Opel Frontera UE. Manual - part 684

4A2–14

DIFFERENTIAL (REAR)

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Inspecting the Axle Before 
Disassembly

1. Remove the axle cover from the rear axle and drain 

the axle lubricant into a suitable container.

2. Check ring gear backlash. Refer to “BACKLASH 

ADJUSTMENT" in this section. This information can 
be used to determine the cause of the axle problem. 
It will also help when setting up the shim packs for 
locating and preloading the differential cage.

3. Check case for metal chips and shavings. 

Determine where these ships and shavings come 
from, such as a broken gear or bearing cage.

• If possible, determine the cause of the axle 

problem before disassembly.

Disassembly

1. Remove axle shafts.

• Refer to axle shaft replacement in this section.

2. Remove ABS sensor.

3. Remove bearing caps and bolts.

• Mark the caps and the housing as left and right.

CAUTION:  Bearing caps are machined with the 
housing and must be assembled in the same 
position as removed.  Note the matched letter 
stamped on the caps and carrier.  When assembled, 
the letters on the caps must agree in both the 
hosizontal and vertical position with the letters on 
the carrier.

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4. Remove Differential case.

• Pry the case from the axle housing at the 

differential “window".

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5. Remove side bearing outer races and shims.

• Mark the races and shims as left and right, and 

place them with the bearing cups.

6. Remove differential side bearings using remover 5–

8840–2587–0 and plug 5–8840–2585–0.

• Select insert ; 303174 and collet halves ; 44801 in 

remover kit 5–8840–2587–0.

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7. Remove ring gear bolts.

• Ring gear bolts use right handed threads.

CAUTION:  Do not pry the ring gear from the case. 
This will damage the ring and the differential case.

(30) Side Gear Thrust Washer
(31) Pinion Mate Gears

(32) Thrustwasher-Differential Pinion Mate Gear

DIFFERENTIAL (REAR)

4A2–15

8. Remove ring gear from the differential.

• Drive the ring gear off with a brass drift if 

necessary.

• Check drive pinion bearing preload.

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• Check the pinion assembly for looseness by 

moving it back and forth. (Looseness indicates 
excessive bearing wear.)

9. Remove pinion flange nut and washer.

• Use flange holder 5–8840–0133–0 to hold the 

pinion flange.

10. Remove pinion flange.

• Use flange holder 5–8840–0133–0 to remove the 

pinion flange.

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11. Remove pinion from the axle housing.

• Thread the pinion nut halfway onto the pinion.

• Drive the pinion out of the housing with a hammer 

and a soft drift.

• Remove the nut and then remove the pinion.

12. Remove collapsible spacer(1).

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13. Remove outer seal, outer oil slinger and outer pinion 

bearing.

14. Remove inner bearing, inner oil slinger and shim 

from the pinion.

• Press the bearing off the pinion using remover 5–

8840–2587–0.

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• Select insert ; 303174 and collet halves ; 44801 in 

remover kit 5–8840–2587–0.

• Remove the shim.

15. Remove bearing cups and baffle plate from the axle 

housing using a hammer and a punch.

• Work the cups out of the housing evenly, moving 

the punch back and forth between one side of the 
cup and the other.

• The baffle plate will be destroyed and should be 

replaced with a new one.

4A2–16

DIFFERENTIAL (REAR)

16. Remove exciter ring.

• Remove the exciter ring from the differential using 

a mallet or a brass hammer if it is required.

NOTE:  Discard the exciter ring after removal.

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Cleaning

Do not steam clean drive parts which have ground and 
polished surfaces such as gears, bearings, and shafts.  
These parts should be cleaned in a suitable solvent. All 
parts should be disassembled before cleaning.
Parts should be thoroughly dried immediately after 
cleaning. Use soft, clean, lintless rags.  Parts may be 
dried with cimpressed air. Do not allow the bearings to 
spin while drying them with compressed air.

Inspection and Repair

It is very important to carefully and thoroughly inspect 
all drive unit parts before reassembly.
Thorough inspection of the drive parts for wear or stress 
and subsequent replacement of worn parts will 
eliminate costly drive component repair after 
reassembly.

Axle Housing

• The carrier bore for nicks or burrs that would prevent 

the outer diameter of the pinion seal from sealing, 
Remove any burrs that are found.

• The bearing cap bores for nicks or burrs.

Remove any burrs that are found.

• The housing for cracks. Replace the housing if any 

cracks are found.

• The housing for foreign material such as metal chips, 

dirt, or rust.

Pinion and Ring Gear

• Pinion and ring gear teeth for cracking, chipping, 

scoring, or excessive wear.

• Pinion splines for wear.

• Pinion flange splines for wear.

• The sealing surface of the pinion flange for nicks, 

burrs, or rough tool marks which would cause 
damage to the seal's inside diameter and result in an 
oil leak.

• Replace all worn or broken parts.

• Ring and pinion gears are matched sets and are both 

replaced anytime a replacement of either is 
necessary.

Bearings

• Bearings visually and by feel.

• The bearings should feel smooth when oiled and 

rotated while applying as much hand pressure as 
possible.
The large end of the bearing rollers for wear.
This is where tapered roller bearing wear is most 
evident.

• Bearing cups for wear, cracks, brinelling and scoring.

• Bearing and cups are only replaced as sets.

• If the rear axle was operated for an extended period 

of time with very loose bearings, the ring gear and 
drive pinion will also require replacement.

• Low mileage bearings may have minute scratches 

and pits on the rollers and the bearing cups from the 
initial pre-load. Do not replace a bearing for this 
reason.

• Bearing cups for cracks or chips.

Shims

• Shims for cracks and chips. Damaged shims should 

be replaced with an equally sized service shim.

DIFFERENTIAL (REAR)

4A2–17

Reassembly

1. Install pinion bearing races and baffle plate using 

outer bearing race installer 5–8840–0008–0 / inner 
bearing race installer 5–8840–2569–0 and drive 
handle 5–8840–0007–0.

NOTE:  Baffle plate must be installed, when install the 
inner pinion bearing race.

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2. Clean all the gauge parts.

3. Lubricate the outer and inner bearings with axle 

lubricant.

4. Place the bearings into the pinion bearing races.

5. Place the inner oil slinger onto the inner pinion 

bearing.

NOTE:  The inner oil slinger must be placed between 
gauge plate and inner pinion bearing when measuring 
the pinion depth.

6. Install gauge plate 5–8840–2578–0, inner pilot 5–

8840–2573–0 stud and nut 5–8840–0127–0 and 
outer pilot 5–8840–2575–0 to the pinion bore.

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7. Hold the stud stationary at the flats of the stud 

(and).

Tighten the stud nut

Torque: 2.2 N·m (0.2kg·m/1.6lbft)

8. Rotate the gauge plate and bearings several 

complete revolutions to seat the bearings.

9. Tighten the stud nut until a torque of 1.6 to 2.2 N·m 

(0.16 – 0.22kg·m/1.2 to 1.6 lbft.) is required to keep 
the gauge plate in rotation.