I have a 86 Iroc with a 10 bolt 3.23 open rear differential. I have a Auburn limited slip carrier with 28 splines. Was going to swap carriers and install my 3.23 ring gear on it and a set of 28 spline axles as well. I am mechanically inclined and there is not much I haven't done except taking apart a rear diff. Question is, can I pull the axles, remove carrier, and install the Auburn carrier with out needing all the special tools ? Since I am not disturbing the Pinion and not disturbing preload, if I install the original shims on each side how they came out, will that keep the backlash the same since I am using the original ring gear ? I know the bearing caps need to be marked and installed on correct side and in correct orientation. Any help or info would be great.

Thanks

Pete

 

Yep, I did it a few years back when I went to a Torsen. I did it with a ratchet and torque wrench, and I borrowed a dial gauge indicator from my brother to check the lash. Pull the cover (careful not to get the fluid on your clothes, it'll ruin 'em), pull the axles, remove the bearing caps (making sure you don't let the carrier fall out, and keeping track of the caps' positions), remove the carrier, remove the ring gear (bolts are left hand thread on those bolts btw), and reverse the process. You probably WON'T be able to reuse your shims, so I'd have a set of 10 bolt shims on hand just in case; you can get sets from any auto store pretty cheap. ALSO: Make sure that your Auburn is a SERIES 3, not a series 2; if it's a series 2, the spacing won't be right, and it will not fit properly with your ring gear. They sell thicker ring gears to convert, but then you gotta change the pinion.

If you pulled the Auburn out of another car, and you kept the shims from said car, you may be able to reuse them, but always check your lash and gear patterns. I pulled my Torsen from a 2000 Trans Am, and the shims from the 4thgen happened to get the lash dead-on in my axle as well. Could be luck, could be because the axle housing castings were the exact same, not really sure, but it's been perfect for 4 or 5 years now. Anyways, when checking the lash, make sure the bearing caps are torqued to spec. You very well may have to take the carrier out, change shims around, torque caps again, check lash, and repeat a number of times, but it's very important to get it correct.

Check out this video from Fuzzy Dice Projects btw:
He swaps a posi into an S10 Blazer here, but exact same 10 bolt axle that we have in our cars. I watched this video before I did my swap, prepared me for the job, and everything thankfully went smoothly. He does a great job showing the whole process, worth checking out if you're a visual learner like me

 

@LLCooLM495 How can I tell if I have a series 2 or 3 Auburn Carrier ? Thanks for the other info.
I found the answer. It is a series 3. It came from a 3.23 ring gear which is exactly what mine is.
Pete

 

Sorry I couldn't answer earlier, just drove 3 hours south for the weekend. Looks like you found your answer and you're good to go though, good luck with the install! It seems pretty involved at first, but it isn't so bad. Took me around 3 hours from when I jacked up the car to when it was back on the ground with the posi, nice how factory parts go together.

One last note btw: you probably already know, but even with the ring gears both being 3.23, you'll want to swap yours onto the new carrier since they're wear-matched. If your Auburn is from a 4thgen, it may have a tone ring for the ABS as well; you can just knock it off with a hammer and screwdriver, only a press-fit. Best of luck, hope you enjoy the posi!

 

Just a thought, do you know the condition of the posi? The stock auburn units are not know for their longevity. Can you replace the clutches in it prior to installing it? It would be frustrating to do the job and still have a 1 tire fire.

 

Unfortunately you cannot. I called Auburn some years ago about one I had (a 3 series "performance" one, with more springs than the stock ones), and they informed me that they don't sell any parts to service those POSs. I gave it away.