D-18 Endplay

I have followed Rick Stivers rebuild guide and am having problems with endplay.
1. The first problem is I have used the entire shim pack that I ordered and have the proper endplay but it is difficult to turn the output shaft.

2. The second problem is when I install the front and rear yoke nuts to the proper torque specs the output shaft will barely turn.

Is this normal or did I not do it correctly. Thanks

 

With the intermediate shaft removed the output shaft will turn quite easily (even with a slight .001 preload ). When the intermediate is installed the output shaft will require a little more effort to turn but it should still feel smooth without the perception of binding.

Assuming you have fresh oil seals and new felt dust seals when the rear yoke is installed it will feel a little stiff to turn, This is normal as the oil seal is applying radial compression to the yoke and the felt dust seal is slightly compressed against the oil seal face when the pinion nut is torqued down.

If you know you have correct end play with the case asembeled and the output shaft turns smoothly without binding you should be ok.

 

What is your endplay in thousandths?

 

It is between 4 and 6 just very hard to turn. When I installed the yoke nuts it is almost impossible to turn. Any thought of what would cause thism
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Have you pulled the yokes and rechecked end play? Is the intermediate gear in place? Was intermediate gear hard to turn before yokes were replaced? How thick a shim pack did you start with? I think there were 4-5 shims in the rebuild kit I used but 7-8 in the pack I removed (and reused) Did you grease or oil the various parts as you reassembled? I do not like to put that stuff back together "dry". As above, did you replace felt seals?

 

If you have 4-6 thousandths then it should turn freely. I set mine to 4 thousandths. This was set before I installed the rear yoke.

I do have an idea. Did you replace the bushing in the output clutch shaft? I found if you don't get this seated in fare enough it will bind the output shaft. I know it says you will need to ream the bushing, but it fit my clutch shaft just fine.

 

If its that hard to turn I am inclined to agree with A Mandery & scott milliner, It may be a good idea to tear down and check everything. I know that if the felt seal is not properly installed and pressed into the grove in the yoke it will put excessive compression on the oil seal face and be very hard to turn.

 

Since were not there to see the thing, It's tough to troubleshoot. I hate to say this, but I suggest you tear it back down and localize each part. Install each shaft by itself and feel how it turns, then go to the next. Sounds like your endplay is good, but you have a radial clearance issue. Seals shouldn't make it too hard to turn if they were oiled before instalation, unless they were pinched or it is the wrong seal. How hard is it to get endplay numbers? Can you slide it by hand, or do you have to tap/pry? I wonder if your endplay numbers are accurate. If you are torqueing the yoke and it binds , then possibly something is not seated properly and you are getting a false reading. Keep us posted.

 

Thanks guys for your replys, here is what was replaced and how.

1. new felt seals
2. new bearings and races
3. new intermidiate shaft and roller bearings
4. new bushing in clutch shaft

The intermidiate shaft is installed. I will check that the output shaft and clutch shaft are fitting together properly.
I followed the guide step by step for the order of assembly.
I did install all moving parts dry.
I used the entire shim pack that came with the rebuild kit plus a few that were original.

 

What type of lube should be used on assembly. Grease or oil??

 

Gear oil on the tapered bearings and petroleum jelly on the needle bearings and bushings. I don't recommend grease as it doesn't mix readily with the gear oil and can actually plug up oiling passages.
I'd also check and make sure your seals are installed all the way in their bores. If not the yoke can hit them causing the tightness/lockup you are experiencing.