AMC 20 pinon gear torque question

[chrisk]

How much torque should it take to get the collapsible ring to collapse and set the pinion bearing pre-load on my AMC20 rear end??

Also, what should the ring/pinion gear lash be?

Where is a good place online to find individual parts like bearings, collapsible rings, etc?

Any help much appreciated!!!

I'm typing this for my husband, I hope I put the words in correctly

 

[CJ007]

It has been some time ago that I did mine but I recall 250lbs, it took a breaker bar and is significant. Randys ring and pinion website had some helpful info if I recall and you can eliminate the crush with a spacer.

But there are guys on here that know at more than me that should chime in. Thread is to the top :-)

 

[chrisk]

Thank you for your reply. I did mine with a 3/4" ratchet and my foot so I know I had more than 250 lbs. Tell me about the spacer you're talking about and how do I know what the pre-load is?

 

[Posi]

Use old nut torque to 260 ft lbs
Pinion bearing preload (collapsible sleeve) 17-25 in lbs
Ring gear backlash .005-.009 (.008 desired)

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Posi-With new gears, bearings etc. I set the BL to no more than .006.
After some miles-It will open up some.
I for one, will not use a crush sleeve. I set the pinion with a spacer and a couple of shims.
Make sure to take a gear contact 'reading' in at least 2 places, if not 3.
LG

 

[Old Dog]

Tell me about the spacer you're talking about

Here's one place you can get one...Table of Contents

 

[chrisk]

Wow, thanks so much for the info. Just went to the website you gave me and ordered the parts I needed including the pinion shim set that I didn't know existed. I'm a new Jeep owner but a professional mechanic and have never dealt with any of this.

I don't know what I did wrong but I ended up with metal shavings in the gear grease.

Again, thank you!!!

 

[billyballer]

I recommend making setup bearings. Use a dremel and take a little material off the inside of your old bearings so they slide on and off without a press. This will let you set the pinion depth close before assembling with the new bearing. I think you can buy setup bearings as well.

When I did my AMC20 regear I had to make a giant breaker bar to crush the sleeve. It honestly seemed to take a lot more torque than anyone had indicated (maybe I had an extra tough crush sleeve), but it did eventually crush. To set the preload simply get an inch/pound wrench and put it on the pinion nut and spin it around watching the meter on your wrench. Don't remember back lash off the top of my head, but I bought the appropriate magnetic base dial indicator for the job.
I followed this AMC20 build thread and found it had a tone of useful info that helped me a long the way. It was my first axle build and it turned out great.
FULL AMC 20 rebuild and setup - JeepForum.com