Swapping Gears Yourself

You've read it before, even in this magazine: Axle gear swaps are best left to a professional. This is wise advice, and for a lot of people, it's true. But if you're a hopeless 4x4 addict and a hard-core gearhead, the thought has no doubt crossed your mind to attempt a gear swap yourself. How hard can it be...it's just two gears, right?

Wrong. There's a heck of a lot more to it than a couple of gears, and getting it right is a heck of a lot harder than it looks. Even so, the thought of performing a gear swap at home had been kicking around in our heads for a few years and recently we grew the cajones to try it. We took an '88 Toyota truck that was hopelessly bogged down with stock gears and 33s, did some research, and then called Randy's Ring & Pinion Service. The crew at Randy's is very friendly toward the do-it-yourselfer, and each gearset comes with a booklet based on their years of experience that is vital for a first-timer. Read it, memorize it, and treat it as the gospel for gears.

What follows is a chronicle of our experience with loads of tips, tricks, and shortcuts for the do-it-yourself gear-swapper. We had never done a gear swap before and we did it at home, so you'll see a beginner's first-hand experience and not the typical look-over-the-professional's-shoulder type of thing. Also keep in mind the two axles used in this article are very similar to other types, and most of the tips seen here apply to any axle.

So were we successful? We've put almost 1,000 miles on the truck at the time of this writing with absolutely no trouble and, astonishingly, no gear noise. Maybe we got lucky or maybe we got it right. You be the judge.

1 We ordered 4.88 gears from...        read full caption 1 We ordered 4.88 gears from Randy's Ring & Pinion service along with complete installation kits. In addition to the hard parts, the installation kits include a selection of shims, gear-marking compound, and everything else required for installation. Since we were going through all the trouble of changing gears, we decided to add some traction at the same time with a Detroit Locker for the rear and a Truetrac limited-slip for the front.	2 It's just plain stupid to...        read full caption 2 It's just plain stupid to invest money in gears and installation kits and then try to install them without the necessary tools. Fortunately, Randy's has a selection of tools at reasonable prices. The minimum of what you will need is a set of calipers, a dial indicator to check backlash (both shown), a foot-pound torque wrench, and an inch-pound torque wrench. You will also need a shop press. We didn't have one, so we purchased an inexpensive 12-ton unit from Harbor Freight.	3 We're not going to spend...        read full caption 3 We're not going to spend a lot of time showing the steps required to get the necessary housing components out of the vehicle (such as the third member for the rear) because, frankly, if you can't figure that out, you don't need to be messing with a gear swap. On the rear it's a good idea to replace the outer axle bearings (not included with the installation kits) on high-mileage trucks. The front requires removing the differential housing completely, which can be done without removing the CV shafts with some finesse and a prybar.
4 A Toyota live axle has a...        read full caption 4 A Toyota live axle has a drop-out centersection, or third member, that contains the entire ring-and-pinion assembly. This design is very similar to a Ford 9-inch and makes gear swapping easy because the whole operation can be done on a bench. They also use threaded side-bearing adjusters (arrow), which eliminate the need for separate carrier shims. The first step is to remove the lock tabs for the adjusters as shown.	5 After marking the carrier...        read full caption 5 After marking the carrier bearing caps so you will be able to install them in the same position as they were removed, remove the bearing cap bolts and pull the adjusters, caps, bearing races, and carrier out together. Marking the caps is important because they are side-specific and machined to a precise tolerance; mix them up and you risk messing up the centersection.	6 Next, it's time to remove...        read full caption 6 Next, it's time to remove the pinion nut. In order to do this, you need something to hold the companion flange so the pinion won't spin. We drilled a piece of angle iron (arrow) to match the holes in the companion flange and simply locked it against the workbench. This homemade tool is also essential for installation. The pinion nut takes a 36mm socket, and it will take some effort to loosen it because the nut was staked after installation.
7 There's a bit of a press...        read full caption 7 There's a bit of a press fit on the pinion bearings, so it may take a few whacks with a plastic hammer to remove the pinion from the housing. If it proves stubborn, an air hammer and a punch bit can usually make the pinion see things your way. If that doesn't work, it's likely that a bearing froze and friction-welded itself to the pinion, in which case it's time to break out the torch and find someone who is really good at using it.	8 Unless you plan to reuse...        read full caption 8 Unless you plan to reuse the bearings (which is stupid unless the truck has very few miles on it), the next step is to drive the pinion bearing races out of the housing. A long punch and a hammer are all you need, and there are access slots in the housing behind the races to make this a simple operation. Be careful not to gall any machined surfaces inside the housing. Now that the housing is completely empty, wash it thoroughly.	9 If you are reusing the factory...        read full caption 9 If you are reusing the factory carrier, the next step is to free it from the offending ring gear. Even if you are using a new carrier, as we were, you'll need the ring gear bolts. Toyotas use lock plates on the ring gear bolts, so they will have to be flattened with a punch prior to removing the bolts. Install the new components using the bolts, torque them to 57 lb-ft in a star pattern, and restake the lock plates. Using Loctite isn't necessary because of the lock plates, but it doesn't hurt either.
10 Next, press the new bearings...        read full caption 10 Next, press the new bearings on the carrier. We've seen guys hammer bearings on with success, but it's hard to guarantee they will seat properly. It's a really good idea to have a selection of short lengths of tubing on hand to aid pressing the bearings on without damaging them. In a pinch, you can wallow out the inside of the old bearings with a die grinder (to relieve the press-fit) and use them to guide the new bearings in place. This isn't rocket science--just press the bearing on until the shop press starts to bind. Any more and you risk shooting stuff across the garage.10 Next, press the new bearings on the carrier. We've seen guys hammer bearings on with success, but it's hard to guarantee they will seat properly. It's a really good idea to have a selection of short lengths of tubing on hand to aid pressing the bearings on without damaging them. In a pinch, you can wallow out the inside of the old bearings with a die grinder (to relieve the press-fit) and use them to guide the new bearings in place. This isn't rocket science--just press the bearing on until the shop press starts to bind. Any more and you risk shooting stuff across the garage.	11 Most experts say that using...        read full caption 11 Most experts say that using shims with the same thickness as original will set the new gears up correctly about 60 percent of the time. At the very least, the old setup will get you in the ballpark. The pinion is shimmed under the main bearing on Toyotas, which has a stout press-fit. Since we were fresh out of a bearing puller and we were determined not to guess at the shims' thickness, we broke out the cutoff wheel and cut the bearing off the pinion. The trick is to cut as deep a groove in the bearing as possible without hitting the pinion, then knock the fire out of it with a chisel to split the bearing and relieve the press fit. It worked...sorta. More on this later.	12 Measure the original pinion...        read full caption 12 Measure the original pinion shims with the dial calipers--this is the exact thickness you will want to start with on the new gears. If you are starting with an empty housing and the shims from the original gears are unavailable, consult an expert on a good place to start, as every type of rearend is different and some are more sensitive than others.
13 Place the shims behind...        read full caption 13 Place the shims behind the head of the pinion, then press on the new bearing with the narrow end of the taper facing away from the pinion head. As we mentioned earlier, this is a stout press-fit, so coat the pinion with a liberal amount of WD-40 prior to pressing the bearing in place.	14 Next comes driving the...        read full caption 14 Next comes driving the new bearing races into the housing. A set of bearing drivers makes this really easy, but has anyone priced a nice set lately? The poor man's alternative is a $12 brass drift and a hammer, which does an adequate job of seating the races without damaging them. However, because you can't put even pressure on the race as you drive it into place, you need to make triple-sure the races are fully seated. Here's a good gauge to follow: If you can get a fingernail behind the race, it isn't in there far enough.	15 Pinion depth is what you...        read full caption 15 Pinion depth is what you should worry about first, and without a pinion depth tool the only way to find out if it's right is to perform a trial fit and check the pattern. Per Randy's recommendations, you should install the pinion without the crush collar and seal (we accidentally installed the new seal--oops) but with the companion flange and old nut, then tighten the nut until the pinion drag matches the final spec (8 in-lb in this case). This will give you an accurate setting without ruining the crush collar, which is one-time-use only. If you're lucky enough to get it right the first time you'll still have to take everything back apart, but the idea here is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.