D35 spider gears?

[sjranger]

I was forced to limp home the other day with just the front axle engaged on my BII. It is a D35 from a '94 Exploder, open, with 4.88's. It seems like it binds on corners when on the gas. It was especially noticeable at intersections where the truck would try to buck side to side and spin the tires when it started rocking.

I pulled the front end apart today to do my balljoints and it seems like the axles try to 'grab' when turning the shafts, both driver and passenger, and the same thing when turning the driveshaft. When I pulled the driver side shaft out, the 'grabbing' went away when turning the pass shaft and driveshaft.

I slipped the driver shaft back in and it felt as though there was a lot of movement in the shaft when it was engaged in the spider in the diff. I am certain that I placed the corresponding shims and spiders in the same spot, but I don't know the initial condition of the axle before re-gearing.

I think that the spiders may be worn down far enough to be loose and maybe that's what is causing it, but I'm not sure yet. Does anyone know what the problem is or have any other ideas?

Also, the u-joints are all new, so it probably isn't those..

 

[mjonesjr]

Do they show any wear? Have you pulled the pig?

 

[sjranger]

They showed some wear when I did the re-gear last month but they didn't look too bad. I was going to drop the pig today but the rain picked up again so I probably won't get to it until this weekend.

 

[mjonesjr]

I would drop it and double check.

If you do have any problems internally, I have a whole D35 carrier you can have for $30 + shipping.

 

[sjranger]

well I pulled the pig tonight and the gears look good, not worn badly at all.. I did notice tho that the driver side drive gear of the spiders seems to have some side to side play like it needs some more shims behind it. This seems to cause alot of play in the driver side axle and stub shaft and I'm guessing that movement may be what is causing the binding.

Any guesses? What should those suckers be shimmed to tolerance wise?