Lunati VooDoo #21270700 Camshafts

[Juice]

I put a 90* obd extension cable on mine, and mounted my WIFI ELM under the console. So I dont have the elm interfere while driving.

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI..............

Here are provided the latest cat CE ratio results pulled from my car's PCM using my trusty Foxwell NT301 dated 6-30-22:
B1 @ .160......idle LTFT @ -2.3%
B2 @ .141......idle LTFT @ 0.0%
CMBT @ 1,305*F
This is what all this looks like when all tune settings are set up properly according to how Ford intended it all to work together & all various external components are operating properly as Ford also intended.......the stability of these settings maintaining a very tight operating region\pattern exemplify all is operating in harmony thus is consistent.

This will be my final posting of this type of data unless something causes this pattern to change dramatically.........which I can't see happening unless an external component fails.......which for me should be a long while as I have essentially already gone thru & tested\verified or tested, found bad then repaired\replaced all so all subsystems are valid & up to specs.

Posted for informational purposes.

 

[GlassTop09]

TOP 5 3V MUSTANG (BOLT ON ENGINE MODS) 2005 through 2010 4.6L GT Parts Guide - YouTube

If you listen closely to what Brent is saying concerning this video's topic, you'll pick up on just how much the tuning is the main contributor to any of these parts doing what they do, not just the parts themselves.

Enjoy!

PS--Especially listen to what Brent says concerning low end TQ loss concerning cams..........

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

TOP 5 3V MUSTANG (BOLT ON ENGINE MODS) 2005 through 2010 4.6L GT Parts Guide - YouTube

If you listen closely to what Brent is saying concerning this video's topic, you'll pick up on just how much the tuning is the main contributor to any of these parts doing what they do, not just the parts themselves.

Enjoy!

PS--Especially listen to what Brent says concerning low end TQ loss concerning cams..........

$1500 for the Ford Performance intake manifold and throttle body? No thanks. Those are two mods I'm happy to overlook. Cams plus rear axle gears cost another $2000 with installation so I'm happy to overlook those too.
I've spent only $1300 on power mods and I would only need to reverse one (JLT CAI) to add an On3 turbo kit. I'd rather save the $3500 towards that.

https://www.on3performance.com/shop/2005-10-mustang-gt-4-6-3v/

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI....................
Started the Motive Gear F88390 full hunting 3.91 rear gear swapout today & this is where I am at this time:

Have got all torn down, pulled pinion inner bearing off Richmond 3.89 pinion gear (this GXL carrier\pinion bearing puller is worth its weight in gold...........found pinion had a .011" shim instead of the .022" shim I was told was there so pinion depth pattern was actually too shallow thus off heel end of ring teeth, but this pinion had a fairly high raised shim flange so may have thrown installer @ On3 Dyno off), dropped Richmond 3.89 ring gear off Eaton Tru-Trac diff & faced\installed Motive ring gear on diff using the bolts from the FR kit that was used to install the FR 3.73 gears on the Trac-Lok diff.....got ring drawn up\seated then pulled all bolts, red Locktited them & put em back in & TQ'd them up to 97 ft-lbs in 2 stages w\o issue. Dropped setup bearing on Motive pinion w\ std .030" shims to start (std call using OEM Ford MHD std 4.415" dimensions is .028"-.030" along w\ Motive Gear calling for same .030" starting shims when using marking compound checking patterns). Installed pinion using solid spacer & tightened up pinion until I got a decent preload on bearings then started the ritual of setting BL on carrier.......after 10 resets switching shims across from DS shim pack to PS shim pack moving carrier towards DS retaining carrier preload (old set had carrier shifter way too far to PS thus verifying the shallow pinion depth), I finally got it at .008" BL (within the .007" to .009" spec) w\ carrier TQ'd to 60 ft-lbs then ran pattern check & this is what I got:

Judging by this Dana Face Milling pattern checking .pdf provided below my pinion depth is correct, but BL is a little tight, but since the BL is within the given .007"-.009" BL spec range for this Motive gear, I'm gonna run w\ it.

Got all pulled out, Motive pinion in freezer cooling & inner pinion bearing in oven heating up using 400*F to get it expanded enough to set on pinion gear......been in for the last 2 hrs so gonna check on it here shortly. Plan is to get it all final setup\installed & buttoned up tonight then finish it up in AM.

Was damn hot today (high at 101*F & I was in the shade under my carport) so want to get all this part done tonite so I can just coast in AM. I drank 3-12oz cups of water, 2-12oz bottles of Gatorade G2 Zero's & 2-20oz bottles of Gatorade G2 Zero's (I buy this stuff by the case) to stay hydrated (didn't eat anything so I wouldn't get bloated until it cooled off) so I'm also gonna cook up 3 strips of bacon to get some food in me before I tackle this pinion bearing.

Will post final settings in AM.

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI...........................

Got inner pinion bearing installed\seated on pinion gear.........got to thinking bout pattern check so pulled the .030" shim & replaced w\ .029" shim before setting bearing (this should loosen BL a little if I use the same carrier shim pack setup). Installed after eating my bacon & pinion gear\bearing cooled off (which wasn't long w\ cold pinion gear) & set pinion preload at 22'' using my solid spacer (these bearings are still very much new.....only have 1,700 mi on em so I reused them all). Installed carrier & TQ'd carrier bolts to 97 ft-lbs in 2 stages then checked BL........as figured BL now is at .009" but within spec so still good. Ran pattern & got pretty much what I had prior.......just a little broader (ran a little closer towards heel but still centered favoring toe on drive side & same on coast side) so looks a little better. As these gears break in, the pattern should move towards center anyway.

Sorry but it had gotten too dark & I was pretty much beat down, so I didn't take pictures of final set. Poked both axles back in & C-clipped them, set locking spacer & locking spacer plug & snap ring then installed my Track Pack cover w\ LubeLocker gasket to finish buttoning her up.

Went on ahead & reinstalled\done everything else except driveshaft & fluid fill (gonna load her w\ Lucas HP 80W\90 GL-5 dino fluid.....this is some good stuff but I'm also gonna reload her w\ Lucas HP 85W\140 GL-5 dino fluid after 500 mi break-in if all goes well as this stuff is damn good)......will finish this in AM then run axle on jack stands thru all gears & reverse to reoil all up good then recheck pinion preload before road test. Have already set up in tune for this gear swap out so that's done.

Feel pretty good about this Motive Gear F888390 3.91 ratio full hunting set from the way they went together........we'll find out later on.

Gonna be 1 sore\hurting dude in the AM........hitting the shower & going to bed.

PS edit--Got DS bolted up & diff loaded w\ 2.25 qts of Lucas HP 80W\90 GL-5 dino fluid. Started car on stands & ran thru all gears.....diff ran quiet outside of the Tru-Trac diff (they're very noisy when run unloaded). Checked pinion preload....pinion still solid but has kinda stiffened up a little bit & noticed the outer pinion bearing area in case was very warm in comparison to the rest of the case so gonna be keeping an eye on this going forward. Put her on the ground & took her on her 1st test drive......gears ran quiet when loaded but on decel > 35-40 MPH when gears unloaded, got a faint whine (from looking at the coast pattern this is understandable) but isn't nowhere near as obnoxious as the Richmond's were......I had to turn down the radio to detect it, that's how light it is. The big change I've noticed now is just how noisy this Eaton Tru-Trac diff is running on 80W\90 dino fluid while unloaded.....the Richmond gear whine kinda drew my attention away from the diff. Put about 11.1 mi on gears then parked it for cooling. The Eaton Tru-Trac diff noisiness isn't a concern as this is the very nature of this diff's helical gear design when it is not applying TBR, but this is where the 85W-140 dino fluid pays dividends in quieting this diff down some w\o negatively impacting the TBR performance.

The pinion inner bearing isn't a concern, but the outer pinion bearing is as this bearing is the bearing that sets\maintains the pinion bearing preload on the inner pinion bearing so I might have to pull it (didn't see the need to at the time) & check it out & recheck the solid spacer setup as well if this doesn't clear up & gets worse.

Otherwise, all is going very well so another major issue crossed off my list. Now is where this car is gonna get very boring as it's been totally gone thru thus is very much mechanically sound in every aspect so nothing breaking creating something to do outside of driving it so on to my last major item to tackle......the front big brake kit upgrade (already got the FR Boss 302 brake hose upgrade kit in hand.....just need the rest).

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI.........

Have put 103.1 mi on gears to date.............they're getting better each time out. Put them to 60-70 MPH cycles today......a good feeling running at speed w\o hearing gear whine. The faint decel gear whine starts at 35 MPH & is gone by 45 MPH so only within this 10 MPH span is where I pick it up.......above 45 MPH or below 35 MPH the faint decel whine is gone so is more harmonics\frequency generated so I am thinking this may be outer pinion bearing related. Accel is quiet throughout & rotation is smooth, so all feels very solid rear axle wise.

So far, so good.

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI...............
Have ordered another JEGS Ford 8.8" solid spacer kit to have on hand to reset pinion bearing preload again (never got any of the unused JEGS solid spacer shims back from Richmond gear set & I got a hunch that I may need to redo this to cure the harmonics). Should get here by Friday.

I believe I can do all this thru the snout as long as the outer pinion bearing\race is OK thus don't have to tear the whole thing down again (using a reverse procedure to record\check total carrier\pinion bearing preload to isolate the pinion side).

I did this work w\ the axle still under the car (bought 4 of the HF Daytona 6-Ton jack stands w\ the safety pawl pins & a max height of 24") & it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be since I had the Steeda Jacking Rails & Steeda Frame Rail\TQ Box braces installed (these allowed the jack stands to be set at the outer pinch seams behind front wheels & at the front LCA mounts of unibody essentially moving them well out of the way which cleared the center area for ease of positioning & got car high enough so that I could easily crawl around under it on hands & knees w\o hitting anything thus allowed me to lay on my side & easily reach up & handle the carrier section w\o straining\excessive contortion & could lay on my back under the axle & work the pinion w\o straining or excessive contortion).

So, if anyone is considering using 3.90 Ford 8.8" gears, only buy either Motive Gear F888390 3.90 gear set or Nitro Gear Ford 8.8" 3.90 gear set as these 2 brands were the only ones that ID'd their gear sets in their product descriptions to be the 11 pinion\43 ring 3.91 actual ratio full hunting 5-cut face milled set (Nitro Gear is very good about this.....they give this info on every gear set they make\sell so you KNOW that the gear set is either a semi or full hunting design before buying......they don't cut non-hunting ratios, period). These aren't cheap (in the $260.99 to $290.40 price range), but this is due to the full hunting design vs the others (Richmond & Yukon for sure) using the old Ford OEM 9" 9 pinion\35 ring 3.89 actual ratio non-hunting design for the Ford 8.8" axles (they're usually about $100.00 or so less in costs......) that has the whining tendency.

The pinion\ring gear tooth count will tell you what you need to know.

 

[Midlife Crises]

I recently installed a set of Ford Performance 4.10 in my 8.8. They are also full hunting and I think 2 cut type gears. I also used Fords install kit that came with the 2010 heavy duty pinion bearing. (One less roller). It did not require a spacer behind the race to use the heavy duty 2010 bearing. I used the original 0.030” shim and the darn thing set right up and with the backlash in spec I got a good pattern. I did try to reuse the solid bushing and shims I had run before but got frustrated wrestling with the preload and went with the crush collar. I am happy so far as there is no noise from the diff and I have hit it hard a few times. Good luck with your diff rebuild and you might consider the Ford performance install kit that includes the HD pinion bearing.

 

[GlassTop09]

I recently installed a set of Ford Performance 4.10 in my 8.8. They are also full hunting and I think 2 cut type gears. I also used Fords install kit that came with the 2010 heavy duty pinion bearing. (One less roller). It did not require a spacer behind the race to use the heavy duty 2010 bearing. I used the original 0.030” shim and the darn thing set right up and with the backlash in spec I got a good pattern. I did try to reuse the solid bushing and shims I had run before but got frustrated wrestling with the preload and went with the crush collar. I am happy so far as there is no noise from the diff and I have hit it hard a few times. Good luck with your diff rebuild and you might consider the Ford performance install kit that includes the HD pinion bearing.

The more I rethink all my work, the more I'm convinced that the 22 in-lbs pinion preload is the problem (too tight) instead of the outer pinion bearing itself that is causing the harmonics between 35-45 MPH, but since I didn't pull it out to check it (wasn't an issue prior & I didn't want to waste a perfectly good pinion seal if I didn't have to.....even though I had a new one on hand) I can't say for sure until I do so.
I've gone back over some of the materials I've gathered on all this & some of this doesn't make sense to me concerning pinion preload settings using new bearings vs used bearings. Motive & Richmond calls for 20-25 in-lbs for new bearings, 10-15 in-lbs for used bearings but others (in this case, Nitro Gear) call for 14-19 in-lbs for new bearings, 6-8 in-lbs for used bearings. I think that, from my experiences now, any pinion preload in excess of 17-19 in-lbs is too much on the outer pinion bearing regardless of whether new or used. Just checked Ford 8.8" specs & they call for 8-14 in-lbs for used bearings, 16-28 in-lbs for new bearings, so a std 10-19 in-lbs pinion preload spec makes the most sense to use (covers all rear axle usage scenarios & hits in the center of the Ford given preload specs between new\used pinion bearings). I'm gonna shoot for 14-15 in-lbs max.

Since I don't have the extra pinion spacer shims in hand needed to reset this, I ordered another JEGS solid spacer kit so that I'll have all the necessary shims on hand to set this up properly now & in any future changeouts\repairs.

 

[Midlife Crises]

I ended up with 21 in-lbs preload and 0.009” backlash. The carrier is snug but not tight. Seems good so far. I’m not sure if the HD bearing on the inside of the pinion is the “trick”. It might be the great deal of time I spent making sure all the sparkly stuff was cleaned out.

 

[GlassTop09]

I ended up with 21 in-lbs preload and 0.009” backlash. The carrier is snug but not tight. Seems good so far. I’m not sure if the HD bearing on the inside of the pinion is the “trick”. It might be the great deal of time I spent making sure all the sparkly stuff was cleaned out.

For what\how you're using your steed, I think the FP 8.8" Hi TQ bearing kit is a must for you in order to get some kind of consistent longevity (to keep pinion angle true to carrier centerline......especially when you're lifting front tires on a 3,400-3,600 lb car running a PD blower) out of the bearings & gears.

The 21 in-lbs pinion preload is not bad in\of itself (Ford specs allow as much as 28 in-lbs preload) but IMHO the only reason to set this high is to seat\wear the pinion bearing rollers into the race when new to correct any slight deficiencies from manufacturing to achieve full surface bearing roller to race contact......back in the old days. Nowadays w\ the improvements in manufacturing, standardization of these parts & improvements in diff fluid lube performance I just can't see setting pinion preloads anymore past 20 in-lbs max regardless of whether new or not.

I went to 22 in-lbs preload @ 120 ft-lbs cause that's where the solid spacer's current setup allowed but I realized later after the fact that the solid spacer was actually set for preload AFTER final pinion inner bearing shim is set which will determine the final distance from the outer pinion bearing's inner race to the crush sleeve\solid spacer shoulder on shaft of pinion gear......I changed this inner pinion shim thickness from .011" to .029" which dictates a need to reshim the solid spacer (add shims back) to properly correct preload setting thru outer pinion bearing's inner race (make up for the .018").....which I didn't have (installer @ On3 didn't give me back the extra solid spacer shims not used w\ the JEGS 8.8" setup I provided) so I believe the preload I have set is most likely too tight on my used Koyo outer pinion bearing (I supplied a Motive Gear 8.8" install kit when the Richmond 3.89 gears were installed which used Koyo Hi-Cap pinion bearings) thus the advent of the harmonics being heard at a certain shaft RPM range, because outside of this, all else is good. I still have both Timken inner\outer pinion bearings & races from the FP 3.73 gear install (I also supplied the FP HD 8.8" install kit at that time which used Timken bearings) I had the dealership do some 4 yrs ago & they're in very good shape but I really don't think I'll need to change the bearings, just properly reset the pinion preload w\ the solid spacer. I'm intentionally keeping the miles off until I redo the pinion preload w\ my new JEGS solid spacer kit which will have all the necessary shims to allow setting this up using any Ford 8.8" gear set. I had a new crush sleeve on hand at the time, but I didn't want to use it so that's on me. I mic'd the new Ford 8.8" crush sleeve @ .478" tall then mic'd the old used crush sleeve from the 3.73 gear install @ .444" tall so only .034" diff between them thus not a lot of crush movement is necessary. Knowing this, I plan to mic the new JEGS kit which I believe will be taller than a new crush sleeve, reduce it down to this starting height to reduce the number of readjustments then mic the old Jegs kit currently installed to get the difference between the 2 then set the new spacer height slightly taller than the old 1 then install.......should get very close to my 14-15 in-lbs preload target @ 140 ft-lbs on the 1st try.

I do wish that Ford Performance did cut a 3.91 ratio 11 pinion\43 ring full hunting 2-cut (face hobbed) gear set but they don't & no one else does either.......aftermarket only 5-cut (face milled) & 2 brands only in full hunting 3.91 ratio (Motive & Nitro). I sized my final gear choice off a 4.10\27" dia effective gear ratio pattern using 26.1" dia tires (I run Conti Extreme Contact DWS06 295\35\18 rear tires on 07-09 GT500 SVT 18" x 9.5" wheels) & the closest gear set to match running 26.1" dia tires & keep the running engine RPMs in 5th .68 OD gear at 70 MPH under 2,500 is 3.90 gear ratio (about 1.4% faster than 4.10\27"......2,397 @ 3.91\26.1 vs 2,430 @ 4.10\27). This matched up to my 4.6L's current TQ curve w\ these Lunati VooDoo #21270700 cams perfectly thus is a very all-around fun car to drive.

What I wasn't aware of prior for a Ford 8.8" axle was 1.) there are 2 different gear cutting processes (2-cut face hobbed or 5-cut face milled) used w\ this axle thus use 2 different checking patterns & 2.) the pinion\ring tooth count determining the non-hunt, semi-hunt or full-hunt nature of a gear set concerning whine\noise.......but I am now.

 

[GlassTop09]

IT IS DONE!!!!!!!

Got my replacement JEGS solid spacer in yesterday so 1st thing this morning I got her back up in the air, pulled both rear tires & brake calipers\pads then got 4 old lug nuts & locked both rear rotors on axles so they wouldn't drag, drained the axle then pulled DS & hung it out the way. Pulled yoke, cleaned all RTV off splines, removed pinion seal & oil slinger then got a screwdriver & carefully worked outer pinion bearing out (took some fiddling using a screwdriver & magnet but I got it worked out......good thing I used Scotch Brite on this section of pinion gear to remove the phosphorus coating during initial install) then used my pencil magnet & fished out the old JEGS solid spacer.

Installed outer pinion bearing back in after checking both bearing & race (both in good condition), installed yoke then ran up nut by hand using a 3\8" ratchet until it stopped turning to take all slack out then put my in-lb TQ wrench on to get baseline reading on carrier bearing preload w\ axle bearing drag.....got 10 in-lbs continuous carrier bearing preload\axle drag. Pulled all back out. Mic'd old solid spacer @ .432" (had 1-.004" shim between the shim cradle & sandwich spacer), so to add the .018" in inner shim thickness back in w\ a little extra, I added 1-.009", 1-.006" & another .004" shim to come out to .452". Installed it along w\ outer bearing & yoke then ran nut in using my impact to seat it then got out my big TQ wrench & yoke flange tool & set yoke TQ @ 180 ft-lbs (intentionally exceeded the Ford given 140 ft-lb min to begin crush for a crush sleeve). Tested w\ my hand.....could feel a snug preload on all bearings but yoke spun smoothly w\o "racheting". Put in-lb TQ wrench on & yoke started moving at 30 in-lbs (so 20 in-lbs pinion initial) then leveled out at 26 in-lbs continuous (so 16 in-lbs pinion continuous).

I wasn't about to mess w\ this anymore.......you don't get this lucky this often! I was hoping that the .002" extra (thinnest shims in the pack were .004") after making up the additional .018" inner pinion bearing shim thickness gained would be in the ballpark. So, hats off to Motive Gear maintaining Ford's 8.8" MHD pinion gear design dimensions during manufacturing process!

So, to maintain a preset solid spacer preload when changing out Ford 8.8" gears, reset solid spacer shim amount the same amount of change in same direction as made to the inner pinion bearing shim......

Pulled yoke back off, installed oil slinger & new National Oil Seals (by Federal-Mogul) #3604 Hi Temp pinion seal for Ford 8.8" axle (while I was at Auto Zone picking up 2 more qts of Lucas HP 80W-90 GL-5 dino fluid I inquired into the advent of a hi-temp version & found that 1 existed.......this seal has a 400*F max temp rating) then reinstalled yoke using red Loctite & new nut & TQ'd yoke back to 180 ft-lbs. Installed DS & blue Loctite DS bolts & TQ'd @ 41 ft-lbs. Reloaded axle w\ 2.25 qts diff fluid, cleaned all up then started car & ran axle on stands thru all 5 gears & reverse to oil all back up good then checked pinion preload.....still felt the same as previously hand checked prior running it but this time the outer section of snout wasn't as hot to the touch & I could turn DS & all fairly easily by hand now as in past times so I believe I got her set up good now.

Put her on the ground & test drove......felt really smooth thruout & the decel whine between 35-45 MPH is damn near gone (still can hear it but only if radio is turned completely off so some of what I heard prior was indeed due to outer pinion bearing amplification from being too tight in outer race but inner race not up against solid spacer) & absolutely no whine during accel period so I'm gonna call this a fix as I know the decel whine will eventually wear itself quiet as pattern wears towards center of teeth (both drive\coast side pattern set is centered root\crown but is also set favoring toe side of tooth center.....).

A couple of digs after break in should help this out some..........

Finally.......got this behind me so I'm feeling really good about it. Now my HVAC air control actuators should be here Tuesday so I can then fix this issue that just came up last Thursday.

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

Now my HVAC air control actuators should be here Tuesday so I can then fix this issue that just came up last Thursday.

If you're doing the one on the driver's side behind the instrument cluster, I can lend you my book of swear words.

 

[GlassTop09]

If you're doing the one on the driver's side behind the instrument cluster, I can lend you my book of swear words.

Well send it over cause that's 1 of them getting done (went off your guide in DIY forum).

Hope my arthritis & carpal tunnel doesn't keep me from getting them changed out..........

 

[Midlife Crises]

I wasn't about to mess w\ this anymore

The math makes my head hurt but I sure understand “close enough”. Interested to see if the lighter pinion load works out. I am also using Lucas 80-90 dino fluid. Will you be switching to heavier synthetic after break in?

 

[GlassTop09]

The math makes my head hurt but I sure understand “close enough”. Interested to see if the lighter pinion load works out. I am also using Lucas 80-90 dino fluid. Will you be switching to heavier synthetic after break in?

Yeah, I plan to switch to using Lucas HP 85W-140 GL-5 dino fluid after break in (this is a Lucas heavier formulated version of GL-5 dino diff fluid so is compatible w\ the Eaton Tru-Trac diff) as this stuff is damn good (what On3 uses for all their performance axle work).

Here is a picture of this Lucas HP 85W-140 GL-5 dino diff fluid after a 500 mi break in (when I changed it out & pulled diff cover for inspection of the Richmond EXEL 3.89 gears):

Note the color of the oil on the Tru-Trac.........that is the very same color of this oil when it comes out of the bottle & generated no foul odors as diff oils usually do when subjected to heat over time......after 500+mi of run time on it handling a fresh gear install. The generated operational heat didn't faze this stuff at all........why I changed to use the Lucas HP 80W-90 GL-5 dino oil as it is thinner to reduce some of the viscosity\lubricity properties to help w\ break in of the gears as I surmised from seeing this that this Lucas HP 85W-140 GL-5 dino fluid is too good & is not allowing the gears\bearings to sufficiently break in\mesh properly.

But after break in, IMHO this Lucas HP 85W-140 GL-5 dino fluid is the stuff to run for longevity\maintaining consistent performance.

This is why I'm going back to it w\ these Motive gears after initial break in period is past. I've now seen this Lucas HP 80W-90 GL-5 dino diff fluid come out after some approximate run time comparable to the 85W-140 version oil & it came out a little darker colored hue than it went in indicating that it isn't quite as robust to resisting heat over time......

May not be anything wrong w\ the Lucas 80W-90 fluid but the optics between the 2 is very different & highly compelling.

 

[GlassTop09]

FYI....................

I've figured out a method on how to get a 1st stack height measurement of a solid spacer between the outer pinion bearing's inner race to pinion gear crush sleeve shoulder for anyone willing to try it out (I'm gonna use it on the next future gear change\swap I do........this may be a while coming for me though).

Once you get your final pinion depth\BL set up & checking pattern run verifying all is good (so the final inner pinion shims are installed.....this is important as this shim height will determine the distance between the outer pinion bearing's inner race to pinion gear crush sleeve shoulder) & are ready for final install of pinion gear into housing, use some gear marking compound & coat the outer pinion part of gear shaft approx 1\4" above the crush sleeve shoulder on pinion gear & make this coated area approx 5\8" long. Then install pinion gear into housing & install outer pinion bearing & make sure that both bearings are fully seated into the bearing races, then pull pinion gear back out & measure the distance from the crush sleeve shoulder to the line in gear marking compound made by the outer bearing's inner race......this measurement should correspond to the initial height setting of the solid spacer stack, then reduce this stack height by .002" then start setting process for final pinion preload from there.

This method should get you in the ballpark within 1-3 attempts & save a lot of time figuring this out. Since solid spacers don't crush you shouldn't need very much shim adjustment from this initial starting point.......should not need to adjust more than .004" to .006" max to get where you want to go by my estimation if you don't get there on the 1st try after using this method to get the initial solid spacer stack height.

Hope this helps.

 

[GlassTop09]

If you're doing the one on the driver's side behind the instrument cluster, I can lend you my book of swear words.

Got my actuators in yesterday. Went & made attempt today to replace the dreaded actuator behind IC........got the 1 easy screw out but after fiddling around for another 1 1\2 hrs trying to get the 2nd screw out & my carpal tunnel started flaring up in both wrists, I quickly scratched this job, so I put the 1st screw back in & put all back together.

Off to the dealership she goes! At least won't have to wait for parts. I'm gonna have them replace all of them w\ the new MotorCraft replacements but give me back all the old ones to have for spares. Hopefully this'll hold her for another 13+ yrs.....................

This is 1 job ole GlassTop09 ain't fit\able to tackle anymore.............................

BTW.......I didn't come up w\ any new swear words so no copyright infringements made to your published book, Dino......

 

[crjackson]

I didn't come up w\ any new swear words so no copyright infringements made to your published book

Thank God you got that sorted.