What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Not a typical dana 60 flange question...

koldsimer

koldsimer

1/2 ton status
GMOTM Winner
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Posts
1,480
Reaction score
0
Location
texas
I decided to go ahead and order the WMS drive flanges a few weeks ago and I finally had a chance to go rag on them a bit. They performed perfectly and i'm not concerned with them breaking. The only thing that bothers me is that you can't pull the slug and run the cap because the cap is held in place by threading into the slug. I decided to make some plates to install behind the hub snapring and they work great. The only thing that I can't figure out is how to keep my axles from sliding in towards the diff when turning without the flanges. It seems that there is no way to keep pressure on the stub axle without it pressing directly against the plate, hub and cap which are all going to be turning. Am I missing something here? I thought about just running it with out the hub snapring installed but I really dont want a bunch of crap getting past the seal near the u-joint. Any ideas?

dana60 plate.jpg
 
Thats why I like my Warn flanges. Theres a plate between the cap and the flange that the bolts screw into. :D
 
Thats what that pic is KidJethro. I figured you would know that!:wink1: Just look at how out of round and poorly ground it is. They work great for holding the cap on but the stub can flop around without it being secured to the plate. I can't come up with with anything realistic to solve this.
 
koldsimer said:
Thats what that pic is KidJethro. I figured you would know that!:wink1: Just look at how out of round and poorly ground it is. They work great for holding the cap on but the stub can flop around without it being secured to the plate. I can't come up with with anything realistic to solve this.
Click to expand...

Not a member anymore, so I have no idea what the picture is, can't see it. :wink1:
 
I dont have the clips on mine to pull the seal up tight but I dont run water or mud I think it should be fine. Do you intend to DD with no slugs or only remove when something is broken?

Ira
 
sandawgk5 said:
I dont have the clips on mine to pull the seal up tight but I dont run water or mud I think it should be fine. Do you intend to DD with no slugs or only remove when something is broken?

Ira
Click to expand...

It's not a DD but it still sees 500-800 miles a month. What about it possibly binding up when turning sharply? Ever had that happen without the clips on?
 
dont think the axles can walk in far enough to cause a problem, flange installed or not. could be wrong though... lol! WMS's new flanges come with a nifty ring thingy sorta like the one you fabbed... but professionally done. ;)

j
 
jekbrown said:
dont think the axles can walk in far enough to cause a problem, flange installed or not. could be wrong though... lol! WMS's new flanges come with a nifty ring thingy sorta like the one you fabbed... but professionally done. ;)

j
Click to expand...

Are you serious? I thought that Keith told me they were a three piece design and then just the slugs and caps show up. The plates must of been yet another reason my order was so fugged up by them... another phone call to WMS is in my future.
 
I really don't think you will have a problem. 78Buford (maybe he will chime in) has been pulling the slugs and just slapping the stock push-on style covers on for quite awhile now and driving the truck to and from the trail. He has to have at least a couple thousand miles that way, including a couple several hundred miles trips.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think i'm gonna pull them and run it around for a while to see what happens.
 
What exactly are you guys afraid will happen? I'm not sure I know what the concern is. Are you worried that the axles may move in towards the diff a little farther? Or are you concerned about the stub axle "flopping around" in the spindle?

I've never had any problems with either of these "issues." In regards to the less effective seal due to the axles not being drawn outward (& held by the snap ring), I wouldn't be worried about this unless you are driving through deep water/mud with the flanges removed.

If I missed the point of your question, don't hesitate to point it out.

I've used my flanges since April of 2004, and other than the first ride, I pull them out for the ride to and from the trail. The removal procedure is simple:

Take the duct tape off the cap (safety precaution).
Take a hammer & tap the cap out of the hub.
Remove the axle snap ring.
Pull the flange out by hand. (I keep the inside of the hub sprayed with WD 40 or white lithium grease).
Tap the cap back into the hub.
Add a little duct tape around the cap/hub assembly to insure you don't lose a cap. This is probably not necessary, but it only takes a second...and I buy duct tape in bulk. :wink1:
I put the flanges & two snap rings in a Maxwell House coffee can (Folgers would probably work too), snap on the lid & keep it in the toolbox.

Installation is the same as removal, but for some reason, my driver side stub is a little shorter than the passenger side, and I often have to take a prybar & push the axle outward a half inch or so (at the axle yoke area) to get the snapring installed. This isn't an issue on the passenger side.

They take less than 5 minutes to install, and probably 3 minutes to remove.

Roy
 
Reason i said hope nothing bad happens is cause i dont know much about axles and slugs. I was just hoping nothing would become damaged by not having the slug in place.
 
78Buford said:
What exactly are you guys afraid will happen? I'm not sure I know what the concern is. Are you worried that the axles may move in towards the diff a little farther? Or are you concerned about the stub axle "flopping around" in the spindle?
Click to expand...

All of the above.

When the shafts move in towards the differential the centerline through the universal joint and the kingpin centerline aren't the same. When this happens it can become difficult to steer (feels "notchy" for lack of a better description). This is only usually noticed on custom shafts.

When the shafts move inwards it also allows dirt to get past the slinger (the butterfly looking seal) and get down to the spindle seal. The spindle seal seems to keep out dirt pretty well... but only with the help of the slinger that is installed on the shaft.

When the shafts move inwards the axleshaft is allowed to "flop around". It's really only a concern when in 4WD. If it does flop around, it's rough on spindle bearings and seals, axle tube seals, and carrier splines.
 
Well, I installed them and drove around for a while. I didn't notice anything funky when turning... even with the wheel at full lock it didn't seem like the stubs were hanging up when turning back to center. My only real concern is dirt and rocks getting past the seal. Im gonna run it like 78Buford does and check everything in a couple thousand miles.
 
koldsimer said:
Are you serious? I thought that Keith told me they were a three piece design and then just the slugs and caps show up. The plates must of been yet another reason my order was so fugged up by them... another phone call to WMS is in my future.
Click to expand...

yes, definitely serious. KP and I bounced ideas back/forth about the 3 piece design and supposedly WMS is making them. They may also be making a standard flange at the same time... not 100% sure. In any case, I'd give them a call. I'm 99% sure that the slug and cap are identical on both versions... so all they should need to send you is the part that allows the cap to be screwed on but doesn't engage the axles splines. Anyway, if you give them a ring make sure to update this post. :grin:

j
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom