D27 Powerlock Install

A couple quick questions:

Re-using Nicks manual photo here, but helps with clarifying parts and pieces. I want to make sure I got the right terminology/parts. As shown in the FSM pic, what it calls 'disc' is the ring with the inner splines, and what it calls 'plate' is the non-splined rings with the 4 square 'tabs' along the outer edge? And yes, I do see that those are 'thin' or 'thick' for the D27 (and not for the D44). Also, what the manual refers to as 'Belleville' are the slightly curved - well really spherical - plate and disc? And just to double check - the D27 'B' figure shown above has both a Belleville plate and disc, whereas the D44 only uses a Belleville plate, but not a belleville disc?
What came out of the used D27 pretty much matches this exactly - but I am having trouble identifying the Belleville disc in the replacement set - all the discs seem to be flat.

 

In case anyone wants to see the differences - here is the difference between the thick and thin flat plates:


Here is the used Belleville disc on the left and a flat disc on the right:


I also spent a LOT of time chasing the threads on the case - I've cleaned a lot of blind hole thread on stuff before - these were definitely a bit of a PITA. I guess whatever was used for thread locker or whatnot on the previous assembly was still very much in the threads:

 

yes RHT

 

Trying to track down new clutch discs and plates to rebuild this D27 PL. I was able to get replacement pieces for all of the plates, but only the flat clutch disks. I am still in need of 2 Bellville (curved) disks. I posted a WTB in the classifieds - respond there if you can help with that. But also wondering what the group thinks about the used ones I pulled out, and its even worth considering re-using them. Some of the plates and flat disks were heavily grooved, but the 2 Belleville disks are not as bad - maybe re-useable?

 

Had a little time to mess with this....I decided to spend a bit of time figuring out how everything fits together and what is the best way to assemble it - especially considering once you are doing it for real, it will be a bit oily, and as it takes both hands, getting photos would be difficult. The basic idea is straight forward - its the actually number of hands and fingers and position of everything that makes it a bit of a finnicky PITA. ALthough I did the eaton e-locker install on the D44, that was just a case swap - I've never pulled the internal of the case apart and messed with the side and pinon/spyder gears. For those interested in my dry test fitting:
The is sort of the key piece - its the side gear ring/hub (#7 in the FSM diagram):


as you can see it has both external splines and internal splines. The external splined hub is where all the powerlock clutch pieces ride....the 3 plates (with tabs) are not splined and just slide over the splined ring hub. The 2 clutch plates in between the plates are splined and mesh onto the ring splines.


On the flip side of the side gear ring is where the actual side gear sits:


the internal splines of the side gear and ring must mesh with the axle shaft that goes through the middle - thus the need for some sort of axle shaft during assembly. When things are tightened down, if these splines are not aligned, the axle shafts will not slide into place inside the case.


NickM is lending my some set-up stubby axle shafts so I can do this on the bench and not have to pull the shafts out of my cj....the set-up sort of begins to look like this:


Of course, the reality is that when you try to slide things into place, everything sort of falls apart (mostly the clutch disks and plates slide off the side gear ring).....so here is what I found seems to work best.....First, drop the outermost thin clutch plate down into the case halve:


Then slide the remaining clutch pack and side gear ring into place - seems to work best doing this sideways so the splined clutch pack pieces don't fall off:


The key part here is to make sure the clutch pieces stay in place and getting the entire pack to sit all the way down to the bottom of the case....


Then you can slide the axle shaft up through the case - but don't push it too far through to the end of the splines such that it pushes the clutch pack out and the pieces fall off the side gear ring hub!.....when its all done with side gear and spyder gears in place:


As this is for a full-float front axle application...leaving the pin out of the cross-shafts.....And of course, the part that I can't get a picture of as I need too many hands, the other half of the case will mate to this half and bolt together......that D27 lock-rite is looking easier and easier....

So my question for tonight....I hope to finalize the assembly on my next day off. I understand I will need to soak or at least coat the clutch disk pieces in appropriate gear oil (with LSD additive)....Do people actually let this soak overnight, or just use some liberal coating during assembly. Along those lines, my intention is to finalize the assembly and then set the case aside on the shelf for a few months until I am ready to pull the front axle out of the cj and do the case swap etc....any issue with that? I figure most of the oil will drip off and out, but at least a little will hang in there for a few months?

 

Have an issue....I broke a small tab on the ring gear side of the case when tightening the two case halves together....how much did I eff it up? Did I just waste the case?




going to go cuss and swear a bit...go back to work in 4 hours and my next day off is in 2 weeks....