Diff Preload setting

[L.Michael]

Is this done without a rebuild? I find it really sloppy in there, and watching this:http://youtu.be/KXGRMqHJJ4U. I believe it is in fact possible, regardless of his outcome.

Ideas / thoughts?

[harrymaneuvers]

Never heard of this before but just watched the video... you can do that without the tranny rebuild... the guy in the video didnt rebuild his tranny so you should be fine too.

I guess my concern would be how did it get sloppy in there? Is it because parts are wearing out or because someone didnt put it back correctly?

[L.Michael]

Well, 'Eric the car guy', as you would have seen in this video, didn't do much of anything other than break the one side and move the other by one tooth. Which is why I am asking if anyone else has done this.

[grayguy]

I've played around with it on my 92' SS. My buddy who knows just about everything there is to know about cars had me just adjust the retainers until there was just a very very slight slop while turning the input shaft back and forth. It musta worked cause that car has seen A LOT of abuse since then and never failed.

[Rust2Runner]

If you mean to have the tranny dropped and adjusted that way, then it can be done by feel. Once you factor in the $200 retainer wrench, and backlash tool you can use through the drain plug, it quickly becomes a job not worth doing at home. It's hard to do while still attached to the car, and I'm not even sure it's possible on the automatic. The guy in the vid may have possibly done what he was trying by rocking the car in gear, but that's just a guess.

It's a touchy subject if you bring it into a shop. Most mechanics wont want to attempt it without at least a partial "rebuild". They'll want to take it apart and do it right. You run the risk of major damage from guess work, which they'll likely tell you is on your own dime. If you happen to find a weathered mechanic that can do it, that's your best course. The kids at the tranny shops are mostly replacement technicians these days, for good reason... less complaints/lawsuits.

It comes down to: Is it worth the risk, how bad is in its current state, does the cost to do just this and possibly not fix the problem outweigh a rebuild. If your answers are: yes, undrivable, and I'mma use a hammer; Happy wrenching!