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Your vehicle’s differential is an essential drivetrain component, redistributing torque from the driveshaft to the axle shafts through a series of gears. This complex, gear-laden housing allows your vehicle to move back and forth via its collection of gears, including:
Pinion Gear: takes in rotational force from the driveshaft(s)
Ring Gear: bolts to the differential carrier and meshes with the pinion gear
Differential Gears: (spider gears) within the carrier that allow the axle shafts to move independently from one another
Like most auto parts subjected to metal-on-metal contact, the differential incurs wear over several hundred thousand miles, resulting in larger tolerances, bearing wear, or even catastrophic damage! In these instances, a rebuild is necessary, and RealTruck offers just the products to do so: Differential Rebuild Kits!
As previously mentioned, differentials contain several wear components, like gears, bearings, and even clutches. After thousands of miles cataloged and poor service history, differentials can wear out, resulting in drivability issues like:
Grinding noises
Humming or ‘howling’ sounds
Gear oil leakage (often from pinion seals)
Vibrations from the drive axle
Difficulty turning
While many individuals never need to replace/rebuild their differential, aggressive driving, unresolved fluid leaks, and poor maintenance may exacerbate wear.
Differential rebuild kits come in several shapes and sizes, depending on the differential type and how in-depth of a rebuild you’d like. For instance, some only offer some bearings and seals, some include all bearings and seals, and others include everything necessary to replace the entire differential, save the case! The three most common rebuild kit types include:
Master Overhaul Kits: Complete rebuild kit, ideal for rebuilding an excessively worn, high-mileage differential, including gears. These kits include:
Carrier bearings and races
Pinion bearings and races
Pinion seal
Axle seals
Complete shim kit
Ring gear bolts
Pinion nut
Oil baffles and slingers
Thread locking compound
Marking compound with brush
Differential cover gasket
Pinion Bearing Kit: Pinion bearing and seal replacement, ideal for repairing leaking pinion seals when the remaining differential parts are in good working order. These kits include:
Pinion seal
Shim kit
Pinion nut
Crush sleeve
Thread locker
Marking compound
Silicone
Bearings
Differential Bearing and Seal Kits: Complete seal and bearing kit, ideal for rebuilding a worn differential while reusing existing gears, hardware, and shims. This kit includes:
Carrier bearings and races
Pinion bearings and races
Pinion seal
Axle seals
Pinion nut
Marking compound with brush
Differential cover gasket