c2 rear differential side yoke Q

[Sander B.]

i have started the rebuild of my rear differential and one from a friend a few weeks ago,

so i have teared down 2 diffs on this moment
and found on both that the left side yoke retainer ring whas broken of
and the left overs layed in the bottom of the carier

the reason i am asking now is i was checking the weblog on www.C2registy.org
of a fellow dutch ncrs member

and saw he is having the same defect on his carier (also the left retainer ring broken off)

is this a typical thing on these differentials ???
and how does this occur ???

thank you in advance
Sander,

[Harry Sadlock]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander, as I recall you have a 63 Corvette. Is your friends also a 63?

The original 1963 differential (Posi. Unit) was of poor design and quality. It would fail under normal driving conditions. On the ring and pinion is the gear ratio and the date manufactured. Also, on the bottom of the differential carrier is the date the unit was assembled. Please let us know all these dates.

Thank You

Harry

[Harry Sadlock]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander, as I recall you have a 63 Corvette. Is your friends also a 63?

The original 1963 differential (Posi. Unit) was of poor design and quality. It would fail under normal driving conditions. On the ring and pinion is the gear ratio and the date manufactured. Also, on the bottom of the differential carrier is the date the unit was assembled. Please let us know all these dates.

Thank You

Harry

[Sander B.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Harry

yes i have a 63
but the diff is from mid late 64 and the other unit is from late 65

and the one on the weblog is also a 64

but i found it so typical that all 3 lost its left yoke retainer ?

thanks Sander

[Sander B.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Harry

yes i have a 63
but the diff is from mid late 64 and the other unit is from late 65

and the one on the weblog is also a 64

but i found it so typical that all 3 lost its left yoke retainer ?

thanks Sander

[Michael W.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

In theory, neither side should break at all as there is no load on the clip except when the wheels are off the ground. Some cars have been around for years with a missing/broken clip and the driver was none the wiser.

Your photo appears to be a little blurred (or I've had too much beer) and it's difficult to see the splined end of the shaft- is it worn down? This is a much more common condition, but again there's no real reason that one side should wear faster than the other.

[Michael W.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

In theory, neither side should break at all as there is no load on the clip except when the wheels are off the ground. Some cars have been around for years with a missing/broken clip and the driver was none the wiser.

Your photo appears to be a little blurred (or I've had too much beer) and it's difficult to see the splined end of the shaft- is it worn down? This is a much more common condition, but again there's no real reason that one side should wear faster than the other.

[Joe L.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander------

By far, the most likely cause of this problem is wear on the ends of the yoke axles. What happens is that the end of the axle wears down to the snap ring groove. Then, the clip just falls off. It gets "broken" when it gets "churned up" into the gears.

Usually, for whatever reason, one side might wear a little faster than the other, so that side falls off first. The other will be right behind it, though.

You need to remove both stub axles and inspect the ends for wear. Your going to be surprised by what you find. I can almost guarantee it.

A note of caution: even with the snap ring "pre-removed" for you, you may find that the axle is very difficult to pull out. That's because the wear on the end has upset some metal which forms a slight "ridge" on the end of the axle. That prevents the axle from being pulled through the splines in the spider gears.

If this happens, a slide hammer MAY work to get the axle out. Otherwise, you'll need to press the axle in as far as it will go and, using a Dremel tool, grind off the interfering material from the end of the shaft. This can be a tedious process.

[Joe L.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander------

By far, the most likely cause of this problem is wear on the ends of the yoke axles. What happens is that the end of the axle wears down to the snap ring groove. Then, the clip just falls off. It gets "broken" when it gets "churned up" into the gears.

Usually, for whatever reason, one side might wear a little faster than the other, so that side falls off first. The other will be right behind it, though.

You need to remove both stub axles and inspect the ends for wear. Your going to be surprised by what you find. I can almost guarantee it.

A note of caution: even with the snap ring "pre-removed" for you, you may find that the axle is very difficult to pull out. That's because the wear on the end has upset some metal which forms a slight "ridge" on the end of the axle. That prevents the axle from being pulled through the splines in the spider gears.

If this happens, a slide hammer MAY work to get the axle out. Otherwise, you'll need to press the axle in as far as it will go and, using a Dremel tool, grind off the interfering material from the end of the shaft. This can be a tedious process.

[Sander B.]

[Sander B.]

[Joep F.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Yes, the picture was from my weblog on www.c2registry.org. I own an early 64, but the differential is casted may 1965. Indeed typical that from all 3 cars, the lh clip is broken. Also strange in my case that I found leftovers of 2 clips, while only 1 was missing. Looks like somebody changed already once the clips and didnt clean the differential from the inside. Also my side yokes look fine, see attached picture of the yoke from which the clip was missing.
Anybody comments?

Joep

[Joep F.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Yes, the picture was from my weblog on www.c2registry.org. I own an early 64, but the differential is casted may 1965. Indeed typical that from all 3 cars, the lh clip is broken. Also strange in my case that I found leftovers of 2 clips, while only 1 was missing. Looks like somebody changed already once the clips and didnt clean the differential from the inside. Also my side yokes look fine, see attached picture of the yoke from which the clip was missing.
Anybody comments?

Joep

[Joe L.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander-----

In that case, I suspect that someone was "in there before" and didn't get the clips installed properly. So, they fell off and got "broken" just as I previously described. The clips have to be installed properly and have to be fully seated in the groove. Also, these clips are "directional". In other words, if you look at them closely, they are not the same on both sides. One side has a crisp, square edge, the other side has a slightly "rounded" edge.

[Joe L.]

Re: c2 rear differential side yoke Q

Sander-----

In that case, I suspect that someone was "in there before" and didn't get the clips installed properly. So, they fell off and got "broken" just as I previously described. The clips have to be installed properly and have to be fully seated in the groove. Also, these clips are "directional". In other words, if you look at them closely, they are not the same on both sides. One side has a crisp, square edge, the other side has a slightly "rounded" edge.