Uhg - What the Hell was Dana thinking? How did they think anyone is supposed to service these rears?
It's not Dana in the rear. It's a Ford corporate 9" setup. And I think there was a method to their madness. It's to encourage anyone that's reached the point where the gear oil needs changing to also inspect the rear wheel bearings and brakes.
And frankly this goes quadruple for anyone purchasing a used rig of unknown condition. Rear wheel bearings are a wear item that need replacing every 100,000 miles or 40 years. Whichever comes first...;D
And it never hurts to know how the brakes look either.
If these things have never been apart before, it's likely that the axles will fight you mightily to take them out. Once it's been done however, the whole process takes about 20 minutes with hand tools. Almost takes longer to get the truck up on jackstands than it does to pull the axles.
Unfortunately it can take all day the first time, so you're still expected to curse the very existence of the Ford engineers that designed this torture device! However, they weren't thinking 40 to 50 years down the road. Only 5 years or 50k miles.
And it's just rust and old oil that's holding these things on anyway. Once you get the four bolts off of the retainers, they might just pop right out with hand pressure. To that end, it wouldn't hurt to treat the bearings like rusty bolts. Get things half apart and spray the crap out of them with your favorite penetrating oil. Then go at them with tooth and nail. Or a slide-hammer...
I tried the "PUMP" method, but I can't seem to even get the small hose in there - seems to be hitting the gears... Do I have to move/rotate the gears by turning the tires/drive shaft?
Nope. Only the smallest of hoses will fit. Never successfully tried it myself. Same result as you the first time. Others have said they've achieved success, but I've never seen pics.;D
If not, what's involved with removing the carrier housing/drop in ?
Is it just a matter of removing the driveshaft from the yoke - removing the carrier from the housing ? Then once cleaned out ( and IF I decide to drill and tap a drain plug) just reseal with RTV ?
Some have removed the yoke and the pinion cover behind it, then suctioned out the lube that way. Never done that myself, and don't intend to since the other options are "better" to my way of thinking.
And yes, you can do it without removing anything. Just undo all the nuts holding the carrier assembly to the housing (except maybe a couple at the top) and pry it open from the bottom. You'll only get about 1/4" or so because the axle shafts are going to hold it in place. But it's enough to drain if you give it a bit of time.
But the best way, as I mentioned initially, is to pull the brake drums, pull the two axle shafts, then remove the entire carrier to inspect everything, clean the housing and even add the drain plug if you want.
My aftermarket housings have plugs, but since I know the history of the differential's use and know when to inspect the bearings and how important it is to one's health and well being, know that I'll do it.
But nothing wrong with giving the whole thing a once over.
What size plug do I look to get / Where do I get a drain plug ?
Anyone got a link / picture/ description ?
There are many discussions about various plug installs here on the forums. Sorry I haven't saved any, but a search should net you some results. Hopefully others will have some direct links for you.
Paul
