Axle housing change out
 

Anyone
I am changing out my rear axle on my 98 Blazer LS 2 wheel drive after dismantling the diff 3 times. Going to just buy 1 at the junkyard for $250 vs $264 for the pinion and ring gears which is the problem. I don't think I can hit the tight specs for the pinion preload. distance in diff or the carrior position to acheive the proper bacllash. Way over my head so just going to hope I get a good rear end as the motor only has 110 k on it and I got about 3 grand in it now so here goes. But what I need to know is about taking out the existing rear end, what to do that I might not know to do. Removing brake lines is going to release all my brake fluid which is not a big deal but should I try and plug lines so I dont take as long to bleed breaks. What about the anti lock brake system? Is there somrething I need to know about disconnect? Is there any tension on sway bar? Do I need to mack position on axle and try and dup;icate? Any Help APPRECIATED!!!!!

I just rebuilt the rear on my S10 racer last Summer. Did ring/pinion/new bearings/installed a spool, and c-clip eliminators. I found that setting them up is quite a chore unless you have a pinion depth gauge (which I don't). Lots of trial fitting - then change shims, then try again, then .......... Don't know how I would have done it with the housing installed in the vehicle. So if you don't have confidence, I think you are making a good choice.

I am assuming that you have a disk brake rear, so look for 1997+ 2WD Blazer or S10 or Jimmy or Sonoma. 4WD rears are too wide to use your wheels and also on a 4WD you might end up with an 8.5" rear that is bigger ring/pinion than what you have (7.5 almost certainly). Rear end ratio is on the RPO sticker inside the glove box. You can look up the different codes ahead of time to go to the junk yard and take a photos of your rear to make sure things match up.

Find the one that you want. Make absolutely certain that it is safe to work underneath and that the vehicle will not fall on you. Remove the wheels. First squirt down the u-bolt nuts with WD40. Cut the e-brake cables and brake hose and with a hacksaw. Unclamp the u-joint, remove the u-bolt nuts (bring a 1/2" drive breaker bar, 1/2" ratchet, and a socket to get this done. Remove any sway bar attachment, twisting/breaking off the bolts in the links. Rear will come out. Bring a strong friend that doesn't mind getting dirty and a wheelbarrow.

Do not under any circumstances let the brake fluid run out in the master cylinder. The ABS requires a capable scanner to initiate the ABS bleeding procedure. You will probably want to switch your old rotors and calipers over to the new rear. Best way to do this is to remove the brake lines and the calipers from the rear without disconnecting them hydraulically from the vehicle. Tie them up and out of the way before removing the damaged rear end. Alternatively you can plug a disconnected brake line and then bleed the brakes normally (no ABS bleeding) at the end of repair. Other than that, just reverse the procedure to install.

Good luck!