Ok so I am installing a new shaft in my Level II axle and I have it all back together and I'm filling it up with fluid. Before this I have never removed or installed axle shafts so I just followed the instruction from the Expo Disc brake how-to and it went well, I think.

Now that I am all done I am thinking back though and I have a question about the c-clips. I put the clip back in through the spider block opening in the diff. I slide it back in and pulled the shaft flange out to seat it in place. Now I'm wondering if I left the clip in the right position.

Should the open side of C-clip face out toward the cover or in towards the pinion?

 

doesnt matter aslong as its seated

 

no, the open side of the c-clip should point towards the cover.

Enjoy installing them.


/sarcasm

 

Wat.

Doesn't the c-clip spin with the axle shaft, so why would it matter which way it initially faces?

 

Yeah it's fine however I set it. I drove around with zero problems.

Only issue I'm having now is the shaft is 3/4 inch too long. Looks like it might have come from an explorer instead of a Level II Ranger as I was led to believe. I'm working out the issue with Andrew and Kris now (the previous owners of the shafts).

Either way the wheel wobble I had from my bent shaft flange is fixed so I'm a happy camper.

Here's what I'm talking about, both of those are the passenger side shafts, the one on the left is out of my Level II axle, the one on the right is supposedly from a Level II axle. The one on the right is a spare that Kris (KLC) had with his Level II axle until he sold it and the spare shaft to Andrew (bigandrew) and Andrew sent it to me:


And, while I was filling up the pumpkin I saw this:


I guess the u-joint was replaced at some point (or had a grease fitting put in) since Ford quit doing it in 1998 on Rangers. I think the 1st owner had grease fittings installed in everything since my ball joints have fittings to. The second owner (my bro-in-law) swears he never had anything replaced except brakes and oil from 50k-120k when I bought it. First owner had the truck until 50k so he must have done it back in 2000-2001. I'm starting to like that guy :)