Do the the 4x4 3S diff outdrives seal the diff case?

[Uz3r]

Hi All, a screw attaching one of my drive shafts to an outdrive is shredded smooth so I need to drill the screw out of the outdrive out to replace the drive shaft. I'm hoping to do this without needing to pull apart the diff case (Im a noob and don't have the parts or experience to open up the the diff). I figure I should be able to do this as long as the outdrives are sealed and not hollow all the way through. If they are hollow and don't seal the diff then drill shrapnel will fall into the diff and I will have no choice but to pull apart the diff making it a much more difficult job for me.

So anyone know if the outdrives are sealed/not hollow all the way through? I cant see inside! Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Lazy Bushman]

I haven't pulled mine off my 3S yet but I wouldn't expect them to be hollow all the way through. the 6S aren't

 

[Jeremy in WI]

They are not hollow. I will however recommend tearing into the diffs and learning how they work. You're gonna want to learn it eventually, and why put off until tomorrow what can be done today. Once you see how they work and are put together, you'll realize that there's nothing too crazy in there.

 

[Uz3r]

They are not hollow. I will however recommend tearing into the diffs and learning how they work. You're gonna want to learn it eventually, and why put off until tomorrow what can be done today. Once you see how they work and are put together, you'll realize that there's nothing too crazy in there.

Thanks for confirming!

I would normally agree with learning more about the diff but I've only owned my truck for 4 weeks and 2 weeks of that its been in pieces while I repair it - Im just keen to get it back together asap so I can use it!

 

[jondilly1974]

The diffs are way simpler than you are thinking. I was intimidated at first too. It’s not brain science. It’s messy, but not as complicated as you would expect.

That said, what you’re trying to do will fail anyways. How will you extract the broken screw without damaging the threads in the outdrive? That’s gonna be a very tricky thing to do. Much easier to simply pull the diff out and replace it.

 

[Uz3r]

That said, what you’re trying to do will fail anyways. How will you extract the broken screw without damaging the threads in the outdrive? That’s gonna be a very tricky thing to do. Much easier to simply pull the diff out and replace it.

I know its going to be tricky to do. I guess Im just hoping I can drill it out to a point where I don't touch the outdrive thread but enough to weaken the screw where I can yank it out with pliers. Annoyingly all Im trying to do is get the yoke off so I can fix the mesh on the input gear and the diff case - the diff itself is fine.

 

[jondilly1974]

I know its going to be tricky to do. I guess Im just hoping I can drill it out to a point where I don't touch the outdrive thread but enough to weaken the screw where I can yank it out with pliers. Annoyingly all Im trying to do is get the yoke off so I can fix the mesh on the input gear and the diff case - the diff itself is fine.

Just know when you drill that screw out to go as slow as possible. I mean truly 60 rpm slow.

 

[bicketybam]

I'm pretty sure getting a replacement screw back in there is going to be next to impossible without separating the u-joint and once you do that the driveshaft is compromised. That being the case I would Dremel away the plastic part that attaches to the outdrive and see if you can grab the screw head with pliers. If not, the added clearance may allow you to use an ez out screw extractor instead of drilling.