The Official "What The Heck Is This?" Thread

They work pretty good too!

 

I would be attempted to say that too but then people would say "well that explains a lot"------- but one might have to also add lead to the list.

 

I haven’t used those things for for over 30 years. Tap-Cons have completely taken their place.
-Donny

 

I have used the Tap-Cons myself and they do work well.

 

For maximum strength I go with expanding wedge bolts.

 

I use RedHeads (wedge anchors) for stuff that needs more, like anchoring my 2-post lift. I go through boxes of Tap Cons when installing windows. A single (larger) impact window might take 40 or more of them.
-Donny

 

Exactly what I meant. I've seen tests that give them the highest ratings, and I've used hundreds without ever having one pull out.

 

What the heck are all these leftover bolts after I put my Jeep back together?

 

Funny, I have the exact same set from when I put my Triumph back together!

 

It is a fact that Jeeps came from the factory with many extra pieces, the purposes of which remain unknown.

 

I usually have 6 bolts left over and will be 6 bolts short I cannot find. And the left over bolts won't fit!, another trip to town,.

 

Are the four big ones from the Ford steering box?

I'm to the point that I'm about to color code mine spray paint the component and hardware lego colors and use a paint stick to mark the fastener alignment and write a number on it and then take a picture. These image searches will soon be able to tell you what bolts are loose just by driving past your phone.

 

Sandwich bags and a sharpie works well for keeping bolts organized.

 

I definitely do that. I still have one bag left over for the fenders and grill and another for the rock sliders.

 

I'm changing my front differential. The inside is very goopy, with almost solid grease/gunk in places. I'm not sure how long it's been since it's been changed. It's also been very cold here and the Jeep hasn't been run in several days.

How aggressively should I try to clean this out? Or just refill with clean fluid and let it work itself out?

Also, any tips for removing the old gasket without getting a bunch of crud in the gears? Thanks!

 

If it was mine I would clean out the gunk as much as possible using rags, reaching back in as far as I could. After that I would use some mineral spirits and a parts cleaning brush to get the nooks and crannies.

Next would be a plastic putty knife to scrape off the RTV or whatever gunk there is on the cover sealing surfaces, and use a pick to clean out the threads. You can clean with a tap if you're careful. I would put the cover back on with a lube-locker type gasket, then fill the differential with the proper lubricant.

I would drive it around for a while, enough to get warmed up and get the oil stirred up into the bearings.

Then I would take the cover off and drain out the lube, inspect the bearings as much as possible. If the lube locker gasket held up okay during the short run then I would stay with that and put the cover on, refill with proper lube and call it done. I would avoid RTV if the lube locker holds, of course your cover would need to be in good shape.

Keep an ear open for bearing noise for a while after that.

This all assumes the unit has good seals. If the seals need replacement then I would just bight the bullet and tear the whole thing down.

 

Thank you for taking a look. This sounds like a sound approach. I had ordered a gasket for the replacement--it is thin and paper-like. Would you recommend just RTV/gasket maker rather than using that?

On the last point, how do I identify if the seals need replacement?

 

If it were me, I would reverse the procedure "homersdog" suggests. Clean the gasket face first. Why risk getting debris from the gasket into the freshly cleaned housing and have to clean it a second time?

 

x2 and I would just assume the seals are bad, pull the gear set out and be sure to keep track of any shims and where they came from the bearings are in bad shape do them too...

 

If the pinion seal is leaking, it should be obvious, gunk leaking out around the pinion yoke. The axle seals would be tough to see, but if the axle has been used a lot, ie does not have lockouts so it turned all the time they would be questionable. As far as the lube gasket I would not trust a paper gasket for the long term. For just running the axle through its paces to clean the bearing it would be good enough. I always used RTV in the past until I got turned onto lube lockers. If the cover is in good shape I would use a lube locker for the final seal. I am no axle expert but I have had my fill of scraping off RTV. And what 45es says above makes sense.