Well... I got the clutch back. Along with a freshly resurfaced stock flywheel. "Draw" is what they call the movement of the pressure plate when releasing and engaging. I put it together and I still have slipping. BUT... I had previously checked that the rear wheels were turning with the car on stands. And it would move on a flat level floor. Barely. No reason (for me) to suspect the rear diff...if...if... I couldn't engage the starter and lie on the floor at the same time. I finally put my phone under the car with the car on the ground and front wheels chocked and hit record. Then got in and hit the starter. Then got my phone to look at the video. Drive shaft is spinning along but not turning the rear wheels...enough. SOOoooo...at least I don't have to pull the engine/transmission again...just the 900 lb diff. Fun. I'm not a weight lifter. I'm going to need help with this. Thanks to all for the input and sorry I wasted your time and mine. Not to mention the $400+ trying to get the clutch "fixed". "Slap me nekkid and hide my clothes" LOL Might as well laugh. Cryin' ain't gonna do no good.
Oh dear! I can't recall all the previous suggestions but I'm thinking car in gear, engine not running, one wheel jacked, try to turn wheel, observe what turns and listen, no helper needed! Might lift both wheels and turn both, with helper. Chris
After thinking about this all night... I have video evidence of the clutch slipping, so I know that WAS an issue. The rear is all new parts, diff, axles, bearings etc. But, the more I thought the more I was unsure of. All this (rear axle) was done several years ago. I need to find the paperwork and find out exactly what diff I bought. Locker or Tru-trac. It's got me second guessing everything. Though I've been working on cars for decades, that doesn't mean I'm incapable of mistakes. I've only done a few rear axles and this is the first 9". The axles are 28 spline. I know that because it was an "oh well" moment. I bought new axles and later, the diff from Yukon. Would a 28 spline axle even go into a 31 spline hole? I'm a retired machinist of 45 years and I would THINK I'd notice that if it was wrong. But...I'm not perfect, it's been years and my memory has never been great. I can't even remember the cam specs without finding the cam card. LOL With the car on stands, I can turn one wheel and the other turns the same direction. I'm going to do the one wheel on the ground test and see (listen to) what happens. SO! OK... Time to go figure out THIS mess... Maybe I'd better make sure I put the wheel studs in the axles... See if I have the engine upside down, maybe the headlights are wired backwards...
Neat that you can maintain good humour (humor for those in the US) through all this. I'd imagine 28 axles will go into 31 spline holes, but just rotate without engagement. Even worse, I imagine they might snag every now and then, giving the impression of movement, but I'd expect the noise would be horrendous? I reckon @Pist-n-Broke knows for sure! Chris
Its good that you have maintained your sense of humor, and its never waste of my time when I can try to help someone........thats payback for all the people who helped me. I would jack the back of the car up and put it in gear with the engine running slightly above idle and watch the rear tires turn (or not). If they are turning, a slight increase in speed..........to see what happens. Then without pressing on the clutch pedal but at a slightly elevated rpm ...........press the brakes and see if the engine bogs down. You can use your phone again to see if the driveshaft is still spinning. Did you use an additive in the rear end? Had a guy build a 9" with a new Eaton for me. He is a local guru and has built hundreds of them. He said he didn't care for them because they often slipped under power, and he told me to put an additive in. He Got immediately pissed when I innocently said that the manufacturer says not to use an additive.........and was going to ask why he thought they needed it. Handed me my stuff and motioned me to the door before I could ask. ( He was kinda weird .....him and the people peeking out the house door reminded me of the mountain folks in the movie Deliverance) The manufacturer flatly states that an additive should NOT be used. I wondered if maybe that was why they slipped when he assembled them. My point is maybe you have an additive when you shouldn't. Just another guess. Keep tryin tho.........
Yes I do and Yes they will. I uncovered this issue when a Customer trailered his car into the shop. His was an automatic rig so no clutch to confuse the problem. The car held when in park. It made a terrible noise when in gear and the car tried to move but not much. Customer thought the Park dog wasn't fully releasing, that kind of racket. Upon removing one Axle it was obvious there was a problem inside the diff. He had bought a stalled project with a lot of used and new parts, so it wasn't his hands on assembly. I don't know for sure what was done to install 28 splines into 31 gears, but I'd suspect it was some kind of Coaxing to get it into the space. I've never tried it with raw parts.
Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions. I've got the car on stands, wheels and brake drums off and ready to start disassembly. I'm not excited about working on my back, but I don't have a lift. (I KNEW I should have gotten one a few years ago...) I did find the sticker on the storage cabinet stating: Dura-Grip. So it's the clutch type. Not sure what I did with the paper/instructions. I thought it was in with the other plethora of receipts, but no. Must be in another pile somewhere. I started with one wheel up and one on the ground I can turn the raised wheel, but it's tight. Feels kind of like a brake dragging. Assuming that's having to over come the diff clutch pressure. Swap sides and same feel. I used a synthetic oil. I now read on line they (Yukon) say non-synthetic. I also used the Ford brand additive that smells of fish oil, which I thought I read, back then, to use. They also recommend soaking the clutches, which I don't recall seeing in the instructions I had. The car has set (besides rolling here and there) for a few years while other work was being done. Well, procrastinating ain't gettin' it done. Oh the smell of stinky, fishy thick and slimy oil. At least it ain't burnt fish smell too. I may be laughing on the outside, but inside I wanna SMASH something. LOL
Keep pushing forward- you have a badass car that is on the cusp of going for a drive- you will figure it out!
Slide one Axle out and answer the Spline count question. 4 nuts and a hard Jerk is easier than pulling the complete thing.
Evidently my memory is worse than I thought. I pulled an axle out and low and behold it's 31 spline. Now I remember (though I hesitate to rely on my memory anymore) since I was getting new axles and planned on a "posi trac" unit, I figured I might as well go 31 spline. The diff is matching 31 spline as I looked down the axle tube with a flashlight to verify. I spent most of the day yesterday trying to get the drop-out out but I can't get the car high enough to use a jack under it and the 4 link is all in the way of getting it out from under the car if I did. Not to mention trying to get it BACK in afterwards. So I'm taking out housing and all today. Great... At least I'll be able to get it out and onto my engine stand adapter I used to assemble it. I may try repositioning the jack stands anyway to make more room. The only thing I can imagine slipping are the internal clutches. And even if that's the case, I won't know until I get the thing out.
I got it out...finally. All parts present and accounted for. What's wrong...I don't know. Clutches...why is it always clutches...
Axle parts present, but working as they should? Clutching at straws admittedly! I can't recall how it was you said you were able to manually make the clutch slip, and I doubt levering on an alignment tool would do it if there was any amount of clutch grip. Regardless, you can now bolt a flatbar to the prop and test it with some muscle. In gear you should be able to turn the engine over? Chris
What I did was: engine on the floor, put the clutch in, transmission on engine, drive shaft in transmission with a bar through the U joint to keep it from turning. Transmission in 1st gear. Socket on front pulley bolt with a breaker bar and turn. I think I have that clutch fixed. It's the rear diff that's slipping now. Car on floor, engine trans installed, in gear, push starter button and driveshaft spins, car doesn't move. Well it TRIES to move but won't climb over a 2 x 4. It's a Yukon Gear & Axle Dura Grip Limited Slip Differential Positraction, 28 Spline, Compatible with 9" Ford Axle, YDGF9-28-AG Oh yeah, It IS a 28 spline axles and diff.
Limited slip clutches will not stop it from moving. It will just be single track. Possibly one axle is too short not engaging the carrier all the way? Not engaging both clutch hubs in the diff? Pinion splines stripped? Ring and pinion don’t mesh correctly? Aside from that you may need to call a priest!
Do you ever notice that funky smell you get from a slipping clutch or overheated brake shoes or pads?
This is almost comical except it isn't on your end. Kevin is correct, you can totally wipe out the clutch discs and still drive to town with one tire doing the work. It's gear to gear drive just not posi.
I was doing some research on the diff like I have and came across the two sets of splines on one side of the carrier. In the video they use an axle to line up the splines during assembly. In the pic you can see the dividing line. They were not lined up. So that axle couldn't not have been all the way in. I used an old axle to get it lined up again. Would that cause this issue? Seems like one wheel should still pull. Now, is it because that axle is too short? I used the "cut to length" axles and cut them the same as the original axles. Left side (side shown in pic) was the shorter axle. Of course, it WAS a peg-leg diff. Would the open vs LSD axle length matter? I had all of this assembled. The axle bearing went in all the way and bolted up. I stuck the new axle all the way in the carrier (once I had the splines aligned) and took a measurement from the inside of the axle bearing to the face of the carrier adjuster. I'll put the diff back in and measure from the bottom of the bearing bore to that same face on the carrier and see what I get. I may have to get another axle.
You can grease the spline end of the axle to visibly see the engagement into the carrier. That should rule out axle length issues.
The axle needs to engage both sets of splines. If it does not, the vehicle will not move. It will simply slip the clutch on that side. The inboard set of splines is the actual axle gear. The outboard set of splines is the clutch hub. Both sets of splines need to be engaged for the vehicle to move. Looks like your axle is too short. It will not pull with one wheel because you need to hold the differential stationary on the other side for it to turn the opposite wheel. Just as if it was a non- positraction differential, and you removed one axle. The vehicle would not move.
That's what I thought because that's what was happening. I'll check the axle engagement tomorrow using the grease trick. Sure would be nice to get it the first (well, second) time. I'd hate to have to pull THAT out again. Of course, my new gasket and all won't be here until next week. I DID get the correct oil today though.
You do understand that the center section needs to be in the axle housing and then you check the axle to make sure it reaches both sets of splines correct?
Yes. I’ve already put the center section in. I just need to do the check with the grease. I realize you don’t know me from Goofus so I’m not offended. Lol. Thanks for all and to all. This has really got me feeling like a Goofus.
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