replacing 87 4 x4 spider gears

[peglegs]

in a recent post on diagnosing my 87 1/2 t. 305/350, 4x4, 10 bolt, 373 rear end problem plus talking to a few mechanics its thought that the spider gears need replacing, thanks to all for the great info.
ive done tons of mechanical work just not any internal rear end work so a few encouraging tips ie: take the clip out here, pull the pin there, slide the thing that way ...... lol just a little direction. this is my daily driver so i have to complete this in the next few days. thanks, as always, to you all & an incredable site

[peglegs]

anyone?

[baclay9]

I believe you just pull the axle C-clips, slide the axles out, take out the 4 bolts that hold the carrier in. Then you should be able to pull the carrier and slide out the pins that hold the spider gears in. I have only watched someone do it but that is all I can remember. Not really much to it if you aren't having to shim the pinion and such.

[Desert1957]

Ok here is a pic of a "spider gear " replacement kit.



Its not that bad , you will find curved washers in the kit , make sure you re install them on the back side of the gears , 2 of the gears are splined for your axles and the other 2 are not.

Make sure you clean out all the old parts from the carrier, use brake clean and try and make it hospital clean, any bad pieces left in there could cause big problems.

If the gears are broken , try and find out why , make sure the ring and pinion do not have any missing teeth that may have jammed up the rear causing breakage,

I cannot express how important it is to clean everything while apart.

The gears have to be timed so they are 180 degrees apart from each other or the retainer pin will not line up with the case, It might take a first timer a few tries but you can do it.

Lube everything very well with gear oil before reassembly.

PM me if you have any other questions...

Good Luck

Desert

[joe231]

You don't need to pull the carrier out to replace the spiders.
Just rotate the carrier to pull the bolt/pin so you can remove the large pin.
Push in on the axles and remove the c-clips (a magnet works well) and slide the axles out (you don't need to pull them completely out of the housing, just enough to clear the spider gears). Then you can just rotate the spiders to remove them (it will make sense once you are at that point).

Good luck!

I've also had excellent results using "the right stuff" and no gasket on the diff cover.
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