R50 Lokka installation - with picture goodness

[Radwaste]

This post deals mostly with Lokka assembly. To get your front diff on the bench and the carrier out, PCoA has a good write up.

 

http://pcoa.org.au/f...ka front#p31533

 

 

So here is the carrier on the bench with the ring gear off to the side.

 

First, you're gonna need a quality roll pin punch. A roll pin punch will have a long non tapered nose. The Mayhew set I have has treated me well. Starrett is another excellent choice.

 

 

Punch out the roll pin holding in the cross shaft here:

 

 

Be sure to punch thru this side, as there is a very small lip and you will not be able to exit the roll pin thru the side shown in the picture.

Use a punch to then knock out the cross shaft. From there, you can remove all the carrier internals: 1 cross shaft, 4 gears, 2 shims and 2 washers.

Within the short shaft side gear there is a piece the 14 mm bolt screws into, that needs to come out of the side gear and be reused. The piece that needs to be removed can be seen just above the cross shaft in the first picture. That can be knocked out. The 2 shims also need to be reused.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Radwaste

[Radwaste]

This is the empty carrier. You can see where the washers use to be.

 

Here is the new axle gear. Notice the two shims. I had to order an additional shim to get the cam gap closer to required spec. So I have two on one side, and a third on the other.

 

 

Grease the axle gear before assembly, this will also help hold it in place. The axle gears are identical, so top or bottom does not matter.

 

Here is the axle gear with two shims underneath.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Radwaste

[Radwaste]

Here is the other axle gear with one shim.

 

And both axle gears are now in place. The grease helps keep the top from falling out, as discussed before.

 

Here is the cam for the short axle side of the carrier. The piece at the bottom is what was removed from the side gear. The 14 mm bolt will thread thru it. This can either be pressed in to the axle gear now, or wait until carrier re-installation and use the 14 mm bolt to pull the nut in place. The nut rests within the retainer, which rests within the cam, all facing up as shown in the picture.

 

[Radwaste]

Here is the opposite cam with its retainer. From the picture, the retainer will be inserted face down into the cam.

 

Like so.

 

Here is the short axle side cam being inserted into the carrier. Notice the flat sides on two sides of the cam, that will have to be aligned with the opening to slide the cam in place. The retainer within the cam will attempt to fall out during installation.

 

[Radwaste]

Here is the installation of the other cam. The first cam will have to pushed to the side to insert this one. Also, this cam will go in last. There will not be enough space to squeeze in the short side cam with the other side already installed.

 

 

And here it is with the cam gears installed and lined up. That is the 14 mm bolt previously mentioned. It can be used here to help keep the two sides separated when needed.

 

 

Here is a spring retaining pin. To install this, it would be flipped upside down and inserted up into the upper cam as shown in the picture. The pin will slide into the hole and the spring will sit atop.

 

 

Pin installed.

 

 

Spring installed on pin. There is a small recess where the top of the spring slides into. A small flathead screwdriver is a good tool to compress the spring enough to get it in place.

 

Edited November 5, 2012 by Radwaste

[Radwaste]

Insert the 4 pins and springs, then slide the cross shaft in place. A hammer will be required. Ensure the roll pin hole is aligned as shown.

 

 

Insert the roll pin into the carrier and cross shaft. Be sure to insert thru the same opening you removed it from.

 

 

Use a feeler gauge to measure the space between the cams. It should be between 0.145 and 0.165 inches.

 

 

I'm a little tight, but I'm gonna let it ride. The third shim moved me from two far apart to to close. I'd rather be to close, as to far apart will lesson the force of the spring on the cam, possibly not re-seating the cam on the axle gear. Each tooth on the axle gear is 0.05 inches, so there is still plenty of room for one or (unlikely) both cams to lift. Plus, wear and tear will cause the gap to widen over time.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Radwaste

[Radwaste]

And here she sits.

 

 

The cross shaft prevents the two cams from rotating independently. One cam will never rotate faster than the other. So, while going straight, one axle is not trying to go faster than the other, and no axle gear is attempting to slide past any cam. Everything is nice and locked.

 

Now we start turning, and one tire starts to rotate faster than the other. The outside axle wants to go faster, and it starts putting force on the axle gear to slip past the cam. The teeth on the axle gear are slightly beveled, / \ , like so. Once there is enough force for the axle gear to slip a tooth, the cam moves up out of the way and the axle gear plus tire, start to rotate faster than the cams plus the other axle gear and tire, a.k.a...you're turning.

 

Once we straighten the wheel, the faster axle gear slows down and the springs push the cam back in place, where the cam locks with the axle gear. And we are now locked again.

 

Some things I would have different with this installation:

 

1. You can order shims in different widths. I first went to my local Nissan dealership and they told me 5 weeks. So I called Courtesy Parts and they had some on the shelf. You can get shims between around 60 mm to 93 mm. If you plan on doing this, just order a shim or two now. They're six bucks and it's a pain to stop a project in the middle and wait on shipping.

2. Press the nut into the axle gear. Do it while its out and get it out of the way. The bolt will work once it's installed, but why go thru the trouble.

 

 

If I think of anything else, I'll put it up.

Edited November 5, 2012 by Radwaste

[devonianwalk]

Excellent write up. Thanks for all the detailed photos as well Rad.

[Stinka]

Excellent cheers

 

How dies it drive on the road ? Does it click a lot ? Do you have manual hubs ?

[Radwaste]

I do have manual hubs.

 

I have not re-installed the front diff yet, that will be my project for the day.

[Inyourface1650]

Any update on this? I'm pretty interested in one....

[Stinka]

yes im interested to know how it drives with the hubs locked in