Step by step removal and installation of e-locker 3rd member

That was a fun call...

 

Especially with me leading a bachelor party wheeling trip before I could get it fixed. I did impress a few people getting up and through everything that we did in Sedona and cottonwood. But definitely aired down more than usual and used my armor to bump up some stuff.

 

haha sounds it! I'm ashamed to say I got the same call, sure wont do that again.

 

Yeah, you don't make that mistake twice. I was happy on my time to fix the problem. 3hrs from tools pulled out to put away and changed my front pads as well. With beers and some bs. Feel like I'm starting to get good at taking my truck apart and putting it back together.

 

I swapped 3rd members today, and some gear oil came out of the passenger side axle housing, maybe 1/2 cup worth. Did I break the axle seal?

 

awesome write up!! helped so much!

 

hey so I removed my rear axle and while I was moving it to try and disconnect the driveshaft it slide apart in two and was wondering if that will affect the gears inside at all. Being that I dont know exactly how they were lined up together

 

My gears got absolutely shredded, I have the 3rd member removed and just wondering what the cheapest approach is now. I'd like to just keep the stock gear ratio. I've called all the salvage yards within a decent drive and checked craigslist and can't find a 3rd member nor a rear end. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I would give ECGS a call and let them know what you are looking for. They might be able to help you out.

 

Anybody know what the torque specs are for the electrical connection plug that goes into the locker is? ECGS sent my third member back with the connector tied to the driveshaft connection (I'm guessing for cleaning purposes?)

 

Cannot thank you enough for this write up, Monkey. I've been getting vibes and groans for a while, but wasn't sure where they were coming from. Today I had the leaf spring recall replacement done, and the service manager told me his mechanic says my differential is shot and needs replacement. They quoted me $2890 (two thousand eight hundred ninety - not a typo) to replace the rear diff. I clarified with them that they were just replacing the diff, not the entire rear end. I'll be in touch with ECGS tomorrow to order a differential and get to fixing this on my own for ~$700 and four hours of my time. Where do I send a bottle of your favorite booze?

 

Okay, I did it. Started at 4pm, took a two hour break to feed the family, and finished at 11:30, with an hour in there for the RTV to cure and taking my sweet time the whole way. Not bad for a first try. Thanks again Monkey for the write-up. I'm curious, if it took me, who has never done this kind of job before, about 4.5 hours, what part of that $2890 replacement cost was labor? Ridiculous.

Some take-aways:

Drop the spare tire and have way more room to work.

125k miles and seven years of Chicago weather make for sticky rear axles. A combination of prybar and slide hammer eventually did the trick. I left the nuts on the end of the hub studs so I didn't have a hulk moment and pull the axle too far out.

Ratcheting wrenches are awesome. Get some.

The spacer idea to keep the axles from sliding back in worked really well. I skipped this step at first, and struggled to get the diff out. Using an impact length socket kept the axles from sliding back in and binding up the diff.

After bolting the axles back in, I crawled under, was seriously concerned for my brake lines, but they went back into position just fine.

If you've got a locker and and order a new diff from ECGS, you need to take the locker sensor off the old diff and put it on the new one, or there'll be a gaping hole and the truck won't know if the the diff is locked or not.

I did not find any large pieces of metal anywhere, and as far as I can tell, both the pinion and ring gear are in good shape. This leaves a bearing as the source of my problems, I think? Not educated enough to dig deeper than broken teeth on a big gear.

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All in all, not a bad job, and my biggest time wasters were freeing up the axles. I feel I could do this job again in half the time, now that everything is loose. The truck drives like its new now. No more nasty vibes and intolerable noise. @ECGS was great to work with. The website said to expect a two week build time for the differential. I had it 3 days after I ordered it. Seriously @MonkeyProof , where do I send a bottle of booze?

 

Doing this soon, I have to start reading. What's the common roadblock that might be run into in the process?

 

Biggest issue I had with the rear was finding two things big enough to hold the axles out of the housing enough to pull the 3rd out. But my background is bikes not cars, so my big socket collection is still growing. Other than that, it's heavy to catch while lying on your back so don't drop it onto yourself.

 

Thanks I'll keep it in mind.

 

2x4s work pretty good.

 

Cool, I have plenty of scrap 2x4s

 

And you can angle them to rest on the floor so they don't slip out. I don't leave them extended for any length of time though. Once I pull the diff, I push those suckers back in.

 

How long does ECGC takes to put together a 3rd and ship it?

 

I received my diffs, on two different orders, both in a week, and I'm in Hawaii.