring gears are bolted to the carrier and your spider gears are located inside it. The 3rd member is the differential assembly (that includes the carrier,R&P, and pinion gear) that bolts up to the axle housing (it houses your axles, carrier, and 3rd member).

 

Yes, though Rcross's definition is technically the most accurate. It all depends on what your trying to convey. Without specificity, they reffer to the same unit and/or parts there in.