So back on went the old manifold, only took about 90 minutes to get it back on and everything hooked back up.



I put a complete 4" Stainless exhaust system on earlier this year and at the time everything went together fine but when I pulled the V-clamp off the turbo during tear down it had shifted and was way off, and it was leaking some exhaust from this as well by the amount of soot around the inside edge of the V-clamp. So I spent a couple hours readjusting the down pipe as best I could to get the flanges to line up. Took it for a drive today into town for some groceries and errands and I think it is all good now, swore I could smell a faint exhaust smell a couple times but might be all in my head.

 

So after posting this thread about having potential Power-loc issues...

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...issues-335686/

I decided last week to dive in and re/re the Power-Loc. Found a local HD commercial driveline shop that had the genuine Spicer rebuild kit in stock for cheaper than the knock off kits+shipping that I could find on-line....so that was a big bonus!

 

Never done this job before but read through my FSM and watched a couple vids on-line and felt pretty confident. Getting the carrier out was really not that hard, just mark your bearing caps so they go back in exactly as they came out...couple paint parks on each, then a couple small bars to pry it loose and catch it on an old blanket and cardboard, then onto the bench.

Pulling it apart was easy enough....I didn't snap a pic but I used a couple pieces of wood and a ratchet strap to hold the carrier against my bench top vise so I could crack the case bolts loose.





Found the source for my grinding noise...steels had started eating into the clutch discs....









According to the drive line shop you can't run Synthetic fluid in these diffs with these modern power-loc kits in them since it causes the friction materials to turn to goo, but my power-loc had been rebuilt 10 years ago and he thinks it may have been an older kit since they seemed to have held up better to the synthetic fluid I've been using over the winter the last coupe years. He said 80W90 SAE/Hypoid gear oil only with 2 bottles of friction modifier.

 

​You have to soak the new clutches for at least 20 min in friction modifier before install, and there are 4 "thin" disc and 2 thick. The thin ones had it marked on the disc material but after soaking it had dissolved away, thankfully the two thick ones had different markings and they had not disappeared so was able to figure out which disc were which. To do it again a small paint mark or scratch on the side tabs on the thin discs would have been helpful.

Then it was just install them in the right sequence...thin clutch disc, steel, thin, steel, thick clutch disc, align cone and side gear with splines and done one side...same on other side then put two halves back together and tighten everything up. Again strapped to the vise with some wood and ratchet strap.Then wrestle the carrier back in the housing, couple bars and a few taps from the rubber and dead blow hammer and it slid right back into place.

Refilled with 80W90 and the friction modifier and for a couple days it was a little rough...think everything was just settling in...now it's smooth as silk!

 

I did inspect the side bearings and after almost 180K km's they were starting to get worn so I think I will have to do a full rebuild sooner than later.

 

I did find the source for the water in my diff fluid though while I was doing this job!





it has been cracked for some time but my guess is when I drove down to the coast with the Coronet on the trailer it sank the suspension just enough to open the crack and allow the water from the couple rain storms I drove through to run down and into the diff. So new hose and some silicone on and around the fittings and should be sealed up nice and tight!

 

Good eye on finding the cracked hose on the diff. breather.

 

Hey man, how about a tire update? You still like the 235x85 size? I'm fixing to switch to that size but going with Toyos.

 

Yup still using the 235/85/16's....just bought another set of Duratrac's last October for my new winters since I'd done 7 years with the old set. Pulled the studs from the old ones and they are now my new summers for at least one year...maybe two.

I just recently came across a Youtube video on how to make a swing arm for my old manual tire machine, so built one so I can easily swap tires around now. I was going to buy a tire machine but the amount that I would use it I was having a hard time justifying the expense and how much room it would take up in the shop, so this manual swing arm seemed like a great idea!





I just swapped around a bunch of tires yesterday...worked pretty darn good!

 

TC,

How are you liking the softtopper after several years on the truck? Debating about getting one for my truck.

 

I've had my Softopper for close to 10 years now...still holding up well! I absolutely love it, and when I moved north i was the only one in town with one and for over 2 years I was asked about it at every couple months, now it's about once a year....but now there is at least a dozen trucks driving around with them. I don't treat it well either with it being used year round in the cold weather and I never remember to condition the canvas material so it's starting to get a little stiffer than when it was new, but I'd order another one in a heart beat!

 

Pulled my 2 piece driveshaft last night and swapped on another new carrier bearing. I've been having a drive line vibration and since these "sealed bearing, no greaseable" carrier bearings only ever seem to last 18 months to 2 years at most for me I figured it was time for another one. Was cutting the old one off and it was not in bad shape really...usually it's dry, rusty and crusty but the last one I did I decided to pack the area in and around the outer housing of the bearing and the bearing with some nice thick Moly grease and I think this kept the water and moisture from getting in...so I did this again to the new carrier bearing.

Had the truck out today for some errands around town and I don't think the vibration is much different... So that probably means I have something else going on in my drive line. I'm now wondering if it might be the rear axle bearings since they were looking pretty worn when i had the carrier out last year to re/re the power-loc and with almost 200K km's on those bearings it is probably time for a rebuild.

I can't rule out one of the hub bearings, but I did replace all the front ones last year but the rear ones are at least 7-8 years old, but I have to get Patches in for a complete 4 wheel brake re/re...new rotors, drums, pads, ebrake cables, seals, flex lines etc....so after all that if the vibration is still present than I'm really only left with the internal bearings on the rear axle.