Trouble assembling diff. Need advice

[StephenZ]

Ugh…ok. I replaced the seals and bearings on the output flanges of my diff. Left the pinion alone for now..Easy enough. On reassembly, I got the cover back on, all good, spins smoothly, but when I went to attach my flanges and torque the side nuts to the 65 or so ft lbs, the side with the cover ‘popped’ free and now spins without reversing or tightening. From the other side, it looks like there’s a threaded insert that these bolts go in to and I’m wondering if it broke free and is now stuck in limbo?
How tf do I get the bolt out and re seat that insert or something? It’s an open diff, so not super valuable, but damn..spent all day buttoning this up..very frustrated..

 

[StephenZ]

I found a parts diagram and it looks like it’s #8 threaded ring on the cover side that seems to have come loose..I guess I need to remove the bearings I just pressed on and disassemble the whole unit? . This sucks. Why would that come loose so easily?

 

[Ian C]

That diagram is of an early LSD centre. If yours is an open diff it should look like this, the bolts thread into the axle shaft pinion

 

[StephenZ]

Ok, panic is over..figured it out. Sorry for the drama.
So, in case anyone has this issue in their open diff (first mistake..;-) just pull off a bearing and open the guts up, remove the bevel gears and the threaded insert can be slightly clocked one way and pressed back in with the teeth able to grab again. Seems smarter to have made that insert fit in the splines of the shaft instead of a press fit..oh well.

 

[StephenZ]

That diagram is of an early LSD centre. If yours is an open diff it should look like this, the bolts thread into the axle shaft pinionView attachment 226204

Yeah, I just used it to refer to the threaded insert..all wrapped up now..crisis averted. For some reason, the regular one didn’t show the threaded insert..strange..