I have a 97 with a dana 70 rear,auto. with factory limited slip. Well when i shift it from park to drive it engages fine but has a clunk to it. same from drive to reverse. i pulled the driveline and axles and there is no extra play in the ring and pinion, they are correct and meshing great. but there is play in the limited slip carrier. I put the axles back in, id say an extra 20-30 thousands coming from the carrier/limitedslip/spider gears. But it functions properly and the only problem is when i put it in and out of gear. So my question is , do these wear out overtime? it has 280K on the axle. any thoughts are welcome. thanks Kodi

 

Have you checked the pinion yoke?

 

Yes , That is functioning properly, It is something with the limited slip carrier. just wondering if this is a simptom of a worn out limited slip, if that happends.

 

I'm not sure of the carrier, I know of the clutches wearing . Mine will lock up when I'm turning sometimes and chatter a tire. I checked on the clutch set at my dealership and they were like $150 I think and they are pretty easy to install with no need for a dial indicator to check backlash. How do the spider gears look? They could be worn as well. But if it runs smooth and makes no noise you're doing all right. These d70's always have probs with limited slip. Heavy synthetic and friction mod is the best cure. Let us know what you find out.

 

Sounds like the spider gears may be worn. The only way to fix that I know of would be to replace them. Contrary to what the dealer will tell you, the spider gears ARE available by themselves. I can't think of the place offhand, though one good site to try is: http://www.quad4x4.com/


They have all KINDS of drivetrain stuff-you may find something else you want to buy.

 

I would take the cover off, put it in neutral, and grab the drive shaft and turn it back and forth. look in there and see where the play is, and isn't. go from there.

 

already pin-pointed where it was coming from, not the ring and pinion, it is somewhere in the limited slip carrier. , i culd peek in and see the spider gears and they didnt look worn, but when i turned the pinion i could see a little play in the pins through the carier, not bad but enough to cause slop.

 

I would still pull the rear cover and check the cross pins. I have seen slop in the pin of a 9-1/4 rear. When I pull the pin out, it came out in 2 pieces.

 

Check that the motor and tranny mounts/bolts are tight.