Dana 25 ring gear

I am rebuilding my D25 and pulled the diff cover to find the ring gear is loose. When I try to spin the ring gear it will move a little on the differential. The wear pattern looks good, no metal in the oil. All of the locking tabs are in place and not damaged at all. I have searched, and looked in my manuals but I can't find any specs for the torque on the ring gear bolts. Is this loose gear a common issue or no?

 

The carrier bearings seem fine. The ring gear is rotating on the differential, the bolts are loose.
I don't believe it makes any difference but it has the 5.38 ratio.

 

I agree, the bolt locking tabs look as if they have never been touched since the gear was installed. I will remove the bolts and check for any wear to them or the threads. Then I will use locktite on new bolts or the old ones whichever I decide to use. But in the mean time I can't find any torque specs.

 

Same thing happened to an old friend's MB except that one of the bolts got caught between the ring and pinion. Chipped some gear teeth.

Get new ones from Randy's Ring and Pinion, Krage or otherJeep or drivetrain specialty shop. Those are special bolts that use an extra large head for the thread size and are normally at least grade 8.

 

I would think in the range of 35-45 ft lbs would be okay.

 

I agree with Jpflat2a. FSM shows the 30 and 44 at 35-55 lbs. ft. Bolts are the same size for the 25 and 27 IIRC. Keep it on the lower end of the torque spec and should be fine. I'd check the bolts very carefully for stretching or damage and check the threads in the ring very close. Also check the bolt holes in the case to make sure they are not distorted or damaged. Ring gear bolts don't just normally come loose unless improperly installed or something is wrong, especially if they have retainers on them. If all is ok, clean all threads thoroughly and put a dab or thread locker on each bolt to make sure they won't come loose again.

 

Just my two cents, but I've always been under the impression that you should replace the ring gear bolts if you remove them. The bolts are relatively inexpensive, and replacing them would be cheap insurance against an old, re-torqued bolt failing.