Hey guys, first time doing a re-gear. 4.11 Richmond kit. Check depth is 1.029 & my cap surface is .012" above the axle centerline. I currently have a pinion depth measurement of 1.041". I also have about .0065" of lash. My tooth pattern looks high on the tooth to me - would love to get the opinion of anyone more experienced at reading gear patterns & any suggestions of what direction I should move things. Thank you!
What thickness of shim is under pinion support? Do you have ***ortment of shims, try thinner in .002-.003 increments.
I have a 0.015" + 0.009" + 0.003" --> That being said do you think the pattern issue is pinion depth?
I would take the .003 shim out and see if the pattern moves in the direction you want. If that's not enough, leave the .003 and remove the .009 shim... yes the issue is pinion depth. Back lash is kind of tight at .0065, I think you would be safe up to .008-.010
My instinct is to push the ring gear into the pinion by a adjuster notch (in an effort to get the pattern deeper in the tooth) and then pull the pinion out of the housing by adding .003" to the pinion (in an effort to maintain the correct lash because I am already really tight). Does it seem reasonable that the pattern needs to be deeper in the tooth & the coast side needs to be centered on the tooth more?
Use the shims under the pinion support for pinion depth only, side adjusters are for backlash. Yes, to the answer of your last question, try removing the .003 and you might see both patterns improve.
I honestly hate these threads. Too many folks who don't know much add their advice. We also don't know everything about the set up. Did the gent have proper preload on the pinion and side case? Without proper preload you will NOT have proper tooth contact. From all appearances the pinion will need to move closer to the rotating center of the ring gear(probably by more than .003") then the ring gear will have to readjusted to obtain proper backlash. Then paint the teeth again and check your tooth contact.
Yes, it's easy to ***ume that all other parameters are correct and he's just seeking advice on patterns. Glad you mentioned preloads or he may be chasing his tail.
Here it is with the .003 (might actually be .0035") removed - improved considerably in my opinion. The pinion has 20 in-lbs of preload with new bearings (measurement includes oil seal) and the carrier can be spun a single rotation if given a vigorous twist. That being said my backlash is now .005"
After running it through a few more times the pattern turned into the attached images - this is with .024" shims and .005 backlash. I am going to move the adjuster one notch away now to attempt to correct the backlash
Here is the pattern after moving the adjusters 1 notch. I have .009" backlash. The kit recommends .007 - .009 so I am in spec, though, I felt I had a little better pattern with .005. That being said -> I have no experience with looking at gear patterns. Does this look acceptable?
I have just under 10 in-lbs of preload on the carrier. I welded a busted socket to a piece of metal and clamped that to the ring gear. If I go one notch tighter I get closer to 30 in-lbs of preload
Not sure I can envision the method you used to get the carrier pre-load, and whether that gave you the correct value. Ford used a "case-spread method", in which the bearings were tightened until it "spread" the bearing caps. Specs are .007-.009 for used bearings, .008-.012 for new. The way I do it gives you that range- snug both adjusters lightly, and tighten the gear bevel side to about .002 backlash. Back off the other adjuster and then slowly snug it until the cup just starts to move with the adjuster, then go two more notches. Backlash should then be about .008-.010, if not move the adjusters the same notches opposite each other. If you are confident the 10 in-lbs is correct, it should be OK. The pattern looks good, and as @squirrel and @gimpyshotrods state, run it.
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