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dana 60 help on gear setup ( UPDATE Post 40 pattern check )
- Thread starter sweetk30
- Start date
oh trust me i will find the problem here and get it right.
and def need stuff on the money as its a e-350 van and has 7.3 turbo in front of it.
dont need the power tossin the gears out the rear. 
oh trust me i will find the problem here and get it right.
and def need stuff on the money as its a e-350 van and has 7.3 turbo in front of it.
Them gears would be pukin' like a porn star wannabe, on the set with Johnnie Wad.
On a used gear set you need to concentrate on the coast side as the drive side can rarely even be read at all.
Thin your gear marking compuond with some oil and try to get another pattern on it, makes it easier to read.
On a used gear set I always check in 2 places ( I actually do that on all my setups)
Your first pattern is very very hard to read
For now ignore backlash try to get the pinion depth correct, when I am confused I usually make a big change and see what that nets me. It has helped me figure out a couple problem axles
Thin your gear marking compuond with some oil and try to get another pattern on it, makes it easier to read.
On a used gear set I always check in 2 places ( I actually do that on all my setups)
Your first pattern is very very hard to read
For now ignore backlash try to get the pinion depth correct, when I am confused I usually make a big change and see what that nets me. It has helped me figure out a couple problem axles
anyone got some good coast side pattern pics saved ?
poped out the new inner pinion bearing and race. checked them thickness wise to old setup .
old = 1.1790" thickness old bearing/race had some scorring and flacking on edges of rollers from bearing starting to go bad.
new = 1.1920" thickness
i under stand new not broken in yet and old was worn a bit but basicly .130 thickness diffrence is a lot in the diff setup shim world from what i have read. and looking at my patterns and seeing way to close on center of ring gear contact and need pinion to drop in case to center on gear and not having any shims to begin with how can this work. ?
am i over thinking this or what ?
old = 1.1790" thickness old bearing/race had some scorring and flacking on edges of rollers from bearing starting to go bad.
new = 1.1920" thickness
i under stand new not broken in yet and old was worn a bit but basicly .130 thickness diffrence is a lot in the diff setup shim world from what i have read. and looking at my patterns and seeing way to close on center of ring gear contact and need pinion to drop in case to center on gear and not having any shims to begin with how can this work. ?
am i over thinking this or what ?
Last edited:
anyone got some idea's other than mine ? 
That difference is .013" NOT .130". If this is close to the amount you would need to drop the pinion I would say you've found your problem.
ya stupid typo on thickness diffrence.
not sur if i should just do new gears or machine down bearing to make it shorter?
not sur if i should just do new gears or machine down bearing to make it shorter?
black dawg
1/2 ton status
I would do new gears, vans are like suburbans in the way that if the r&p make ANY noise you WILL hear it.
I have done several sets of used gears, there was only one that I could not get setup, new gears, and the setup went just as normal, don't know the reason.
If machining or new gears is where you at new gears wins every time
If machining or new gears is where you at new gears wins every time
ya leaning tords the new. and return bearing kit and spend extra on a timkin kit.
or i was thinking the inner bearing and achining the bearing inner cone down the .0130" diffrence.
but this would be a crazy band aid for a simple fix with better/diffrent bearing kit and new gears.
--------------------------------------------
yes the van was LOUD
with the bad bearings inside the diff at speed.
or i was thinking the inner bearing and achining the bearing inner cone down the .0130" diffrence.
but this would be a crazy band aid for a simple fix with better/diffrent bearing kit and new gears.
--------------------------------------------
yes the van was LOUD
with the bad bearings inside the diff at speed.
big update :
got off the phone with a good shop and i told the guy the whole deal and story on this thing.
he said first off the ntn brand bearing removed from the inner pinion bearing was NOT a std dana used bearing . someone has been in there and messed it up.
second : the chunks of metal sound exactly like a blown up shim from under the inner pinion bearing .
third : he has never seen a dana axle with no shims removed from the inner pinion bearing or race locations. so somthing is up on my axle at this point.
fourth : he said the slinger was old school stuff and for years now only used on the ford high pinion stuff only these days.
so i guess at this point with the major messed up rear and also worn gears from prob 2 bad sets of bearings and pattern being off and worn funny that its time to start from scratch and just order new gears and start from there.
i know this has been a crazy ride so far but i knew somthing was not adding up and didnt wana redo all the work in the end and be pissed off at it . figured better ask and go from there.
got off the phone with a good shop and i told the guy the whole deal and story on this thing.
he said first off the ntn brand bearing removed from the inner pinion bearing was NOT a std dana used bearing . someone has been in there and messed it up.
second : the chunks of metal sound exactly like a blown up shim from under the inner pinion bearing .
third : he has never seen a dana axle with no shims removed from the inner pinion bearing or race locations. so somthing is up on my axle at this point.
fourth : he said the slinger was old school stuff and for years now only used on the ford high pinion stuff only these days.
so i guess at this point with the major messed up rear and also worn gears from prob 2 bad sets of bearings and pattern being off and worn funny that its time to start from scratch and just order new gears and start from there.
i know this has been a crazy ride so far but i knew somthing was not adding up and didnt wana redo all the work in the end and be pissed off at it . figured better ask and go from there.
Cool beans, I don't know as much as some but I do know enough to say that when you are really having problems with an axle you can almost always count on the fact that someone has been in there before.
Starting from new I bet it will go together awesome
Starting from new I bet it will go together awesome
yep someone deff been in there that for sure now i got all the facts / info / advice from others.
and yes will be better all new. and i mean all new.
i have tryed to sell a brand new dana 60 power-lok posi unit for 4.10 down ratio for few years and no real bites. so i say screw it toss the weak trac-lok thats known for weak and burn out fast and swap it with my new power-lok unit as he will love it on the farm duty use van a lot better.
only thing i got to do is get a set of 32 spline side gears for the power-lok and swap them. but i got a place with them already so no problems. and then monday will order new 3.55 gears for it and call it good.
make a super 60 axle for the van i guess.
and yes will be better all new. and i mean all new.
i have tryed to sell a brand new dana 60 power-lok posi unit for 4.10 down ratio for few years and no real bites. so i say screw it toss the weak trac-lok thats known for weak and burn out fast and swap it with my new power-lok unit as he will love it on the farm duty use van a lot better.
only thing i got to do is get a set of 32 spline side gears for the power-lok and swap them. but i got a place with them already so no problems. and then monday will order new 3.55 gears for it and call it good.
make a super 60 axle for the van i guess.
I ended up at that point too Brett, I had a cracked tooth on the pinion I was trying to use, and just couldn't get a good pattern (on a 14) but really wanted to use these used gears because I got such a good deal on them....well finally had to admit defeat when we found the cracked pinion gear...after that there was no sense in even trying to set em up.
So if you don't mind, keep taking some pics and show some progress on this Dana, I haven't successfully put one of those together yet.
shimmed axles SUCK in my opinion.
should all be made like 14 bolts / 9" and others with threaded collers.
but ya will try and get pics and little write up. at buddys shop so i cant take to long . . . . been over a week now with this and few other vehicles i helped him with .
parts list so far :
all new brakes minus drums and cables = 175
axle wheel seals 30
gear oil and posi lube 60
master install kit 150
parts cleaner in cans 40 (case)
new abs speed sensor 25
now 360 for yukon gear set
some sort of trade deal on the posi of mine and the new gears for it.
dam thing is turning in to a dana 60 front axle with the price tag.
should all be made like 14 bolts / 9" and others with threaded collers.
but ya will try and get pics and little write up. at buddys shop so i cant take to long . . . . been over a week now with this and few other vehicles i helped him with .
parts list so far :
all new brakes minus drums and cables = 175
axle wheel seals 30
gear oil and posi lube 60
master install kit 150
parts cleaner in cans 40 (case)
new abs speed sensor 25
now 360 for yukon gear set
some sort of trade deal on the posi of mine and the new gears for it.
dam thing is turning in to a dana 60 front axle with the price tag.
well UPDATE time :
got new yukon 3.54 ratio gears friday . fyi ( reboxed dana gears )
monday got the new 32 spline side gears for the power lok unit.
also got a diff magnet to glue in to the case under the ring gear to catch any junk that i couldnt clean out of the axle housing from old bad bearings.
got the ring gear and abs tone ring along with side gears swaped and all ready to install today. did a few drop n checks till i got contac.
got gear read but not perfect yet. ( today was a off day for me head not in the game ) so i gave up and went back to the bumper build.
also found out i dont need the big master shims anymore the orignal rear setup with trac lok ( a.k.a trash lok ) needed. the power lok case is fatter. now its just shims under the bearings.
fyi on the power lok ITS HEAVY
got new yukon 3.54 ratio gears friday . fyi ( reboxed dana gears )
monday got the new 32 spline side gears for the power lok unit.
also got a diff magnet to glue in to the case under the ring gear to catch any junk that i couldnt clean out of the axle housing from old bad bearings.
got the ring gear and abs tone ring along with side gears swaped and all ready to install today. did a few drop n checks till i got contac.
got gear read but not perfect yet. ( today was a off day for me head not in the game ) so i gave up and went back to the bumper build.
also found out i dont need the big master shims anymore the orignal rear setup with trac lok ( a.k.a trash lok ) needed. the power lok case is fatter. now its just shims under the bearings.
fyi on the power lok ITS HEAVY
did some work today on it. started with .045 shim under pinion race. no good way to far off. jumped to .090 still off but little better. then got to thinking about chunks i pulled from axle. thay were 1/64th thick so i found a .185 shim and tossed it in ther by its self. come up and looked real close best sofar .
well i figured why not and added another .009 to the .185 shim and this is what i got with 6tho backlash . looks a little off but figure post pics and see what you guys think.
fyi new dana spicer gears and low pinion axle.
well i figured why not and added another .009 to the .185 shim and this is what i got with 6tho backlash . looks a little off but figure post pics and see what you guys think.
fyi new dana spicer gears and low pinion axle.
