What needs to be changed, just the carrier? or carrier and ring&pinion gears?

I had read somewhere (hopefully incorrectly) that the center section would need to be replaced as well, but I could not tell from the post if that meant the pumpkin or if the person was calling the carrier the center section.

Thanks!
-Joe

Depends a bit on what gears you have...

But generally just the center diff needs to be changed. You can swap your ring gear onto the new center and plug your axles in. You will have to redo the side bearing shims and freeplay adjustments.

Depends a bit on what gears you have...

But generally just the center diff needs to be changed. You can swap your ring gear onto the new center and plug your axles in. You will have to redo the side bearing shims and freeplay adjustments.

Unless you have the tools for this, depth mic. etc. then it is best to have a pro do this. The posi unit is the carrier, the part that the ring gear bolts to. There are different version, 3 series and 4 series and fairly rare 2 series. It has to do with the gear ratio.

You need kind of special stuff, nice press with a good spreader plate to remove the carrier bearings comes to mind.

if you like the ratio in the rearend now, just buy a powertrax and be done with it in about a hour. plus it only costs about 300 bucks! ive got one in my 3.31 12 bolt and love it. jim

if you like the ratio in the rearend now, just buy a powertrax and be done with it in about a hour. plus it only costs about 300 bucks! ive got one in my 3.31 12 bolt and love it. jim

1 hour:D:D:D

I would be surprised if someone working on the ground could get a rear ready to swap in 1 hour.

Wheels and tires, brake drums, drain gear oil, remove cover, pull the pin, remove the axles, remove the caps, pull carrier out and keep the shims in order, remove the ring gear, press bearings on new Powertrax, put ring gear on and torque, are we at 1 hour yet??? And the fun has only begun, put the carrier in, install the shims, put the caps on and torque, check backlash and the gear patteren, what happens if it's not good???

1 hour is a little light on the estimate:yes::yes:

Thanks for all the replies, guys. Sounds like a pretty intense process for a first-time DIY'er. I'm just glad it's the carrier, and possibly the ring&pinion gears (if i want to change gear ratio) that needs to be changed and not the actual center section of the rear.

Are there books that outline the whole process? I know i saw them tackle the job in CC once, but i notice them tend to miss/skip a lot of things in the writeup in the interest of time/space.

Thanks!
-Joe

So I did the Eaton posi swap but used my same gears. The outfit I bought the posi from also sold me an install kit including shims and new bearings.

By using my original ring/pinion it simplified the gear setup. I did not touch the pinion so I did not have to re-measure pinion depth or gear contact pattern. I did have to buy a dial indicator so that I could check gear lash. And I did have to take it in and out a few times to get that just right.

If you change gears that changes the complexity quite a bit... I might be inclined to have a professional do it if I were changing gears.