2002 DODGE RAM differential

noise during straight-ahead driving when the gears
are unloaded. The side gears are loaded during vehi-
cle turns. A worn pinion shaft can also cause a snap-
ping or a knocking noise.
BEARING NOISE
The axle shaft, differential and pinion bearings can
all produce noise when worn or damaged. Bearing
noise can be either a whining, or a growling sound.
Pinion bearings have a constant-pitch noise. This
noise changes only with vehicle speed. Pinion bearing
noise will be higher pitched because it rotates at a
faster rate. Drive the vehicle and load the differen-
tial. If bearing noise occurs, the rear pinion bearing
is the source of the noise. If the bearing noise is
heard during a coast, the front pinion bearing is the
source.
Worn or damaged differential bearings usually pro-
duce a low pitch noise. Differential bearing noise issimilar to pinion bearing noise. The pitch of differen-
tial bearing noise is also constant and varies only
with vehicle speed.
Axle shaft bearings produce noise and vibration
when worn or damaged. The noise generally changes
when the bearings are loaded. Road test the vehicle.
Turn the vehicle sharply to the left and to the right.
This will load the bearings and change the noise
level. Where axle bearing damage is slight, the noise
is usually not noticeable at speeds above 30 mph.
LOW SPEED KNOCK
Low speed knock is generally caused by a worn
U-joint or by worn side±gear thrust washers. A worn
pinion shaft bore will also cause low speed knock.
VIBRATION
Vibration at the rear of the vehicle is usually
caused by a:
²Damaged drive shaft.
²Missing drive shaft balance weight(s).
²Worn or out-of-balance wheels.
²Loose wheel lug nuts.
²Worn U-joint(s).
²Loose/broken springs.
²Damaged axle shaft bearing(s).
²Loose pinion gear nut.
²Excessive pinion yoke run out.
²Bent axle shaft(s).
Check for loose or damaged front-end components
or engine/transmission mounts. These components
can contribute to what appears to be a rearend vibra-
tion. Do not overlook engine accessories, brackets
and drive belts.
NOTE: All driveline components should be exam-
ined before starting any repair.
DRIVELINE SNAP
A snap or clunk noise when the vehicle is shifted
into gear (or the clutch engaged), can be caused by:
²High engine idle speed.
²Transmission shift operation.
²Loose engine/transmission/transfer case mounts.
²Worn U-joints.
²Loose spring mounts.
²Loose pinion gear nut and yoke.
²Excessive ring gear backlash.
²Excessive side gear to case clearance.
The source of a snap or a clunk noise can be deter-
mined with the assistance of a helper. Raise the vehi-
cle on a hoist with the wheels free to rotate. Instruct
the helper to shift the transmission into gear. Listen
for the noise, a mechanics stethoscope is helpful in
isolating the source of a noise.
Fig. 3 TRAC-LOK LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL
1 - CASE
2 - RING GEAR
3 - DRIVE PINION
4 - PINION GEAR
5 - MATE SHAFT
6 - CLUTCH PACK
7 - SIDE GEAR
8 - CLUTCH PACK
BR/BEREAR AXLE - 286RBI 3 - 109
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

DIAGNOSTIC CHART
Condition Possible Causes Correction
Wheel Noise 1. Wheel loose. 1. Tighten loose nuts.
2. Faulty, brinelled wheel bearing. 2. Replace bearing.
Axle Shaft Noise 1. Misaligned axle tube. 1. Inspect axle tube alignment.
Correct as necessary.
2. Bent or sprung axle shaft. 2. Inspect and correct as necessary.
Axle Shaft Broke 1. Misaligned axle tube. 1. Replace the broken shaft after
correcting tube mis-alignment.
2 Vehicle overloaded. 2. Replace broken shaft and avoid
excessive weight on vehicle.
3. Erratic clutch operation. 3. Replace broken shaft and avoid
or correct erratic clutch operation.
4. Grabbing clutch. 4. Replace broken shaft and inspect
and repair clutch as necessary.
Differential Cracked 1. Improper adjustment of the
differential bearings.1. Replace case and inspect gears
and bearings for further damage.
Set differential bearing pre-load
properly.
2. Excessive ring gear backlash. 2. Replace case and inspect gears
and bearings for further damage.
Set ring gear backlash properly.
3. Vehicle overloaded. 3. Replace case and inspect gears
and bearings for further damage.
Avoid excessive vehicle weight.
4. Erratic clutch operation. 4. Replace case and inspect gears
and bearings for further damage.
Avoid erratic use of clutch.
Differential Gears Scored 1. Insufficient lubrication. 1. Replace scored gears. Fill
differential with the correct fluid type
and quantity.
2. Improper grade of lubricant. 2. Replace scored gears. Fill
differential with the correct fluid type
and quantity.
3. Excessive spinning of one
wheel/tire.3. Replace scored gears. Inspect all
gears, pinion bores, and shaft for
damage. Service as necessary.
3 - 110 REAR AXLE - 286RBIBR/BE
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

Condition Possible Causes Correction
Loss Of Lubricant 1. Lubricant level too high. 1. Drain lubricant to the correct
level.
2. Worn axle shaft seals. 2. Replace seals.
3. Cracked differential housing. 3. Repair as necessary.
4. Worn pinion seal. 4. Replace seal.
5. Worn/scored yoke. 5. Replace yoke and seal.
6. Axle cover not properly sealed. 6. Remove, clean, and re-seal
cover.
Axle Overheating 1. Lubricant level low. 1. Fill differential to correct level.
2. Improper grade of lubricant. 2. Fill differential with the correct
fluid type and quantity.
3. Bearing pre-loads too high. 3. Re-adjust bearing pre-loads.
4. Insufficient ring gear backlash. 4. Re-adjust ring gear backlash.
Gear Teeth Broke 1. Overloading. 1. Replace gears. Examine other
gears and bearings for possible
damage.
2. Erratic clutch operation. 2. Replace gears and examine the
remaining parts for damage. Avoid
erratic clutch operation.
3. Ice-spotted pavement. 3. Replace gears and examine
remaining parts for damage.
4. Improper adjustments. 4. Replace gears and examine
remaining parts for damage. Ensure
ring gear backlash is correct.
Axle Noise 1. Insufficient lubricant. 1. Fill differential with the correct
fluid type and quantity.
2. Improper ring gear and pinion
adjustment.2. Check ring gear and pinion
contact pattern. Adjust backlash or
pinion depth.
3. Unmatched ring gear and pinion. 3. Replace gears with a matched
ring gear and pinion.
4. Worn teeth on ring gear and/or
pinion.4. Replace ring gear and pinion.
5. Loose pinion bearings. 5. Adjust pinion bearing pre-load.
6. Loose differential bearings. 6. Adjust differential bearing
pre-load.
7. Mis-aligned or sprung ring gear. 7. Measure ring gear run-out.
Replace components as necessary.
8. Loose differential bearing cap
bolts.8. Inspect differential components
and replace as necessary. Ensure
that the bearing caps are torqued
tot he proper specification.
9. Housing not machined properly. 9. Replace housing.
BR/BEREAR AXLE - 286RBI 3 - 111
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

REMOVAL
(1) Raise and support the vehicle.
(2) Position a suitable lifting device under the
axle.
(3) Secure axle to device.
(4) Remove the wheels and tires.
(5) Remove the RWAL sensor from the differential
housing, if necessary.
(6) Disconnect the brake hose at the axle junction
block.
(7) Disconnect the parking brake cables and cable
brackets.
(8)
Disconnect the vent hose from the axle shaft tube.
(9) Mark the propeller shaft and companion flange
for installation alignment reference.
(10) Remove propeller shaft.
(11) Disconnect shock absorbers from axle.
(12)
Remove the spring clamps and spring brackets.
(13) Separate the axle from the vehicle.
INSTALLATION
(1) Raise the axle with lifting device and align to
the leaf spring centering bolts.
(2) Install the spring clamps and spring brackets.
(3) Install the shock absorbers.
(4) Install the RWAL sensor to the differential
housing, if necessary
(5) Install the parking brake cables and cable
brackets.
(6)
Install the brake hose to the axle junction block.
(7) Install axle vent hose.
(8) Install the propeller shaft with reference marks
aligned.
(9) Install the wheels and tires.
(10) Add gear lubricant, if necessary. Refer to
Specifications for lubricant requirements.
(11) Remove lifting device from axle and lower the
vehicle.
ADJUSTMENTS
Ring and pinion gears are supplied as matched
sets only. The identifying numbers for the ring and
pinion gear are etched into the face of each gear (Fig.
4). A plus (+) number, minus (±) number or zero (0) is
etched into the face of the pinion gear. This number
is the amount (in thousandths of an inch) the depth
varies from the standard depth setting of a pinion
etched with a (0). The standard setting from the cen-
ter line of the ring gear to the back face of the pinion
is 147.625 mm (5.812 in.). The standard depth pro-
vides the best teeth contact pattern. Refer to Back-
lash and Contact Pattern Analysis Paragraph in this
section for additional information.
Compensation for pinion depth variance is
achieved with select shims. The shims are placed
under the inner pinion bearing cone (Fig. 5).If a new gear set is being installed, note the depth
variance etched into both the original and replace-
ment pinion gear. Add or subtract the thickness of
the original depth shims to compensate for the differ-
ence in the depth variances. Refer to the Depth Vari-
ance charts.
Note where Old and New Pinion Marking columns
intersect. Intersecting figure represents plus or
minus amount needed.
Note the etched number on the face of the drive pin-
ion gear (±1, ±2, 0, +1, +2, etc.). The numbers represent
Fig. 4 PINION GEAR ID NUMBERS
1 - PRODUCTION NUMBERS
2 - PINION GEAR DEPTH VARIANCE
3 - GEAR MATCHING NUMBER
Fig. 5 SHIM LOCATIONS
1 - PINION BEARING PRELOAD SHIM
2 - DIFFERENTIAL BEARING SHIM
3 - PINION GEAR DEPTH SHIM
3 - 112 REAR AXLE - 286RBIBR/BE
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

thousands of an inch deviation from the standard. If the
number is negative, add that value to the required
thickness of the depth shim(s). If the number is posi-tive, subtract that value from the thickness of the depth
shim(s). If the number is 0 no change is necessary. Refer
to the Pinion Gear Depth Variance Chart.
PINION GEAR DEPTH VARIANCE
Original
Pinion
Gear
Depth
VarianceReplacement Pinion Gear Depth Variance
24232221 0 +1 +2 +3 +4
+4+0.008 +0.007 +0.006 +0.005 +0.004 +0.003 +0.002 +0.001 0
+3+0.007 +0.006 +0.005 +0.004 +0.003 +0.002 +0.001 020.001
+2+0.006 +0.005 +0.004 +0.003 +0.002 +0.001 020.00120.002
+1+0.005 +0.004 +0.003 +0.002 +0.001 020.00120.00220.003
0+0.004 +0.003 +0.002 +0.001 020.00120.00220.00320.004
21+0.003 +0.002 +0.001 020.00120.00220.00320.00420.005
22+0.002 +0.001 020.00120.00220.00320.00420.00520.006
23+0.001 020.00120.00220.00320.00420.00520.00620.007
24020.00120.00220.00320.00420.00520.00620.00720.008
PINION DEPTH MEASUREMENT AND ADJUSTMENT
Measurements are taken with pinion cups and pin-
ion bearings installed in housing. Take measure-
ments with a Pinion Gauge Set 6730 and Dial
Indicator C-3339 (Fig. 6).
(1) Assemble Pinion Height Block 6739, Pinion
Block 6738 and rear pinion bearing onto Screw 6741
(Fig. 6).
(2) Insert assembled height gauge components,
rear bearing and screw into the housing through pin-
ion bearing cups (Fig. 7).
(3) Install front pinion bearing and Cone 6740
hand tight (Fig. 6).
(4) Place Arbor Disc 6732 on Arbor D-115-3 in posi-
tion in the housing side bearing cradles (Fig. 8).
Install differential bearing caps on Arbor Discs and
snug the bearing cap bolts. Then tighten cap bolts in
a criss-cross pattern to 108 N´m (80 ft. lbs.).
NOTE: Arbor Discs 6732 have different step diame-
ters to fit other axle sizes. Pick correct size step for
axle being serviced.
(5) Assemble Dial Indicator C-3339 into Scooter
Block D-115-2 and secure set screw.
(6) Position Scooter Block/Dial Indicator flush on
the pinion height block. Hold scooter block and zero
the dial indicator.
(7) Slowly slide the scooter block across the pinion
height block over to the arbor (Fig. 9). Move the
scooter block till dial indicator crests the arbor, then
record the highest reading.
Fig. 6 PINION GEAR DEPTH GAUGE
1 - DIAL INDICATOR
2 - ARBOR
3 - PINION HEIGHT BLOCK
4 - CONE
5 - SCREW
6 - PINION BLOCK
7 - SCOOTER BLOCK
8 - ARBOR DISC
BR/BEREAR AXLE - 286RBI 3 - 113
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

(8) Select a shim equal to the dial indicator read-
ing plus the drive pinion gear depth variance number
etched in the face of the pinion gear (Fig. 4) using
the opposite sign on the variance number. For exam-
ple, if the depth variance is ±2, add +0.002 in. to the
dial indicator reading.
(9) Remove the pinion depth gauge components
from the axle housing
DIFFERENTIAL BEARING PRELOAD AND GEAR
BACKLASH
Differential side bearing preload and gear backlash
is achieved by selective shims positioned behind thedifferential side bearing cones. The proper shim
thickness can be determined using slip-fit dummy
bearings D-346 in place of the differential side bear-
ings and a dial indicator C-3339. Before proceeding
with the differential bearing preload and gear back-
lash measurements, measure the pinion gear depth
and prepare the pinion gear for installation. Estab-
lishing proper pinion gear depth is essential to estab-
lishing gear backlash and tooth contact patterns.
After the overall shim thickness to take up differen-
tial side play is measured, the pinion gear is
installed, and the gear backlash shim thickness is
measured. The overall shim thickness is the total of
the dial indicator reading and the preload specifica-
tion added together. The gear backlash measurement
determines the thickness of the shim used on the
ring gear side of the differential case. Subtract the
gear backlash shim thickness from the total overall
shim thickness and select that amount for the pinion
gear side of the differential (Fig. 10). Differential
shim measurements are performed with axle
spreader W-129-B removed.
SHIM SELECTION
NOTE: It is difficult to salvage the differential side
bearings during the removal procedure. Install
replacement bearings if necessary.
(1) Remove differential side bearings from differ-
ential case.
(2) Remove factory installed shims from differen-
tial case.
(3) Install ring gear on differential case and
tighten bolts to specification, if necessary.
Fig. 7 PINION HEIGHT BLOCK
1 - PINION BLOCK
2 - PINION HEIGHT BLOCK
Fig. 8 GAUGE TOOLS IN HOUSING
1 - ARBOR DISC
2 - PINION BLOCK
3 - ARBOR
4 - PINION HEIGHT BLOCK
Fig. 9 PINION DEPTH MEASUREMENT
1 - ARBOR
2 - SCOOTER BLOCK
3 - DIAL INDICATOR
3 - 114 REAR AXLE - 286RBIBR/BE
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

(4) Install dummy side bearings D-346 on differen-
tial case.
(5) Install differential case in the housing.
(6) Install the marked bearing caps in their correct
positions. Install and snug the bolts (Fig. 11).(7) Using a dead-blow hammer, seat the differen-
tial dummy bearings to each side of the housing (Fig.
12) and (Fig. 13).
Fig. 10 SHIM LOCATIONS
1 - PINION BEARING PRELOAD SHIM
2 - DIFFERENTIAL BEARING SHIM
3 - PINION GEAR DEPTH SHIM
Fig. 11 BEARING CAP BOLTS
1 - BEARING CAP
2 - DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING
3 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE
Fig. 12 SEAT PINION GEAR SIDE BEARING
1 - DEAD-BLOW HAMMER
2 - DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING
3 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE
Fig. 13 SEAT RING GEAR SIDE BEARING
1 - DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING
2 - DEAD-BLOW HAMMER
3 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE
BR/BEREAR AXLE - 286RBI 3 - 115
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)

(8) Thread Pilot Stud C-3288-B into rear cover bolt
hole below ring gear (Fig. 14).
(9) Attach a dial indicator C-3339 to pilot stud.
Position the dial indicator plunger on a flat surface
between the ring gear bolt heads (Fig. 14).
(10) Push and hold differential case to pinion gear
side of the housing and zero dial indicator (Fig. 15).
(11) Push and hold differential case to ring gear
side of the housing and record dial indicator reading
(Fig. 16).
(12) Add 0.254mm (0.010 in.) to the zero end play
total. This total represents the thickness of shims to
preload the new bearings when the differential is
installed.
(13) Rotate dial indicator out of the way on the
pilot stud.
(14) Remove differential case and dummy bearings
from the housing.(15) Install the pinion gear in axle housing. Install
the pinion yoke, or flange, and establish the correct
pinion rotating torque.
(16) Install differential case and Dummy Bearings
D-346 in the housing (without shims), install bearing
caps and tighten bolts snug.
(17) Seat ring gear side dummy bearing (Fig. 12).
(18) Position the dial indicator plunger on a flat
surface between the ring gear bolt heads. (Fig. 14).
Fig. 14 DIFFERENTIAL SIDE PLAY MEASUREMENT
1 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE
2 - DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING
3 - PILOT STUD
4 - DIAL INDICATOR
Fig. 15 DIAL INDICATOR LOCATION
1 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE TO PINION GEAR SIDE
2 - PILOT STUD
3 - DIAL INDICATOR EXTENSION
4 - DIAL INDICATOR FACE
Fig. 16 DIFFERENTIAL CASE AND DIAL INDICATOR
1 - DIAL INDICATOR
2 - DIFFERENTIAL CASE TO RING GEAR SIDE
3 - DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING
3 - 116 REAR AXLE - 286RBIBR/BE
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)