T5 rear gears... what to use, where to get them

I think I asked this already but should I replace the bearings in the differential? it was rebuilt, or atleast the gears were installed about 4-5 years ago. How would I know if the bearings are bad in there? if they are bad would I need a press or any special tools, or do they just slide on and get clamped down? thank you.

I'm not sure if I have a open (I think I do) differential or a limited slip... I can send the rear end sideways on a wet road if I'm turning from a light or the like. thanks.

 

if you dont here any growleing noise from the rear, your bearings should be ok. the bearings are press fit. to do the bearing requires a press and or some special tools. you also need a puller to remove the inner pinion bearing to transfer it to the new ring and pinion. if you do not know how to build a differental then you really should take it to a profesional or find a friend who has done it and can help you. there is lots of info on the internet on how to do it but its really specialty thing to do and if you do something wrong you will damage your new gear set and could damage the bearings.

 

by just changing the gears do any bearings need to be removed except the pinion? in which case would it be more advisable just to replace it instead of pulling of the old pinion on pressing it on the new? or is it about the same either way? I've always thought it was more of a bolt off and on process with the exception of the press bearing on the pinion and having to check and set the pinion depth... sents I don't have any friends to speak of much less ones that know more than I do about cars nowadays (which is sad considering what little I do know in my opinion) what should I expect to pay for a shop to do it? thanks.

 

gears are not a just bolt and go deal. you have to get the pinion bearing preload adjusted corectly or they will fail or the pinion will not be stable. also if you replace one pinion bearing you need to replace both at the same time. then you have pinion depth adjustment done with a shim behind the pinion support. there are two methods to figure out the correct shim for the gear set. first way is by using a pinion depth checker that allows you to measure the dept of the pinion in relationship to the centerline of the ring gear and adjust it according to the marked depth measurement on the pinion. the second way is by running a patern on the gear set and being able to read it to determine if you need to add depth or subtract depth. also you have to know how much preload to put on the carrier bearings. to loose and they will allow the gear set to deflect to much and to tight they will bind and cause the bearings to fail. then you have a backlash adjustment. this is the measurement of the gap between the ring and pinion. there is a general recomened seting for this but its not always right the only way to truely verfiy if the backlash is correct for that gearset is by running a pattern to see where its contacting. so as you can see gears are not a simple bolt in. i do this for a living. it probly took me 6 months of doing it every day to learn all the little tricks and intricacies to propery build diffs correctly with out some guidence.

 

I'm running 3.89 gears with the T5Z, seems to be just right with my 27" tires.

 

For a first timer would you suggest I take it to a shop? I would like to do it myself but I don't want to jack it up... all I have is the maverick manual which I haven't flipped through for awhile so I can't remember if this procedure is in there... anyone know what the going rate is to have the gears installed properly? thanks

 

pull the third member out of the housing. then take it to a shop that can do it. most perfomance shops can do it or know who can do it right for you. to pull the third member out jack up the rear of the car and support it on jack stands under the front of the leafsprings. take off the rear wheels and drums. there is a hole in the axle flange. through that hole you can access the 4 nuts that hold in the axle. take off these nuts. pull out the axles. if they dont come out easly you can use a slide hammer or put drum on the studs backwards and put 3 lug nuts on flat side towards the drum. spin them on about 5 full turns. then you can slide the drum back and foward like a slide hammer to pull the axle out. inspect the axle bearings. spin them and feel how they spin. if they have a rough feeling then they need replacement. now go under the car and remove the two u bolt straps holding the drive shaft to the diff. now remove the 10 nuts holding the thirdmember to the housing. there will probly be copper washers behind the nuts. these will have been crushed into the threads and wont let the third member just come out. i find using a chissle to bend them out from the housing and then use some pliers to pull them off. put a drain pan under the diff and push and pull the yoke side to side the brake the third member loose. you may need a pry bar or big screwdriver to walk it off the studs. now you can take the third member to a shop and have the gears installed. this is the time to put a posi in. if you need axle bearings take the axles to the shop also. they have to be cut off and pressed back on. replace the axle seals while your at this point. clean the diff mounting surface on the housing. use some sand paper to rough this surface up so the sealant will have a surface to bite into. use some rags to mop out the remaining oil out of the housing and clean it out with a couple of cans of brake parts cleaner. when you reinstall the thirdmember put a 1/8 inch bead of silicone sealant around the diff housing where the thirdmember meets the housing. go around both sides of the studs. you dont need to put coper washers back on. regular washers work just fine or you can leave the washers out, thats up to you. make sure you put grease on the axle seals so they dont have a dry start when you put the axles in. dont forget to put oil back in the diff. it will take about 2.5 quarts. dont use staylube its no good, dont use synthetic oil, it doesnt protect the gearset. lucas oil is really good for diffs. if you put a posi in it requires a posi additive. get a bottle of the stuff from a ford dealership. new gearsets need a brake in period. we recomend initialy 3 short trips of aprox. 20 min of freeway speeds then leting the diff cool for 2 or more hours. no agressive driving, burn outs, racing, etc. for the first 100 miles. you follow this you will get a good long life out of your diff.

 

thanks for the indepth process, although I have changed out differentials before on it so no washers to deal with this time, I wounder what my original diff looks like after 4 years of sitting outside at my parents place (arizona as well)... I should of took it with me when I moved out but didn't know where I would of put it then...
thanks again for the info