need help with GMC / Chevy rear differential

[Dan Thomason]

Hello, I've just joined, not because I've got anything fancy, but due to a problem I'm having with my '93 K 1500 pu. It's in the rear third member, which has what I believe to be an excessive amount of backlash in the ring and pinion. It's not making noise, but going from coasting to driving, you can tell there's too much backlash, as you can feel and hear as the gears transition from coast to drive. I'm wondering if the gear lash can be adjusted without going through all the hoops as if the third member were being rebuilt? Is there such a thing as a normal adjustment to account for wear? Thanks, Dan

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

No, there is no way to tighten up the backlash without pulling the diff apart. Excess backlash should not be an issue unless something is worn out. One thing to check is if you have a g80 locker, they do wear out over time, and when they do, they can add alot of slack into the powertrain between when the carrier begins to turn, and when they actually begin to send power out the axles. I would pull the cover and see where your slack is coming from.

 

[WarWagon]

Check the driveshaft for bad u joints, center bearing falling apart, and spline wear. Some just grease the splines for a clunk when shifting F-R - I forget what years and models did this.