Sterling 10.25 Trac lock rebuild

[Traveler]

Well for starters, I knew I had a problem when pulling trailers around the mud and muck only one tire would spin. It got worse and of recent we have had a clunk, and it will chirp the tire when shifting 1-2, and 2-3. So I decided to dig into it. Knowing it was factory yet with 160k on it.

After reading online the opinions vary most say it isn't worth it, buy a locker. For what we do, it is worth it. Then again we are not paying someone else to do it for us.

I had also read where people were saying they refilled their rear end and did not use the Ford additive and it fixed their problem. I would assume that is a good trouble shooting step or short term fix.

Had a hard time finding parts, Drivetrain.com has the clutch kit listed for $79, the Ford dealer is close to $150. I had a buddy that got me a spicer set for $43.
That is clutches only, that does not include the additive.

The Dana spicer number is 72960X

Okay into we go. We already knew the bearing would be good and hub bearings and seals are fine from a previous inspection. So this is trac lock rebuild only.

This can be done in the truck. I pulled the carrier out just to help show you, and take pics during the rebuild, but actually could not get enough torque to spin the spiders out and had to put the carrier back in.

Off we go.

Jack up the rear end.
Pull the axle shafts out far enough that you know they are not engaging the carrier.


Pull the Diff cover


You won't have to pull the carrier, but this is normally how I remove them.


Pull the pin




This is where you spin the spiders out. I couldn't do it on the bench, so I reinstalled the carrier, and started the axles back into the carrier. With the truck in park, rotating one tire will roll the spiders out.


Pull the side gear and clutch packs out.
Had to pull the passenger side first and put it in last.




I did a lot of reading about adding extra plates, and other ways to stack them, maybe because of the kit I have or I am not sure but there was no way to get another plate in there. Maybe my old ones were not worn enough. They didn't look that bad when I took them out.


There is two grooves the clutch pack retainers sit in. It will fit other places so make sure you get it back into the machined groove it came out of.


Now the tricky part. You have to start your spider gears together. They have to be timed the same in order to line up with the cross pin at the same time.
Once you do that, start your axles and roll them back in, like you took the out.


I had problems with the tips of the spider gears catching the housing and I could not rotate past it, so I used a piece of all thread to compress the spiders and roll it past that point.
What happens by doing this, well it is actully compressing the spring plate in the clutch packs.
Another way to do it would be stick all thread through the axle tube and nut it on the inside of the side gear, and on the outside of the axle tube.


I got it past the really sticky part, now saying that, it wasn't easy going the rest of the way, but it was a lot easier.
Don't forget to put your shims on the back of the spiders when you finish rolling it the rest of the way in.


Install the cross shaft, and retaining pin. Fill it and you are done.

It works.

[Isaiah]

Whoa stud, burn out... Rock On!