This article details the installation of a trakloc in a fox bodied mustang. The basic tools and procedures are outlined in addition to tips suggested by the author.
It helps if you have a good manual but the instructions that come with the kit are pretty good. The part number is F5AZ-4947-BA. It lists for a little over $60 at Ford but Mean Mustang Supply has it cheaper if you can wait. Get about 3 quarts of 80w-90 gear oil. If you use synthetic you probably shouldn't use friction modifier. If you want absolute max trak-lok action and are willing to put up with some unsettling noises from the rear end, don't use any modifier at all. It just makes the clutches more slippery so they don't chatter. I chose to use it and I'm glad I did since this is my daily driver, autocrossed and dragraced for fun. Anyway, here goes.
Required Tools:
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1. Basic hand tools
Removal:
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1. Jack up the rear end and support with stands.
2. Loosen the diff cover bolts, removing all but the top two so you don't take a gear-oil bath
3. Pry the cover loose and drain the rear into a pan.
4. When threat of bathing is gone remove the top bolts and pull the cover off
5. Scrape/wipe out the bottom of the diff.
6. Now is a good time to soak the new clutch discs in friction modifier, the need to soak for 20 minutes at least. If not friction modifier, at least gear oil -- you don't want to put them in dry
7. The shaft going through the center of the diff is called the pinion shaft. It's got a lockbolt on one end. Undo the lockbolt and push the shaft out. You'll only want to push it in a little bit so you can still rotate the assembly and pull it out toward you. There isn't enough clearance to push it all the way through or to turn the assembly if you've tried.
8. Remove the wheels and brake drums, leave the other brake hardware alone. Push the axles inward, and you'll see the c-clips that hold them in place. Remove the clips and pull the axles out gently -- don't torque the bearings on the way out and don't let the axles hang, just remove them.
9. Get a grip on the s-spring and pull it out. You may need to punch it with a hammer to get it started, and keep a damn good grip on it when you remove it you don't want it zinging around.
10. The gears you see are the pinion gears and the side gears, called spider gears. Rotate things until the spider gears pop out, then pull the pinion gears out too. Inspect for damage.
11. Now you can simply slide the clutch packs out, use the tabs on the plates if necessary. Make sure you get them all out including the shims.
Installation:
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1. Reinstall the clutches and steels in the proper order, using a shim at least as thick as the ones you removed. You want to use the thickest shim you can while still being able to get the spider gears back in. Forget about using the set-up tool and all the special measurements, if you can get the spider gears back in you're all set. Note: Each clutch pack is made up of a series of Frictions and Steels and in the factory order they go F-S-S-F-S-S-F. However, if you re-use the best two of your old Frictions in place of one of the new Steels you can re-stack them in an order that makes the diff lock better, which is F-S-F-S-F-S-F, which is the same number of total elements. You may have to trial assemble it a couple times to get the right shim so it's just loose enough to get back together, barely.
2. To get the gears in, it helps to have a helper turn the now-temporarily-installed driver's side axle while you lock the passenger-side pinion gear in place. The spider gears will squeeze into place. They are perfectly aligned when you can get the pinion shaft back in.
3. Re-install the s-spring. This can be a bitch. Try holding it against its slot with a pair of channel-locks to get it squeezed down a bit while prying it in with a piece of 2X4 using the swaybar as a fulcrum. Alternately, do the same but whack it with a mallet. It should pop in. If it doesn't, try using a 1-1/2 inch hose clamp to squeeze the spring so you can insert it. Then cut the clamp and slide it out.
4. Re-install the axles by pushing them all the way in, installing the c-clips, and pulling the axles back out against the clips which are now recessed in the housing and locked in place.
5. Reinstall the pinion shaft and make damn sure you put it in the right way so the new lockbolt can be installed. And do not use the old lockbolt.
6. Use gasket maker on the diff housing and reinstall the cover.
7. someone posted a terrific tip for filling the diff. Forget the fill plug. Let the rear end drop as low as you can and remove the little vent cap on the top of the right side axle tube. Clean the area around it carefully and you'll be able to fill it through this hole with a fraction of the stinky mess you get when you use the -fill hole-. But you should still remove the fill hole bolt so you know when to stop filling, which is as soon as it starts to come out that hole. Wipe the tip of the bolt off, it's magnetic and the silvery paste is metal shavings.
8. Fill the housing until it comes out the fill hole and replace the plug.
It helps if you have a good manual but the instructions that come with the kit are pretty good. The part number is F5AZ-4947-BA. It lists for a little over $60 at Ford but Mean Mustang Supply has it cheaper if you can wait. Get about 3 quarts of 80w-90 gear oil. If you use synthetic you probably shouldn't use friction modifier. If you want absolute max trak-lok action and are willing to put up with some unsettling noises from the rear end, don't use any modifier at all. It just makes the clutches more slippery so they don't chatter. I chose to use it and I'm glad I did since this is my daily driver, autocrossed and dragraced for fun. Anyway, here goes.
Required Tools:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Basic hand tools
Removal:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Jack up the rear end and support with stands.
2. Loosen the diff cover bolts, removing all but the top two so you don't take a gear-oil bath
3. Pry the cover loose and drain the rear into a pan.
4. When threat of bathing is gone remove the top bolts and pull the cover off
5. Scrape/wipe out the bottom of the diff.
6. Now is a good time to soak the new clutch discs in friction modifier, the need to soak for 20 minutes at least. If not friction modifier, at least gear oil -- you don't want to put them in dry
7. The shaft going through the center of the diff is called the pinion shaft. It's got a lockbolt on one end. Undo the lockbolt and push the shaft out. You'll only want to push it in a little bit so you can still rotate the assembly and pull it out toward you. There isn't enough clearance to push it all the way through or to turn the assembly if you've tried.
8. Remove the wheels and brake drums, leave the other brake hardware alone. Push the axles inward, and you'll see the c-clips that hold them in place. Remove the clips and pull the axles out gently -- don't torque the bearings on the way out and don't let the axles hang, just remove them.
9. Get a grip on the s-spring and pull it out. You may need to punch it with a hammer to get it started, and keep a damn good grip on it when you remove it you don't want it zinging around.
10. The gears you see are the pinion gears and the side gears, called spider gears. Rotate things until the spider gears pop out, then pull the pinion gears out too. Inspect for damage.
11. Now you can simply slide the clutch packs out, use the tabs on the plates if necessary. Make sure you get them all out including the shims.
Installation:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Reinstall the clutches and steels in the proper order, using a shim at least as thick as the ones you removed. You want to use the thickest shim you can while still being able to get the spider gears back in. Forget about using the set-up tool and all the special measurements, if you can get the spider gears back in you're all set. Note: Each clutch pack is made up of a series of Frictions and Steels and in the factory order they go F-S-S-F-S-S-F. However, if you re-use the best two of your old Frictions in place of one of the new Steels you can re-stack them in an order that makes the diff lock better, which is F-S-F-S-F-S-F, which is the same number of total elements. You may have to trial assemble it a couple times to get the right shim so it's just loose enough to get back together, barely.
2. To get the gears in, it helps to have a helper turn the now-temporarily-installed driver's side axle while you lock the passenger-side pinion gear in place. The spider gears will squeeze into place. They are perfectly aligned when you can get the pinion shaft back in.
3. Re-install the s-spring. This can be a bitch. Try holding it against its slot with a pair of channel-locks to get it squeezed down a bit while prying it in with a piece of 2X4 using the swaybar as a fulcrum. Alternately, do the same but whack it with a mallet. It should pop in. If it doesn't, try using a 1-1/2 inch hose clamp to squeeze the spring so you can insert it. Then cut the clamp and slide it out.
4. Re-install the axles by pushing them all the way in, installing the c-clips, and pulling the axles back out against the clips which are now recessed in the housing and locked in place.
5. Reinstall the pinion shaft and make damn sure you put it in the right way so the new lockbolt can be installed. And do not use the old lockbolt.
6. Use gasket maker on the diff housing and reinstall the cover.
7. someone posted a terrific tip for filling the diff. Forget the fill plug. Let the rear end drop as low as you can and remove the little vent cap on the top of the right side axle tube. Clean the area around it carefully and you'll be able to fill it through this hole with a fraction of the stinky mess you get when you use the -fill hole-. But you should still remove the fill hole bolt so you know when to stop filling, which is as soon as it starts to come out that hole. Wipe the tip of the bolt off, it's magnetic and the silvery paste is metal shavings.
8. Fill the housing until it comes out the fill hole and replace the plug.