Finally locked the Trooper...
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They only major thing I can really tell you is that if you have a friend with axle removal experience, ask them to help you. The person who helped me is a professional mechanic who has a Chevy Luv with the same axle set up.
The removal was pretty straight forward. The axle tube separates from the brackets that hold it in the truck, so the whole assembly has to come down. We spent a little time figuring out that we couldnt leave the tube in the truck. It would've been sooooo much easier that way. Also, when removing the axle tube brackets are removed, there will be a thick washer with a rubber bushing on it. They'll probably fall from the top of the bracket when you are not looking, so keep an eye out for them. We wasted some time looking for one that walked off. Finally, we just made something else work.
The last thing I'll mention is the drain plug I drilled and tapped into the pumpkin to facilitate gear oil changes. 5 minute thing that'll save me purchasing an evacuation pump when I want to change the diff. fluid after I take it out and run it for a while.
The job took about 4.5 hours from start to finish, but I already had the locker installed in the gear set and just changed third members. If you want to do the same, let me know. I have my third member sitting around as a spare now.
If you have any specific questions, please let me know. This is all I can think of for now. I hope this helps.
The removal was pretty straight forward. The axle tube separates from the brackets that hold it in the truck, so the whole assembly has to come down. We spent a little time figuring out that we couldnt leave the tube in the truck. It would've been sooooo much easier that way. Also, when removing the axle tube brackets are removed, there will be a thick washer with a rubber bushing on it. They'll probably fall from the top of the bracket when you are not looking, so keep an eye out for them. We wasted some time looking for one that walked off. Finally, we just made something else work.
The last thing I'll mention is the drain plug I drilled and tapped into the pumpkin to facilitate gear oil changes. 5 minute thing that'll save me purchasing an evacuation pump when I want to change the diff. fluid after I take it out and run it for a while.
The job took about 4.5 hours from start to finish, but I already had the locker installed in the gear set and just changed third members. If you want to do the same, let me know. I have my third member sitting around as a spare now.
If you have any specific questions, please let me know. This is all I can think of for now. I hope this helps.
Yea, it isn't bad, it just has a lot of steps.kuranosuke said:
With regard to the drain plug, the lowest 3rd member bolt is also a drain. You may have to poke a screwdriver into it to pierce the silicone, but it does extend into the axle housing far enough to drain the gear lube.
-Tad
Heh, that would've been nice to know. That's cool, though, now it'll just drain a little quicker. The housing is pretty thick, so the 3/8" bolt I put in is pretty solid and doesn't worry me too much. Eventually, I'll probably bore it out to a little larger bolt.Tad said:
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