Diff play

sdibbers

Well-Known Member
Because of getting everything else working on Beryl one thing stands out now. There's a fair amount of driveline shunt. I've checked all the UJ joints and they seem in good order. I can turn the propshaft about 30 degrees before the backlash is taken up in the diff. Any thoughts on how to adjust play in the diff?
 
i have worked on quite a few different makes of differential but TBH ive never worked on the internals of a P6 diff, but all rwd diffs work the on the same principle, the backlash is controlled by how deep the crown wheel meshes with the pinion gear. this is set when initially building the diff by varying preload/side adjustment on the output bearings, either by differing thickness shims or threaded adjusters. it may be possible to adjust out the play, but if you have that much its probably a case of the crownwheel and pinion being excessively worn. either way its probably a job for someone who knows what they are doing
 
I think you’re right. I might have access to an alternative diff or diff internals here in the states. I’ll have to check the manual, but I’m fairly sure it’s shins used on P6 diffs.
 
In the case of the P6 diff, my experience is the spider gears inside the crownwheel carrier are the usual source of the backlash, not the pinion/crownwheel mesh.

Yours
Vern
 
I did wonder. It’s not as bad as I remembered. Dropped the shaft last night and it felt less than the 45° I mentioned. I think some of the snatch comes from a bit of sticktion on the throttle cable I have going to the HIF’s. You really have to concentrate to pull away smoothly. I might try a different cable to see if I can get a smoother pedal.
 
Hi, If you jack the rear up, handbrake off, and hold one shaft still with one hand and turning the other carefully until you feel the it take up the slack between them, that is the play in the spider gears in the diff. Compare that with the overall play and make a judgement of which is worse should help to narrow it down. However you do need a bit of a feel for it.

Colin
 
Hi, If you jack the rear up, handbrake off, and hold one shaft still with one hand and turning the other carefully until you feel the it take up the slack between them, that is the play in the spider gears in the diff. Compare that with the overall play and make a judgement of which is worse should help to narrow it down. However you do need a bit of a feel for it.

Colin
Good to know. Then its not the spider gears, there's very little play between the two shafts. I am beginning to think its just the sticky start of the pedal travel causing it now. I am, it must be said, an automotive hypochondriac!
 
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