Dana 35 SLA center pin removal?

[Dave18]

Hi everybody,

I'm working on replacing the bearings and seals in a Dana 35 SLA axle housing, but I can't figure out how to get the center pin past the ring gear! This differential has a 4.10 ratio and the ring gear is huge. Like, the pin is barely visible behind it so grinding the teeth down would not be an option.

I know the techs put it together somehow, so there must be some trick to removing it, right? Or is there some other way to remove the C-clip to free the passenger side axle shaft?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Curious Hound]

You're right. They had to get it in there. So there must be a way out. Are both sides like that?

The other thought I had is this. Sometimes the crosspin has a cutaway section in the center. So, once you remove the bolt that holds the pin, you rotate the pin 90 degrees. That way, the cutaway section gives you room to push the axle in and remove the C-Clip. Then, once the carrier is removed, the ring gear can be unbolted and removed. Then the cross pin. Just a thought. I've never done it that way. But I've seen those pins and that seems to be a logical answer.

I'm curious. Is that a regular D35? Or the D28/35 hybrid? I have 4.56 gears in my D35 and just did a little grinding to get the cross pin to fit.

 

[Dave18]

Figured it out! Sorry - I'm a little slow. There apparently is no c-clip in the 98+ SLA axles... After giving it more thought that makes sense because the axle shaft (intermediate shaft? Whatever the section in the "long arm" is called) doesn't have to handle any cornering loads like the axleshafts in the rear end.

All you do is give it a tug and that shaft slides right out the end of the tube, and the whole carrier is free to come out!

Thanks for the quick response ericbphoto! Turns out I just had to scratch my head a little and think it through! I've never rebuilt an IFS diff before.

 

[pjtoledo]

clarification

there is a C ring that collapses on the shaft and is pulled thru the side gears.

friendly FYI
the bearing races get cocked crooked very easily in the aluminum housing, check them as they go in.
you will also most likely destroy the oil baffle when removing the inner pinion race.

 

[Curious Hound]

Figured it out! Sorry - I'm a little slow. There apparently is no c-clip in the 98+ SLA axles... After giving it more thought that makes sense because the axle shaft (intermediate shaft? Whatever the section in the "long arm" is called) doesn't have to handle any cornering loads like the axleshafts in the rear end.

All you do is give it a tug and that shaft slides right out the end of the tube, and the whole carrier is free to come out!

Thanks for the quick response ericbphoto! Turns out I just had to scratch my head a little and think it through! I've never rebuilt an IFS diff before.

And now I know. Thanks.

 

[Dave18]

Thank you! Yeah, it looks like the c-clip acts sort of like a spring to keep the shaft from falling out when the CV shaft isn't in place, maybe? And I appreciate the caution about the bearing races - I haven't gotten there yet but I'm not looking forward to it! I am open to all the advice I can get, haha.

 

[SenorNoob]

Clip works just like the "friction ring" on an impact wrench.