[bumstein]

Hi good folk!!

I've been having a play with the Sierra ('93 Wt soft top) because there has been a bit of a wobble in the drive train somewhere, and I'm thinking it was from the rear. Regardless I wanted to have a gander and make sure all the bearings are good and replace them if need be.

So, I have removed the rear axles thus far. The bearings all seem a bit gravelly when you turn them by hand so I'm guessing these are good for a replacement.

However when I slid the axles out, they had rather alot of oil in the housing.

Does this mean the diff seals are likely stuffed??

Should I just replace them because I have most of it apart now??

Your kind words of wisdom are always appreciated

[tanshi]

yes, swap them

[Trypt]

the diff housing and axle housings are not sealed seperately. the axle housing will have some oil in it at the same level as the rest of the diff.
The only seals are the axle seals at either end of the axles housings. 2 in total.
if you having a tinker you may aswell replace the wheel bearings and axle seals.
Like im about to do.

[bumstein]

Thanks for that!!

So are there no seals on the diff side of the axle then?? I thought there were two seals on each axle, one near the diff and the other near the brake assembly.. Or is that what you mean??

I'm also thinking of getting a bearing kit for the diff and doing that too.. Is that likely necessary or not so much??

[Trypt]

Yeah only 1 seal per axle. the axle gets oil aswell.

doing diff bearings requires lots of knoledge/experience and some special service tools.

Unless you know what your doing your almost garunteed to do more damage than good.

If you want the diff bearings done. take the 3rd member out take it to a transmission shop and get them to fit the new bearings.

If you can afford it, its good insurance IMHO

[bumstein]

Yeah ok..l sounds like great advise to me!!

The last time a drive it is sounded like the rear diff was pretty noisy...

[Ace]

Sounds like the bearings are worth doing, before you rip the diff apart have you checked the UJ's on the driveshafts and made sure the trans case mounts arn't pookied? It may be your diff - those in the know will chime in - when you say "wobble" I think vibe in the drive train. Wander" may be kingpins or loose front bearings. I found an SJ 413 manual of some sort thats around 500 pages, very useful the troubles skimming it to find what you want. I recommend one for reference

[bumstein]

Hi Ace!!

The "wobble" was first noticed as a periodic (regular) bump when doing about 15kph, almost like a pulse. It was partially resolved by changing the tyre on the rear right, it definately had a fault in the tyre wall. But it does still seem to roll a little rough and yes it vibrates (within tolerable limits) around 80-100kph. It's not a big problem but it does seem a bit symptomatic of some rising issues here and there..

The diff noise was only present in the last drive, this was after a bit of 4wd fun. Definitely don't want to shag out the diff if it's avoidable..

As I've not long had the car, I want to go over it bit by bit and do everything. That way I can start a maintenance regime from scratch.. But it's just taking me a little time

I will progress up the drive train and replace drive shaft seals, change to 1ltr transfer case (and eventually 6.5 reduction gears). But in the process I'm hoping to solve the vibration/wobble... And yep the front bearings etc will also be done, I just thought I'd start at the back as that's where I think the problem might be..

How do I check the universal joints?? Am I looking for play it them?

Is the manual this one?? http://www.suzukiinfo.com/sierra/suzuki ... 413fsm.pdf

I haven't had a good look through that manual but the Gregory's manual and I are getting well acquainted

I'm afraid I'm not sure what a kingpin is.. I will google it, but that will give me more food for thought on finding out..

Thanks for your input mate!! All very much appreciated!!