Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaider
Robert,
I know the proper timing (and, of course, mixture) of the chicken fat and sawdust is critical to the continued quiet operation of the diff. Can you offer any insights into mixing the ingredients and the timing of these advanced service techniques?
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Well, since we're talking about differentials here, there are as many different techniques, as there are salty old gearheads who swear by them...
But since you asked, here's how it was passed along to me in 1985, by my first real car mentor...:
Step 1)- after liberally coating your new ring and pinion with rendered chicken fat (or olive
oil if you are in a pinch) then rub the gears down liberally with a blend of garlic powder, black pepper, and non-iodized salt. place in the refrigerator overnight and allow to dry brine.
Step 2) pre-jube your differential bearings by using a turkey baster to pressure feed your raw, separated egg whites into the bearing crevices.
Step 3) - Install your new pinion gear into the snout of the carrier, being careful not to disturb your dry rub that you applied in step 1. slide the pinion yoke onto the pinion gear spline, and torque the pinion nut (in 3 stages) to a final torque setting of 782 ft/lbs.
Step 4)- install your new ring gear onto the carrier, again being mindful not to disturb the dry rub from step 1. Slide the carrier into the housing and liberally coat the bearing caps with Elmer's white glue- tighten the bearing cap bolts finger tight, then strike each one sharply and repeatedly with a small sledgehammer or hand drill, until the bolt heads are sufficiently rounded over, to the point that no wrench or socket will ever fit on them again.
Step 5) Now it's time to verify your drive and coast patterns (which is why it was important to keep the spice rub on your new gears intact) - You will need a 2nd vehicle for this, as well as a long rubber belt. You want to jack up the rear end of the 2nd vehicle, and run the rubber belt from the drive wheel of the 2nd vehicle, to the input yoke on the new diff (you may need to secure the diff in a vise for this)
Once the drive belt is in place, start the engine in the 2nd car, place the trans into the highest gear possible (overdrives work best) and rev it to no less than 5000rpm, but no more than 14,000 (we don't want to accidentally overwhelm the drivetrain in the 2nd car)
Now here's where it becomes more art than science.... You want to keep it spinning ONLY until the new gear set starts to take on a nice caramelized color, and begins emitting the unmistakable scent of a smoked brisket. At that point, shut everything down, remove the drive belt, and let the new diff cool down in a barrel full of crushed eucalyptus leaves.
Once it's cooled off, you can install it back in the car, and fill it with your favorite gear lubricant (mine is a 50/50 blend of finely shredded montery jack cheese, and KY surgical jelly).
That's how I've been doing it for 37 years now...
Now if you'll excuse me, for some reason I am really hungry for some barbeque...
