Front Diff issues

[CaptORM]

So i found some diff fluid in my driveway yesterday and decided to replace the oil and reseal the diff cover....the bolts where hand tight....explains the leaking...however after taking the cover off found a chunk of flat metal in the diff...looks like a big washer only there is only half....did a quick check of the diff and everything looks good....however drove it yesterday and now i have a clicking metal on metal noise coming from the front end....any ideas...sounds like the gears grinding but im guessing the other half of whatever broke is rubbing against the gears....

[kirksjeep]

How big was the washer looking piece?  Is it big enough to be a shim??  If you are missing a shim it would explain the noise.

[Seabee_BUC]

That was my guess, a broken shim...

[Axle]

X3

[CaptORM]

It could be a shim....but where is the other half of the shim...

[Seabee_BUC]

Still in place...If you can't see where it came from, I'd think its a pinion gear shim, behind the differential...Which unfortunately means you have to remove everything to replace it. Which sounds like a good time to regear!...LOL

[PaulW]

it's more then likely a thrust washer for the front spider gears.  i've seen where the diff hold down bolt shears off and allows the diff pin to "walk" around in the carrier and oblong the bore where it rides.  when that happens ythe spiders dont run true and they'll snap the thrust washers in no time, then that noise that you hear is gears binding and snap goes the 30

[CaptORM]

i really hope its not on the pinion....that makes the repair alot more expensive.

[CaptORM]

Question??  This is due to money right now...can i just remove the ring gear, remove the front drive shaft  and run in two wheel drive till i have the money to get it done???

Due to the baby coming im not going to get to wheel to much this summer anyway. So I could save up money and buy gears and lockers. 

[calvynandhobbs]

Question??  This is due to money right now...can i just remove the ring gear, remove the front drive shaft  and run in two wheel drive till i have the money to get it done???

Due to the baby coming im not going to get to wheel to much this summer anyway. So I could save up money and buy gears and lockers. 

I can't think of any reason why you can't. The gears are only used for 4wd. The wheel bearing units are what hold the tires on. Remove the front driveshaft, remove the axle shafts and ring gear and just leave it all hollow for a while.

[Axle]

Do not remove the ring gear!!!  Remove the spider gears and leave the side gears, but put the carrier pin back in or your side gears will fall off and then things will go BOOM.  You don't need to remove the drive shaft as long as you can run in 2H.  Don't try to run in 4 anything with out those spider gears.

[calvynandhobbs]

Why can't you remove the ring gear and everything else in there? Maybe I don't understand it right, but if you leave the side stuff and already have a washer that has broken aren't you asking for something else to fall out and jam itself in the ring gear or pinion gear? I know it's much more difficult to put everything back in, but I would think with nothing rotating there's no chance of anything else being damaged.

[kirksjeep]

Honestly it might be easier to just fins someone parting a ZJ on craigslist, and offer them a few bucks, case of beer, cut their grass etc...  I wouldn't pay any more than $100 for one if you are the one who pulls it. 

I know you just welded up some stronger control are brackets, but they can always be ground off and re-welded to the new axle. 

Just some options

[PaulW]

Why can't you remove the ring gear and everything else in there? Maybe I don't understand it right, but if you leave the side stuff and already have a washer that has broken aren't you asking for something else to fall out and jam itself in the ring gear or pinion gear? I know it's much more difficult to put everything back in, but I would think with nothing rotating there's no chance of anything else being damaged.

you can't remove the spiders because they hold the side gears in.  you can't remove the side gears because they support the axles.  you can't remove the axles because they hold the wheel bearings together.  the ring gear can be removed to keep the carrier from turning, but the spiders will still spin. possibly breaking more stuff. as i said before just tear it down for insp.

[Axle]

You CAN remove the spider gears.  The carrier pin holds the side gears in place.  Other than that, you are right, you can't remove the side gears, the ring gear, and the axles and not grenade the axle.