Crush sleeves and the lack thereof? (Super LONG)

[MaddRamm]

Hey guys,
I would appreciate some input on my XJ D44 project. I have a few questions but will give you the story first...

My Waggy D44 rear axle supposedly never came with a crush sleeve. I talked to Gregory's a couple of months back seeing if I could get the shims, bearings, crush sleeve for installing gears into this D44. They said that when they ran the BOM that it didn't call for a crush sleeve.

Well, I have run the BOM myself at Dana's site www2.dana.com/expert/wc.dll?DSD~deabill~2 and in fact, many other boms....most often the pictures and kits have no mention of a crush sleeve in any of the kits! FYI, if you want to run it, the BOM for this axle is 605285-2
I have many Dana axle parts manuals/catalogs for Fords and other vehicles...the picutres almost never seem to show the crush sleeve for front or rear axles and it doesn't appear in most parts kits.

To further this mystery, I finally took apart the axle yesterday and removed the 2.73 gears. Low and behold...there was NO crush sleeve between inner and outer pinion bearings.

Here come the questions.....How was the preload ever set on the gears when it came from the factory without a crush sleeve? Don't all axles come with crush sleeves? Or are crush sleeves something not necessary in the actual assembly process but are used when gears are swapped???

Now, do I need to worry about a crush sleeve or can I just get the Dana/Spicer parts kit from Gregory's Fleet Supply without the crush sleeve? If so, how would I set the preload and not squish the bearings too much? Jut be silly careful on tightening the nut???


Also, I was going to instal the 3.54s I have (both from Dodge D44 front ends...I kow, they already have a lsight pattern being run the other way....) and those gears had the crush sleeve on them. Obviously I don't reuse it....but if my housing doesn't call for a crush sleeve, would these gears be all right without one?

I know this is a bunch of stuff, but I appreciate you input...trying to get this axle under there! Once I get the gears installed I will be able to just slap it under there.

[BIG J]

if there was no crush sleve when you took them apart then there should have been some small shims where you would normally see the crush sleve. once you have your pattern set. you put the shims in tighten down the pinion nut and check the preload, if there is not enough preload then you take away some shims and if there is too much preload or the pinion starts binding before the yoke is bottomed out then you need to add some shim, it usually takes several tries before you get it right. the pinion nut should be tightened ALL the way down when it is right. once it's close it will only take .002 shim to get it right.

[MaddRamm]

Sweet! I took the bearing off and can see those little shims there!

There is like 3-4 of them and they seem rather thick. But there is also a nearly paper thin one that is of a different size and is wavy. I wonder if I could get away with just putting those same ones back in, watcha think??? I will measure them and find out their thickness anyway....but at least I now have something to go with!

Would I be correct in assuming that this will be mucho easier than trying to crush the crush sleeve? Cuz those things are hard. Whereas here, all I have to do is bring the pinion nut down and keep checking the preload....

Thanks a ton Jason!

[MaddRamm]

Oh yeah....forgive my ignorance...but what should the range be on the bearing preload? from how many in/lbs to in/lbs ......that is one value I don't know. I am sorta used to doing it by feel...but wanna try and do everything by the book as possible

Also, in setting up the 3.54s....which would be best...setting them up on their old pattern from where they used to be in the front? Or setting them up on a good looking pattern regardless of how it overlaps the old? I am not too concerned about it overall since I will only have these gears in for a year or less.


Thanks

[A "CJ"]

www.ring-pinion.com/setupspecs.shtml

try this link has the info your looking for.....

tim

[BIG J]

those shims will be a good place to start. just keep track of the pinion shims that came in it and note how much you added or took away, and adjust the preload shims the same ammount and you should be reall close. also you don't tighten and check till you get it right. if the assembly should be completely bottomed out when you check it then if it's too loose you take sims out, and if you feel it start to bind before it bottomes out then you need to add some shims. it will be right when you can crank down on the pinion nut as hard as you can and you get 15 in/lbs of pre-load, i think it might be more like 10 in/lbs for used bearings. check the link tim gave you for that. hope all is clear now.

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone."
-Jimmy Clif